My research addresses issues of diversity and equity in science teacher preparation and professional development, with culturally relevant teaching, multiculturalism, critical theories guiding my teaching and research. My focus in science education also investigates gender issues and teacher identity. My most recent research agenda utilizes critical race theory as a transformative lens in the experiences of teacher education/educator research and practice.
International quarterly of community health education, 2015
This qualitative study focuses on culturally embedded beliefs about the teaching and learning of ... more This qualitative study focuses on culturally embedded beliefs about the teaching and learning of HIV/AIDS topics in the Ivory Coast. We aim to analyze and describe factors influencing the implementation of the HIV/AIDS curricula in Ivorian sixth-grade classrooms. With continuous spreading of AIDS in the Ivory Coast, education about HIV/AIDS has to increase; therefore, an urgent need to document, evaluate, and disseminate Ivorian perspectives on what is understood as valuable HIV/AIDS knowledge to prioritize such content in the curriculum is needed. Multiple qualitative methods were collected: individual interviews with 39 teachers, 63 sixth-grade students, eight school administrators, 20 community elders as well as field notes, and document analysis. By promoting HIV/AIDS curricula that is responsive to and inclusive of youth cultural beliefs and aligning teaching practice to Ivorian youth cultural interests, there is a chance that HIV/AIDS education could lead to safer sexual behav...
Science Activities: Classroom Projects and Curriculum Ideas, 2010
... 504972 Felicia Moore Mensah a pages 125-132. ... The teacher can point out traits that studen... more ... 504972 Felicia Moore Mensah a pages 125-132. ... The teacher can point out traits that students in the classroom have as examples or add pictures of famous people or characters. A picture of the character Eddie Munster is hilarious to show to represent the widow's peak trait. ...
Contemporary Trends and Issues in Science Education, 2011
Brotman: Despite numerous links to complex SSI, the topic of reproduction has not been a frequent... more Brotman: Despite numerous links to complex SSI, the topic of reproduction has not been a frequent focus of SSI research. This chapter vividly illustrates the potential for topics related to reproduction to engage students in the kind of thinking promoted by the SSI movement. It was refreshing to see that students responded positively to the reproduction unit, and that it prompted them to become more aware of their own and others’ beliefs, to more deeply understand these issues, to see these issues as personally relevant, and to reflect upon the interplay between science, society, and ethics. I would like to further explore the question of what aspects of this reproduction unit made it largely successful, as well as what recommendations for improving the unit the author and others might suggest. More specifically, I would like to raise questions about two aspects of the curriculum: the learning activities and the approach of the teacher.
This study describes how teachers use their personal knowledge of a school district and their stu... more This study describes how teachers use their personal knowledge of a school district and their students to cope with teaching under stressful situations associated with economic, social, and institutional factors. The 3 teachers dealt with these issues in unique ways, focusing on helping students to overcome negative perceptions, value the importance of an education, and build strong relationships. A model of multicultural science professional development is proposed that complements the strengths that these teachers have. A task for science educators working with teachers and administration in schools and districts that are ``critically low performing'' is to support everyone in implementing pedagogical methods aimed at empowerment, social justice, and high achievement for all students.
... Aarti Mallya,1 Felicia Moore Mensah,2 Isobel R. Contento,2 Pamela A. Koch,2 and Angela Calabr... more ... Aarti Mallya,1 Felicia Moore Mensah,2 Isobel R. Contento,2 Pamela A. Koch,2 and Angela Calabrese Barton3 ... Now they are building more fast foods—like they'll like take down a fruit market and put up a McDonald's or something like that instead and that doesn't really help ...
... literacy, others have offered methods in starting book clubs in schools for teacher professio... more ... literacy, others have offered methods in starting book clubs in schools for teacher professional development (Carmichael, 2001; Ediger, 2000; Goldberg & ... was Ways with words: Language, life, and work in communities and classrooms.2 Written by Shirley Brice Heath (1983 ...
ABSTRACT Studies across fields such as science education, health education, health behavior, and ... more ABSTRACT Studies across fields such as science education, health education, health behavior, and curriculum studies identify a persistent gap between the aims of the school curriculum and its impact on students’ thinking and acting about the real-life decisions that affect their lives. The present study presents a different story from this predominant pattern in the literature. Through a year-long ethnographic investigation of a health-focused New York City public high school’s HIV/AIDS and sex education program, this study illustrates a case in which 20 12th grade students respond positively to their education on these topics and largely assert that school significantly influences their perspectives and actions related to sexual health decision-making. This paper presents the following interpretation of this positive influence: school culture influences these students’ perspectives and decisions around sexual health by contributing to the formation of students’ identities. This paper further shows how science learning in particular becomes important for students in relation to decision-making when it is linked to issues of identity. These findings suggest that, in addition to attending to the design of classroom curriculum, HIV/AIDS and sex education researchers and curriculum developers (as well as those in science education focusing on other controversial science topics) might also explore the kinds of relational and school-wide factors that potentially influence students’ identities, decisions, and responses to school learning.
Cultural Studies of Science Education, 5(3)., Sep 2010
Classroom narratives and stories are rich and powerful in offering deep insights into classrooms ... more Classroom narratives and stories are rich and powerful in offering deep insights into classrooms and the reality of teaching—a reality critically re-examined in this forum. Discussing Maria’s narratives led to reflections about what it takes to support teachers to become agents of more equitable science practices. Factors such as time and identity-work are key dimensions of the authors’ struggle, but they also address understanding students in profound ways. The ways in which contradictions at different levels in the educational system can become sources of growth, reflection and action are discussed; yet no simple answers follow. Teaching and becoming a teacher are best understood as life-long processes of reflection and action and as political acts that entail challenging many boundaries. They also involve putting oneself into vulnerable roles and positions. This dialogue opens up many questions about how we can collaborate, guide and support both novices and experienced professionals in education as researchers, science staff developers, and teacher educators. It seeks to support the on-going quest to make science education authentic and equitable.
International quarterly of community health education, 2015
This qualitative study focuses on culturally embedded beliefs about the teaching and learning of ... more This qualitative study focuses on culturally embedded beliefs about the teaching and learning of HIV/AIDS topics in the Ivory Coast. We aim to analyze and describe factors influencing the implementation of the HIV/AIDS curricula in Ivorian sixth-grade classrooms. With continuous spreading of AIDS in the Ivory Coast, education about HIV/AIDS has to increase; therefore, an urgent need to document, evaluate, and disseminate Ivorian perspectives on what is understood as valuable HIV/AIDS knowledge to prioritize such content in the curriculum is needed. Multiple qualitative methods were collected: individual interviews with 39 teachers, 63 sixth-grade students, eight school administrators, 20 community elders as well as field notes, and document analysis. By promoting HIV/AIDS curricula that is responsive to and inclusive of youth cultural beliefs and aligning teaching practice to Ivorian youth cultural interests, there is a chance that HIV/AIDS education could lead to safer sexual behav...
Science Activities: Classroom Projects and Curriculum Ideas, 2010
... 504972 Felicia Moore Mensah a pages 125-132. ... The teacher can point out traits that studen... more ... 504972 Felicia Moore Mensah a pages 125-132. ... The teacher can point out traits that students in the classroom have as examples or add pictures of famous people or characters. A picture of the character Eddie Munster is hilarious to show to represent the widow's peak trait. ...
Contemporary Trends and Issues in Science Education, 2011
Brotman: Despite numerous links to complex SSI, the topic of reproduction has not been a frequent... more Brotman: Despite numerous links to complex SSI, the topic of reproduction has not been a frequent focus of SSI research. This chapter vividly illustrates the potential for topics related to reproduction to engage students in the kind of thinking promoted by the SSI movement. It was refreshing to see that students responded positively to the reproduction unit, and that it prompted them to become more aware of their own and others’ beliefs, to more deeply understand these issues, to see these issues as personally relevant, and to reflect upon the interplay between science, society, and ethics. I would like to further explore the question of what aspects of this reproduction unit made it largely successful, as well as what recommendations for improving the unit the author and others might suggest. More specifically, I would like to raise questions about two aspects of the curriculum: the learning activities and the approach of the teacher.
This study describes how teachers use their personal knowledge of a school district and their stu... more This study describes how teachers use their personal knowledge of a school district and their students to cope with teaching under stressful situations associated with economic, social, and institutional factors. The 3 teachers dealt with these issues in unique ways, focusing on helping students to overcome negative perceptions, value the importance of an education, and build strong relationships. A model of multicultural science professional development is proposed that complements the strengths that these teachers have. A task for science educators working with teachers and administration in schools and districts that are ``critically low performing'' is to support everyone in implementing pedagogical methods aimed at empowerment, social justice, and high achievement for all students.
... Aarti Mallya,1 Felicia Moore Mensah,2 Isobel R. Contento,2 Pamela A. Koch,2 and Angela Calabr... more ... Aarti Mallya,1 Felicia Moore Mensah,2 Isobel R. Contento,2 Pamela A. Koch,2 and Angela Calabrese Barton3 ... Now they are building more fast foods—like they'll like take down a fruit market and put up a McDonald's or something like that instead and that doesn't really help ...
... literacy, others have offered methods in starting book clubs in schools for teacher professio... more ... literacy, others have offered methods in starting book clubs in schools for teacher professional development (Carmichael, 2001; Ediger, 2000; Goldberg & ... was Ways with words: Language, life, and work in communities and classrooms.2 Written by Shirley Brice Heath (1983 ...
ABSTRACT Studies across fields such as science education, health education, health behavior, and ... more ABSTRACT Studies across fields such as science education, health education, health behavior, and curriculum studies identify a persistent gap between the aims of the school curriculum and its impact on students’ thinking and acting about the real-life decisions that affect their lives. The present study presents a different story from this predominant pattern in the literature. Through a year-long ethnographic investigation of a health-focused New York City public high school’s HIV/AIDS and sex education program, this study illustrates a case in which 20 12th grade students respond positively to their education on these topics and largely assert that school significantly influences their perspectives and actions related to sexual health decision-making. This paper presents the following interpretation of this positive influence: school culture influences these students’ perspectives and decisions around sexual health by contributing to the formation of students’ identities. This paper further shows how science learning in particular becomes important for students in relation to decision-making when it is linked to issues of identity. These findings suggest that, in addition to attending to the design of classroom curriculum, HIV/AIDS and sex education researchers and curriculum developers (as well as those in science education focusing on other controversial science topics) might also explore the kinds of relational and school-wide factors that potentially influence students’ identities, decisions, and responses to school learning.
Cultural Studies of Science Education, 5(3)., Sep 2010
Classroom narratives and stories are rich and powerful in offering deep insights into classrooms ... more Classroom narratives and stories are rich and powerful in offering deep insights into classrooms and the reality of teaching—a reality critically re-examined in this forum. Discussing Maria’s narratives led to reflections about what it takes to support teachers to become agents of more equitable science practices. Factors such as time and identity-work are key dimensions of the authors’ struggle, but they also address understanding students in profound ways. The ways in which contradictions at different levels in the educational system can become sources of growth, reflection and action are discussed; yet no simple answers follow. Teaching and becoming a teacher are best understood as life-long processes of reflection and action and as political acts that entail challenging many boundaries. They also involve putting oneself into vulnerable roles and positions. This dialogue opens up many questions about how we can collaborate, guide and support both novices and experienced professionals in education as researchers, science staff developers, and teacher educators. It seeks to support the on-going quest to make science education authentic and equitable.
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Papers by Felicia Mensah