Social Justice Education With and for Pre-Service Teachers in the Borderlands

2020 ◽  
pp. 225-243
Author(s):  
Efren O. Miranda Zepeda ◽  
Judith Flores Carmona
Keyword(s):  
Preservice Teachers ◽  
Social Justice ◽  
Multicultural Education ◽  
Social Justice Education ◽  
Teaching Experience ◽  
Teacher Preparation Programs ◽  
Preparation Programs ◽  
Practicing Teachers ◽  
Concrete Experience ◽  
Building Community

Diversity in contemporary classrooms (across class, race, gender, and other social identity groups) is here to stay. Social justice education is a viable alternative to reach out to all participants with equity towards construction of democracy. In this chapter, the authors share about their co-teaching experience in a required Multicultural Education course for pre-service teachers where a social justice framework guided their work. They expand on the course objectives and their social justice aims. They describe how their praxis was conducive to building community in the classroom and being with each other. They expose and explore, however, a misalignment between theory and praxis surrounding social justice education when preservice teachers transition from teacher preparation programs to their own classrooms as practicing teachers. They describe through the concrete experience of one of the authors how practicing teachers are faced with different particular variables that may hinder the full realization of a social justice approach to education.

The Importance of Social Justice Courses in Teacher Preparation Programs

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Meredith Critchfield
Keyword(s):  
Social Justice ◽  
Teacher Preparation ◽  
Multicultural Education ◽  
Social Justice Education ◽  
Teacher Preparation Programs ◽  
Preparation Programs ◽  
Christian University ◽  
The Social ◽  
Hands On ◽  
Future Work

The social justice perspective is become more popular in teacher preparation programs as a response to growing diversity in schools and to the perceived inadequacies of multicultural education. This alternative to multicultural education argues that teachers should be advocates for students and their communities, helping to address inequities in schools. This project sought to explore social justice education in more depth by examining two classes of pre-service teachers at a private Christian university in the Southwest United States. Students were asked to describe their expectations and experiences with social justice curriculum in a required social justice teacher education course. The analysis of the project’s results indicates that pre-service teachers at faith institutions must be given hands-on, practical opportunities to grapple with social justice and their faith in order to begin to understand how social justice might inform their future work as teachers.

Beyond Damage-Centered Teacher Education: Humanizing Pedagogy for Teacher Educators and Preservice Teachers

2019 ◽  
Vol 121 (6) ◽  
pp. 1-28
Author(s):  
Dorinda J. Carter Andrews ◽  
Tashal Brown ◽  
Bernadette M. Castillo ◽  
Davena Jackson ◽  
Vivek Vellanki
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Preservice Teachers ◽  
Social Justice ◽  
Teacher Preparation ◽  
Critical Consciousness ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
Teacher Preparation Programs ◽  
Preparation Programs ◽  
K 12 ◽  
Humanizing Pedagogy

Background/Context In our best efforts to increase preservice teachers’ critical consciousness regarding the historical and contemporary inequities in the P–12 educational system and equip them to embody pedagogies and practices that counter those inequities, teacher educators often provide curricular and field experiences that reinforce the deficit mindsets that students bring to the teacher education classroom. For many social justice-oriented teacher educators, our best intentions to create humanizing experiences for future teachers can have harmful results that negatively impact preservice teachers’ ability to successfully teach culturally diverse students in a multitude of learning contexts. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study In this article, we propose a humanizing pedagogy for teacher education that is informed by our experiences as K–12 teachers and teacher educators in a university-based teacher preparation program. We focus on the general questions, How can university-based teacher preparation programs embody and enact a humanizing pedagogy? and What role can curriculum play in advancing a humanizing pedagogy in university-based teacher preparation programs? Research Design In this conceptual article, we theorize a humanizing pedagogy for teacher education and propose a process of becoming asset-, equity-, and social justice-oriented teachers. This humanizing pedagogy represents a strengths-based approach to teaching and learning in the teacher preparation classroom. Conclusions/Recommendations We propose core tenets of a humanizing pedagogy for teacher education that represent an individual and collective effort toward critical consciousness for preservice teachers and also for teacher educators. If university-based teacher education programs are committed to cultivating the development of asset-, equity-, and social justice-oriented preservice teachers, the commitments to critical self-reflection, resisting binaries, and enacting ontological and epistemological plurality need to be foundational to program structure, curricula alignment, and instructional practice.

Reframing for Social Justice: The Influence of Critical Friendship Groups on Preservice Teachers’ Reflective Practice

2017 ◽  
Vol 70 (3) ◽  
pp. 280-296 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadia Behizadeh ◽  
Clarice Thomas ◽  
Stephanie Behm Cross
Keyword(s):  
Preservice Teachers ◽  
Social Justice ◽  
Student Teaching ◽  
Teacher Preparation Programs ◽  
Discussion Boards ◽  
Collaborative Reflection ◽  
Preparation Programs ◽  
Friendship Groups ◽  
Friendship Group ◽  
Classroom Activities

A primary goal of teacher preparation programs should be to develop the reflective and critical problem-solving capacities of preservice teachers, especially social justice–oriented programs that prepare teachers to work in urban schools with historically underserved youth. Through an analysis of participants’ biweekly posts to discussion boards, this qualitative case study examines common dilemmas for a group of 11 racially diverse undergraduate preservice middle school teachers and descriptions of their process during Critical Friendship Group protocols. Results reveal that most dilemmas revolved around relationships with others, curriculum and instruction, and perceived deficiencies of students. However, through the process of engaging in reflective conversations supported by classroom activities, some participants reenvisioned the initial dilemma, such as reframing deficiency views as pedagogical or relationship issues. In addition, all participants articulated benefits of the Critical Friendship Group meetings in their reflections. Implications for improving supports for critical, collaborative reflection during student teaching are discussed.

Supporting quality social studies instruction: the social studies practices continuum

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Erickson ◽  
Kerry A. Dunne ◽  
Christopher C. Martell
Keyword(s):  
Preservice Teachers ◽  
Social Studies ◽  
Teacher Preparation Programs ◽  
Inservice Teachers ◽  
Preparation Programs ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Instructional Coaches ◽  
College Career ◽  
The Social ◽  
Improving Instruction

PurposeThis article presents the social studies practices continuum, which is a tool that supports social studies teachers in implementing inquiry-based practices in their classrooms. It was designed by the authors based on similar instruments found in science education and informed by the College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies Standards.Design/methodology/approachThe article describes the instrument's creation and describes its use with preservice teachers in teacher preparation programs, inservice teachers during district-based professional development.FindingsThe continuum has been used as a reflective tool for teachers and curriculum developers, and as a tool for instructional coaches and administrators to improve teaching practices.Originality/valueThis article offers a new tool for teachers and supervisors to use in improving instruction.

scholarly journals Making ‘Math Making’ Virtual

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 30
Author(s):  
Candace Figg ◽  
Anjali Khirwadkar ◽  
Shannon Welbourn
Keyword(s):  
Preservice Teachers ◽  
Learning Environment ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Mathematics Learning ◽  
Computational Thinking ◽  
Teacher Preparation Programs ◽  
Preparation Programs ◽  
University Professors ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Hands On

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, university professors are challenged to re-envision mathematics learning environments for virtual delivery. Those of us teaching in elementary teacher preparation programs are exploring different learning environments that not only promote meaningful learning but also foster positive attitudes about mathematics teaching. One learning environment that has been shown to be effective for introducing preservice teachers to the creative side of mathematics—the mathematics makerspace—promotes computational thinking and pedagogical understandings about teaching mathematics, but the collaborative, hands-on nature of such a learning environment is difficult to simulate in virtual delivery. This article describes the research-based design decisions for the re-envisioned virtual mathematics makerspace.

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

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.

Critical Thinking in Teacher Education

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
Katie Peterson-Hernandez ◽  
Steven S. Fletcher
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Preservice Teachers ◽  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Teacher Education Program ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills ◽  
Teacher Preparation Programs ◽  
Methods Course ◽  
Preparation Programs ◽  
Literacy Methods

This chapter documents the development of critical thinking skills in preservice teachers as they engaged in practicum settings in a teacher education program. Qualitative data helps illustrate the shifts in thinking that correlated with particular experiences in the program. Data is used to illustrate strategies that teacher preparation programs might draw on to help teacher education students develop critical thinking skills related to pedagogies and practices. The authors conclude by theorizing a relationship between the structure and strategies employed within a literacy methods course and the expansion of preservice teachers understanding of literacy, teaching, and learning.

Preparing Native American Special Education Teachers: Lessons Learned from the Rural Special Education Project

1997 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 10-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gloria Delany-Barmann ◽  
Greg Prater ◽  
Sam Minner
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Preservice Teachers ◽  
Native American ◽  
Teacher Preparation ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Teacher Preparation Program ◽  
Teacher Preparation Programs ◽  
Navajo Nation ◽  
Preparation Programs ◽  
Education Project

Twelve Navajo preservice teachers in the Rural Special Education Project on the Navajo Nation in Kayenta, Arizona, shared their perceptions regarding the factors which enabled them and constrained them as they completed a special education teacher preparation program. Several themes emerged during the process of interviewing the students including the importance of cultural teachings and family support; the influence of language factors, financial constraints, and cultural responsibilities; and the lack of availability of educational opportunities on the Navajo Nation. Each of these factors is discussed in this article and recommendations are made for others interested in establishing successful teacher preparation programs for Native American students.

Training Preservice Teachers to Match Assistive Technology to Student Needs

2020 ◽  
pp. 016264342091833
Author(s):  
Beth A. Jones ◽  
Maria Peterson-Ahmad ◽  
Melanie Fields ◽  
Nichole Williams
Keyword(s):  
Preservice Teachers ◽  
Assistive Technology ◽  
School Setting ◽  
Individualized Education Program ◽  
Training Session ◽  
Teacher Preparation Programs ◽  
Preparation Programs ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Training Case

Understanding how to appropriately choose, implement, and utilize assistive technology (AT) for students on an individualized education program (IEP) is imperative to success within a school setting and has been shown to improve with preservice teachers’ (PST) training. This study investigated the impact that a training session in which PST were exposed to a variety of AT devices/software in one university’s AT lab and given direct instruction in the Student Environment Tasks Tools (SETT) framework for selecting appropriate AT by working through a training case study would have on PST knowledge of AT and its selection. Sixty-eight PST participated in this study, and the results demonstrate that the training increased their ability to name specific AT items on a presurvey ( M = 3.56, SD = 14.88) compared to the postsurvey ( M = 9.57, SD = 25.14). The increase of number of devices and software named pre- and postsurvey was significantly greater than chance, t(67) = −7.64, p < .01). Most notably, participants could name the components of SETT on the postsurvey (94.12%) and apply the SETT framework to a hypothetical student, improving the quality and quantity of recommendations for the student. This study provides further evidence for inclusion of AT in teacher preparation programs.

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