Reflections on STEP UP From an EL Teacher

Billy Menz, Edison High School in Minneapolis, Minnesota

The women in Physics and diversity units are essential for overall success in an urban school and I would argue also provide great value in schools that lack diversity. For us at Edison, the diversity unit was the most powerful teaching in Physics we had all year. The unit discusses and highlights (or lowlights) the selectivity that the sciences have had in the past regarding students of color and women. Introducing young women and students of color to the facts about Physics careers and challenging them to fight against those stereotypes not only helps them achieve in the Physics classroom but also puts a social justice lens on Physics education. Most students see that women are not in Physics and people of color are not well-represented in science careers but they don’t understand why or how to change it.

Change and action motivates students. Students at the high school level are very hesitant to take risks outside of how they identify socially, academically and culturally. Many students of color, ELs or female students don’t see themselves as Physicists or scientists and our students at Edison were no different. However, by explicitly teaching them that this may not be due to their interests, but rather due to social injustice is powerful. This unit permits students to think of themselves as scientists even though society has historically not been permissive of that concept and it calls on them to be change-makers for the future.

Dr. Johnson’s personal story really resonated with the students and allowed them to see her as someone who struggled to be where she is. She outwardly shared her experiences of becoming a PhD educated physicist in a world of men. Because of her story the unit really impacted students and provided them a reason to get outside their box because their teacher did. In the unit, students were expected to investigate careers that use Physics and use data that demonstrates students who are successful in Physics are qualified for many different careers. They investigated the value of a physics major in college and explored women who were ground breakers in Physics. They were immersed in scientists they had never heard of who were real people. Kind of like their teacher.

At Edison our students come from many different backgrounds and it is essential for them to see that the content of their education is relevant to their lives. They almost expect for it not to be and without that “buy in” to Physics from our students of color or our female students, their engagement will be limited. This unit, the STEM story unit and the diversity unit increased student engagement because the content was relevant to their life experience. The units also allowed Mr. Menz and Dr. Johnson to access background knowledge, a research based EL practice not normally important in the Physics classroom, and infuse that into the classroom instruction. Student stories were valued and the classroom became more than just the Physics. The units, although intended as a day-long or week long exposure experiences, became much more in our classroom. By separating the unit into two mini units at different times of the year allowed for the content to be a recurring theme in the class.

Physics is hard content, but sometimes the intimidation of the content is the barrier to learning hard things. The women in Physics unit and other practices in our classroom helped EL students, students of color and our white students see that Physics is for everyone, not just the select few. We have improvements to make and extensions to build upon, but without units like these in our challenging content areas we are only continuing the exclusivity of past practice. By valuing and supporting units like these in Physics we are leading from a place of inclusivity which will lead to the desired outcome of

Billy Menz is an EL Teacher at Edison High School with a B.A. in History from the University of Texas-Austin and a M.A. in English as a Second Language from Hamline University in St. Paul, MN. Mr. Menz has taught in K-12 education in Texas, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Minnesota for 19 years. This was Mr. Menz’s first year at the high school level and at Edison High School.

Disclaimer – The articles and opinion pieces found in this issue of the APS Forum on Education Newsletter are not peer refereed and represent solely the views of the authors and not necessarily the views of the APS.