Learning to Teach for Social Justice: Measuring Change in the Beliefs of Teacher Candidates

In this article, the author explores the premise that possibilities for social change in an antiracist teacher education program might be revealed by closely examining the struggles and real life experiences of a beginning teacher from a minority background working from the margins of the educational setting. Focusing on the quality of the teaching-learning activities being negotiated and forged, this article is grounded in a study of the tensions, dilemmas and conflicts experienced by teacher candidates learning to teach for social justice. The study revealed that the inherent tensions caused by discontinuities between the intent and critical antiracist philosophy of the program and its actual content, processes and the experience within practicum schools can be necessary for moving teacher candidates in their thinking about antiracist teaching and teaching critically. The article’s focus is on one participant from a Latino background who began to come to terms with accepting the existence of tensions and conflicts and became less obsessed with finding definite solutions or resolutions. Explicit discussion of his experiences within all aspects of the program and direct talk about the tensions and conflicts began to help the teacher candidate make sense of his experiences. Critical teaching for equity, diversity and social justice is a journey into teaching filled with risks and uneasiness. Dans cet article, l'auteur explore la prémisse que l'on peut révéler les possibilités du changement social dans un programme d'éducation antiraciste pour les enseignants stagiaires en examinant de près les luttes et les expériences de vie d'un enseignant stagiaire débutant de souche minoritaire et qui travaille en marge du milieu d'éducation. Se concentrant sur la qualité des activités d'enseigner et d'apprendre en négociation et en formation, l'article est fondé sur une étude des tensions, des dilemmes et des conflits subis par les enseignants stagiaires quand ils apprennent à enseigner la justice sociale. L'étude révèle que les tensions inhérentes causées par les discontinuités entre l'intention et la philosophie antiraciste du programme et son contenu, les processus et l'expérience dans les écoles peuvent être nécessaires pour changer la façon de penser des enseignants stagiaires sur l'enseignement antiraciste et l'enseignement critique. L'article est centré sur un participant de souche Latino-américaine qui commence à accepter l'existence des tensions et des conflits et à devenir moins obsédé par la découverte des solutions ou des résolutions définitives. Une discussion explicite de ses expériences dans tous les aspects du programme et un entretien direct sur les tensions et conflits commencent à aider cet enseignant stagiaire à donner un sens à ses expériences. Enseignement critiquement de l'égalité, la diversité et la justice sociale représente un voyage dans l'enseignement et est rempli de risques et d'inquiétudes et non une destination.

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Empowering Teacher Candidates to Create Social Justice Curriculum Through Civic Engagement Projects

Journal of Higher Education Theory and Practice ◽

10.33423/jhetp.v21i8.4518 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (8) ◽

Keyword(s):

Social Justice ◽

Civic Engagement ◽

Teacher Candidates ◽

Social Justice Curriculum

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Teaching Diversity to Preservice Teachers: Encouraging Self-Reflection and Awareness to Develop Successful Teaching Practices

Multicultural Learning and Teaching ◽

10.1515/mlt-2012-0012 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 9 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Marla S. Sanders ◽

Kathryn Haselden ◽

Randi M. Moss

Keyword(s):

Teacher Education ◽

Preservice Teachers ◽

Social Justice ◽

Professional Education ◽

Teacher Candidates ◽

Culturally Diverse ◽

Teacher Education Programs ◽

Education Programs ◽

Preparation Programs ◽

Diverse Schools

AbstractThe purpose of this article is to promote discussion of how teacher education programs can better prepare teacher candidates to teach for social justice in ethnically and culturally diverse schools. The authors suggest that teacher education programs must develop teacher candidates’ capacity to teach for social justice through preparation programs that encourage critical reflection and awareness of one’s beliefs, perceptions, and professional practice. The authors ask the following questions: How can teacher educators provide structures in professional preparation programs that will produce reflective practitioners? How might we prepare teacher candidates who are constantly thinking about how they perceive their students and their families and how those perceptions affect the way they relate to students? Through a discussion of five case scenarios, the authors discuss prior research on preparing teachers for culturally diverse schools and offer suggestions for improving professional education programs.

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A Grand Challenge

Handbook of Research on Service-Learning Initiatives in Teacher Education Programs - Advances in Educational Marketing, Administration, and Leadership ◽

10.4018/978-1-5225-4041-0.ch023 ◽

2018 ◽

pp. 429-444

Author(s):

Adam Moore ◽

Susan Trostle Brand

Keyword(s):

Social Justice ◽

Service Learning ◽

General Education ◽

Teacher Candidates ◽

Teacher Educators ◽

Change Agents ◽

Grand Challenge ◽

Service Learning Projects ◽

Learning Projects ◽

Structure And Design

Teacher educators committed to social justice are charged with preparing future professionals with the knowledge and skills characteristic of change agents. This chapter explains how two university faculty members co-taught a general education course about education and social justice enlisting service-learning. This multidisciplinary course allowed teacher candidates to work with peers from other majors to select, plan, and implement a service-learning project. The structure and design of the course is described, along with examples of readings, film, media, and organizations that promote social justice. Qualitative reflections from former students are included, along with descriptions of service-learning projects. Recommendations and implications for teacher educators designing a similar course are provided.

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Preparing Teacher Candidates for Diverse School Environments

Handbook of Research on Global Issues in Next-Generation Teacher Education - Advances in Higher Education and Professional Development ◽

10.4018/978-1-4666-9948-9.ch017 ◽

2016 ◽

pp. 296-312 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Omobolade Delano-Oriaran

Keyword(s):

Social Justice ◽

Teacher Preparation ◽

Service Learning ◽

Multicultural Education ◽

Teacher Candidates ◽

Teacher Educators ◽

Previous Knowledge ◽

School Environments ◽

Pedagogical Approach ◽

Learning Framework

This chapter shares an Authentic and Culturally Engaging (ACE) Service-Learning framework as a pedagogical approach in equipping teacher candidates with the knowledge, skills and dispositions to be successful in-service teachers in diverse PK-12 school environments. As PK-12 schools become more racially and culturally diverse, there is a need to better prepare teacher candidates for diverse school environments, especially given that many teachers have asserted that they do not know how to teach diverse students. The chapter highlights components of the ACE framework and suggests practical strategies that teacher educators can use in integrating this framework into their courses. The end of the chapter focuses on teacher educators and how they can engage in a relearning process to unpack their previous knowledge regarding social justice and multicultural education in an effort to prepare their teacher candidates for diverse schools followed by a suggested checklist applicable to any teacher preparation course.

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Preparing Teacher Candidates for Diverse School Environments

Pre-Service and In-Service Teacher Education ◽

10.4018/978-1-5225-7305-0.ch015 ◽

2018 ◽

pp. 296-313

Author(s):

Omobolade Delano-Oriaran

Keyword(s):

Social Justice ◽

Teacher Preparation ◽

Service Learning ◽

Multicultural Education ◽

Teacher Candidates ◽

Teacher Educators ◽

Previous Knowledge ◽

School Environments ◽

Pedagogical Approach ◽

Learning Framework

This chapter shares an Authentic and Culturally Engaging (ACE) Service-Learning framework as a pedagogical approach in equipping teacher candidates with the knowledge, skills and dispositions to be successful in-service teachers in diverse PK-12 school environments. As PK-12 schools become more racially and culturally diverse, there is a need to better prepare teacher candidates for diverse school environments, especially given that many teachers have asserted that they do not know how to teach diverse students. The chapter highlights components of the ACE framework and suggests practical strategies that teacher educators can use in integrating this framework into their courses. The end of the chapter focuses on teacher educators and how they can engage in a relearning process to unpack their previous knowledge regarding social justice and multicultural education in an effort to prepare their teacher candidates for diverse schools followed by a suggested checklist applicable to any teacher preparation course.

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Familismo and Nontraditional Educational Possibilities in Third Space

Handbook of Research on Innovations in Non-Traditional Educational Practices - Advances in Educational Technologies and Instructional Design ◽

10.4018/978-1-7998-4360-3.ch010 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 197-222

Author(s):

Kathy Bussert-Webb ◽

Karin Lewis

Keyword(s):

Social Justice ◽

Teacher Candidates ◽

Mother Tongue ◽

Educational Experiences ◽

Third Space ◽

South Texas ◽

After School ◽

Children And Families ◽

Agency Staff ◽

Basic Services

The authors explore children's and mothers' perceptions and experiences regarding school and an after-school tutorial agency. The latter serves a South Texas colonia, an unincorporated Southwestern settlement lacking basic services. They asked, “What are participants' perceptions and experiences regarding this agency and school?” Latinx participants, who spoke Spanish as a mother tongue, included 19 children, their eight mothers, two agency staff, and 15 teacher candidates (TCs). TCs were Bussert-Webb's university students who tutored the children and used iPads for multimodal, multilingual experiences. Using Third Space and social justice frameworks and qualitative analysis, these themes emerged: power, engagement, and diversity; participants described traditional educational experiences at school and nontraditional ones at the agency. Implications connect to hybridity and power redistributions in and out of schools to affirm and extend the languages, cultures, and modalities of nondominant children and families.

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Developing a Community of Learners From Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Backgrounds With Social Justice and Inclusive Critical Literacy Practices

Advances in Early Childhood and K-12 Education - Designing Culturally Competent Programming for PK-20 Classrooms ◽

10.4018/978-1-7998-3652-0.ch004 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 60-78

Author(s):

Shadrack Gabriel Msengi

Keyword(s):

Social Justice ◽

Critical Literacy ◽

Teacher Candidates ◽

Culturally Responsive ◽

Literacy Practices ◽

Linguistically Diverse ◽

Community Of Learners ◽

Children And Parents ◽

Diverse Backgrounds

This case study is an investigation of cultural and linguistic diverse perspectives among parents, children, teachers, and teacher candidates. Survey and interview data were collected and analyzed to determine how these diverse perspectives affect teachers' application of culturally responsive literacy practices to develop a community of learners. Findings suggest that teachers and teacher candidates knew little about their students' diverse backgrounds. Their participation in the study and initial discussions among teachers, teacher candidates, children, and parents had a positive effect on experienced and novice teachers' knowledge of students. This knowledge included the ability to begin planning and managing instruction, as well as determining appropriate assessments and instructional strategies. Findings also suggest ways these teachers could engage students, families, and teachers in social justice practices.

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Ensuring Social Justice for English Language Learners

Research Anthology on Instilling Social Justice in the Classroom ◽

10.4018/978-1-7998-7706-6.ch030 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 489-506

Author(s):

Juan A. Rios Vega ◽

Cecile M. Arquette ◽

Hwa Lee ◽

Heljä Antola Crowe ◽

Jana Lynn Hunzicker ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Social Justice ◽

English Language Learners ◽

Language Learners ◽

Teacher Candidates ◽

Cultural Awareness ◽

English Language ◽

Future Research ◽

Credit Hours ◽

Ell Students ◽

Course Work

Bradley University's embedded English as a Second Language (ESL) endorsement program was first implemented during the 2015-2016 academic year. This program consists of eighteen credit hours of course work specified by the Illinois State Board of Education in order to prepare teachers to work with students who do not speak English as their first language. Now in its second year, early outcomes of the program are quite positive. This chapter describes the program and its development in detail, and analyzes the program's strengths and weaknesses, focusing especially on teacher candidates' knowledge of pedagogy and cultural awareness as it relates to social justice in education for English language learner (ELL) students. The chapter concludes with recommendations for programming and future research.

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Supporting Teacher Candidates as Social Justice Change-Makers

Advances in Early Childhood and K-12 Education - Handbook of Research on Teaching Diverse Youth Literature to Pre-Service Professionals ◽

10.4018/978-1-7998-7375-4.ch020 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 398-421

Author(s):

Anne Homza ◽

Tiffeni J. Fontno

Keyword(s):

Social Justice ◽

Children's Literature ◽

Teacher Candidates ◽

Critical Consciousness ◽

Teacher Educators ◽

Teacher Educator ◽

Children’S Literature ◽

Shared Goal ◽

Support Teacher ◽

Future Work

Critical consciousness, teacher agency, intellectual freedom, and equity-informed practices are vital aspects of a collaboration between a faculty member and an educational librarian, whose shared goal is to support teacher candidates' capacity to use diverse children's literature to teach for social justice. In this chapter, teacher educator Homza and head librarian Fontno share ways to help teacher candidates use diverse children's literature to develop their own critical consciousness, explore issues of equity, and teach for social justice in their future classrooms. Grounding their work in conceptual frameworks, the authors discuss their positionalities, how the literature collection is built, and course activities that use diverse children's literature. Teacher candidates' reflections suggest that these efforts have an impact on their critical consciousness and capacity to engage in the challenging work of transformative pedagogy. The authors share implications for other teacher educators and librarians and questions to explore in future work.

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