UTSA’s College of Education would like to congratulate Uchenna Emenaha, PhD, for winning the Science Teachers’ Association of Texas (STAT) Skoog Cup College Faculty Award. Emenaha, a former middle and high school teacher from Houston, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Interdisciplinary Learning and Teaching.
Her research focuses on culturally responsive pedagogy, including STEM identity development, reflective teaching practices, and unconscious bias in the classroom. She currently works with preservice teachers who want to teach STEM courses, helping them develop a culturally responsive teaching philosophy before they ever enter a classroom setting. She views culturally responsive pedagogy (CRP) as a teaching philosophy and says it’s based on three tenants. The first of these is that all students can succeed, an idea she says is often challenged by people’s implicit biases. The second tenet of CRP is utilizing students’ lived experiences to the classroom.
“That’s just really working to decolonize and diversify science and who can do science, and showing various images of scientists across gender, race, ethnicity, age, so that students can identify with them,” Emenaha explained.
The third and final component of CRP is what she describes as preparing students to develop their sociopolitical consciousness. Examples of this might include students engaging in their communities to and contact local officials to address issues of food scarcity or environmental racism.
“That’s kind of the framework,” she said. “I apply it to science and STEM courses, but it can be used in any academic space.”
This work led to Emenaha receiving the 2021 Gerald Skoog Cup for Outstanding Leadership in Science Teacher Education. According to STAT, this award is presented to faculty who demonstrate leadership and contribute to the development of high-quality science education. From her research focusing specifically on in-classroom applications to her regular attendance and presentations at state and national conferences, Emenaha has demonstrated this leadership and commitment.
“I take what I know, which is grounded in research on how science teachers can be more culturally responsive, and try to disseminate as far and wide as I can through my published work and conference presentations,” she said.
“I take what I know, which is grounded in research on how science teachers can be more culturally responsive, and try to disseminate as far and wide as I can through my published work and conference presentations,” she said.
Emenaha was formally recognized at the Conference for the Advancement of Science Teaching (CAST) in November.
“It was an honor to be nominated,” Emenaha said. “And then to have won I think that is definitely one of the biggest highlights of my career to date...kind of like a special gift to say that I’m on the right track and, even though the semester has had its bumps, it was meaningful to have received that award.”
In addition to her recognition and CAST attendance, Emenaha received the Skoog Cup trophy and a $1,500 honorarium. She says she is pleased and surprised, and plans to use the funds to support upcoming conferences as well as investing in resources for her students.
Going forward, Emenaha is excited to continue having conversations about equity in science education. She’s been invited by the National Association of Biology Teachers to speak at the upcoming Inclusive Teaching Symposium about the. The symposium will be held online and is free to attend. To register visit https://nabt.org/2021-Inclusive-Teaching-Symposium.
- Christopher Reichert