From Homes to Classrooms: Cultural Wisdom as a Guide for STEM Lesson Planning

Abstract

This article describes innovative elementary science instructional approaches based on cultural wisdom developed by preservice teachers enrolled in a teacher preparation program at a university in the U.S.-Mexico border region. As a part of a larger study, three Latina preservice elementary teachers were a part of a teacher residency in conducting community interviews and reflection activities to uncover cultural backgrounds that could inform culturally relevant STEM lesson planning, centering on family and home knowledge. This project began with family interviews during winter break and culminated in lesson planning and implementation during their science methods course in the spring semester. The project was grounded in culturally relevant pedagogy, Funds of Knowledge, and nepantla as theoretical frameworks. The authors analyzed how preservice teachers transformed cultural practices into engaging science learning opportunities. Through this process, PSTs developed a deeper understanding of culturally responsive pedagogy. They learned to position students' home knowledge and their own as scientific capital rather than viewing cultural differences through deficit perspectives. The project resulted in the repositioning of cultural knowledge as scientific capital, the development of culturally responsive STEM practices that bridged home and school science, and the fostering of critical consciousness in teacher preparation. The findings demonstrate how cultural wisdom serves as a powerful foundation for meaningful STEM education, particularly for underrepresented students in bicultural communities. Implications include integrating ethnographic inquiry into teacher preparation, developing multilingual pedagogical approaches, and centering family voices as co-educators in culturally sustaining instruction.