Diana Bonilla & Daniel Morales-Doyle

Original article: Bonilla, D., & Morales‐Doyle, D. (2025). Toward pedagogías entrenzadas: Braiding critical and asset‐based pedagogies of sciences, languages, and cultural responsiveness. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 62(1), 49-85. 
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.22007

For many Emergent Bilingual (EB) students, science class often feels more like an English vocabulary drill than a place for discovery. This study introduces Pedagogías Entrenzadas (Braided Pedagogies)—a method that weaves together science concepts, students’ home languages, and cultural identities to create a more inclusive and effective learning environment.

Why This Matters

Traditional "transitional" bilingual programs often treat a student's home language as a hurdle to overcome. This study shows that when teachers encourage translanguaging (using all the languages a student knows) and connect lessons to students’ real-world "funds of knowledge," science learning becomes deeper and more transformative.

Key Findings for the Classroom

• Move Beyond "English-Only": When students are allowed to use their full linguistic repertoire (e.g., mixing Spanish and English to explain a physical science concept), they engage in higher-level sensemaking and critical thinking.
• The Power of the Braid: Successful science instruction isn't just about the curriculum. It’s an interdependent "braid" of three strands:
  1. Rigorous Science: Meaningful inquiry into phenomena.
  2. Linguistic Justice: Valuing home languages rather than treating them as "remedial."
  3. Cultural Responsiveness: Connecting science to the students’ specific community and societal issues.
• Students as Intellectuals: In classrooms that embrace this "braided" approach, students don't just learn facts; they see themselves as scientists. They support one another, celebrate their diverse backgrounds, and use science to understand and challenge the world around them.

Practical Tips for Teachers

• Repurpose Activities: Look for ways to make standard science labs "transdisciplinary." How does this physics concept relate to a social issue in your students' neighborhood?
• Encourage Peer Support: Create spaces where students can explain complex ideas to one another in their dominant language before translating them into "academic English."
• Focus on Agency: Position students as "transformative intellectuals" by asking them how science can be used for their own ends and community goals.