Brown Bag Seminar: The Language-Identity Dilemma: How Language, Identity, and Cognition Impact Students' Learning

What we say and how we say it matter in ways that are often too subtle for us to recognize. When teachers arrive in classrooms where they are unfamiliar with the linguistic norms and equally unfamiliar with their own linguistic privilege, it presents a language-identity dilemma in contemporary classrooms. This issue is particularly challenging in science learning, where the dependence on new words heightens conflicts of identity and privilege. This presentation adds to the existing body of research by examining how science language may have an impact on students in both socio-affective and cognitive ways. The results of a series of qualitative and quantitative studies highlighted how language serves as a critical mediator of students' learning and identity. As educators focus on improving science teaching and learning, improving our use of science language must emerge as an important factor in our reform.

Bryan Brown is a professor of teacher education. His research interest explores the relationship between student identity, discourse, classroom culture, and academic achievement in science education. He focuses on the social connotations and cultural politics of science discourse in small-group and whole-group interaction. Additionally, his research work in science education examines how teacher and student discourse serve to shape learning opportunities for students in science classrooms.

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