Integrating STEM, Language, and Visual Literacy for Multilingual Learners

Abstract

While multilingual students in K-12 classrooms are steadily increasing, they are significantly underrepresented in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) at the post-secondary level and workforce (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2018). This paper contributes to narrowing this gap by proposing an integrated STEM, language, and visual literacy approach. The first part of the paper explains the theoretical perspectives and their connections to each other. In part two, the authors share how the integrated approach works, using concrete classroom examples such as sense-making, deepening STEM learning, developing disciplinary language and discourse, and using multimodal communication. STEM educators will be inspired to implement appropriate multilingual student support strategies to create culturally responsive instructional activities that empower students and leverage multimodal communication, motivating them to pursue advanced study and add new perspectives traditionally excluded in STEM.