It’s in the Way We Talk: Exploring the Use of Everyday Language in Teaching Technical Content STEM Learning Environments

Language is an important aspect of everyday life. It is through language that we build connections with each other and learn about the world. In terms of scientific knowledge, language is the bridge that connects what we know about our everyday context to the technical realm of science. For STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education, language allows students to build complex understandings from everyday common-sense meanings and unpack technical knowledge into accessible forms. The role of language in learning cannot be understated. When students are first exposed to content in formal learning environments, they are expected to learn the relationships between various concepts, how to apply several problem-solving strategies and to transfer this knowledge to other complex and advanced courses. However, in engineering and STEM more broadly, more research is needed to explore how the language used in formal classrooms and course documentation, such as lecture notes/videos, syllabi, worksheets and assessment documents, shapes how students come to make meaning and develop disciplinary expertise of the content. Further, in any given classroom there are students with varied backgrounds and experiences. Consequently, language plays a pivotal role in fostering equitable and inclusive learning environments by providing the means by which to legitimize cultural and disciplinary norms, promote access and highlight linguistic barriers where they exist. Understanding the best ways to reach diverse groups of students using common everyday language is becoming more important in the context of STEM learning environments, especially as the student demographic continues to change due to robust recruitment and retention efforts. This chapter will seek to explore the role of language helping students learn while also creating equitable and inclusive STEM learning environments.