Sara Wilmes

Science Workshop: Let Their Questions Lead the Way

Science Workshop is an integrated science and language literacy program piloted and implemented by primary school teachers in multilingual classrooms in Luxembourg. Grounded in theories supporting the integration of inquiry-based science education and language learning, Science Workshop consists of a teacher professional development program and instructional approach that engages students in inquiry arising from their questions in meaningful learning contexts. In this chapter, I detail the strategies and resources used in Science Workshop, a science program which is attuned to student’s voices as they question and conduct science investigations, and show how the program supported teachers in implementing integrated science and language literacy instruction at the primary level. Specifically, I discuss how Science Workshop supported the formation of heteroglossic language learning spaces within the confines of a system guided by monoglossic language policies.

Interaction rituals and inquiry-based science instruction: Analysis of student participation in small-group investigations in a multilingual classroom

Abstract Language learners participating in inquiry‐based science instruction are often faced with the challenge of interacting in a language they have not yet mastered. With this challenge at the fore, this study uses interaction ritual theory to examine a plurilingual students participation in inquiry‐based science. Interaction ritual analysis of the focal students interactions with peers during small‐group science investigations at the microlevel (tenths of a second) and in real‐time revealed that positive interaction rituals failed to form at first. Over a period of 6 months, his persistent use of nonverbal and verbal participation strategies, and opportunities to engage diverse communicative resources, resulted in higher levels of synchrony with his classmates and successful interactions in the language of instruction. The findings present novel information about the nuances of the silent, embodied participation of language learners in inquiry‐oriented instruction. Further, the findings elaborate the claim that inquiry‐based science pedagogies created space for students to form successful interaction rituals that, in turn, supported the focal students science engagement and language development.