Critical Democratic Teacher Education as Policy Engagement and Political Activism

The purpose of this article is to explore affective (an)archives in educational research. Unlike archives, which act more like a repository, the (an)archive is a technique for research-creation; it is a process-making engine that triggers new, creative events. The affective (an)archives studied in this paper encompass the affective intensities that arise for teacher-activists participating in public political activism, as well as the affects that animate the moments of emotional crisis (or “stuck moments”) of student teachers in a social justice-oriented teacher education program. We ruminate on the possibilities, intensities, conversations, and materialities that our (an)archives might open. Specifically, we wonder what new events can these (an)archives feed-forward and what pedagogical and emotional thresholds might the traces from our (an)archives do for both our own studies and the field of educational research.

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“I Never Would Have Noticed It Before”: The Possibilities of Critical Discussion Groups for Teacher Candidate Policy Engagement

Education and Urban Society ◽

10.1177/0013124519846278 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 52 (3) ◽

pp. 343-364

Author(s):

May Hara

Keyword(s):

Teacher Education ◽

Educational Policy ◽

Student Teaching ◽

Teacher Candidates ◽

Professional Training ◽

Teacher Candidate ◽

Critical Discussion ◽

Discussion Groups ◽

Practicum Experiences ◽

Policy Engagement

Teacher candidates are central to the implementation of educational policy in schools, but receive little professional training around policy in their teacher education coursework or in their practicum experiences in the field. In examining this disconnect, this article explores the following questions: What do teacher candidates know about educational policy at the beginning of their student teaching practica? How do they envision their role with respect to policy? How does their participation in a critical discussion group around educational policy influence their perspectives? This article draws on qualitative data from a group of teacher education candidates enrolled in a student teaching practicum in Massachusetts. Analysis illustrates how teacher candidates make sense of educational policy via their university experiences and their field placements. Data suggest that critical discussion groups have potential to support increased capacity around teacher candidate policy engagement.

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