The Responsibilities of White Teacher Candidates and Teacher Educators in Developing Racial Literacy

This article aims to help teacher educators consider how to build racial literacy in their White teacher candidates, providing guidance through pedagogical strategies and approaches based on our and others’ research. In addition, much of the pedagogy that we developed in working with our White teacher candidates can be translated to teachers working with White students at other levels, and it can also help teacher educators develop their own racial literacy.     

Advancing Culturally Relevant Pedagogy in a Secondary Methods Course

Given changes in the U.S. school-age population, it is crucial that colleges of education prepare teacher candidates to work effectively with students from diverse backgrounds. Because diversity constitutes such a small portion of the curriculum in many teacher education programs, it is crucial that teacher educators find creative ways to incorporate diversity into the courses they teach. In this article a teacher educator at a predominantly White institution in the American Southeast describes how she introduces culturally relevant pedagogy and connects it to the content, activities, and assessments included in the remainder of a course.     

Utilizing Theatre of the Oppressed Within Teacher Education to Create Emancipatory Teachers

A key focus of teacher preparation should be critical self-reflection, especially given the current context of market-driven school reform, which often leads to school closings, increases school segregation, and devastates local communities. The question, then, becomes how best to guide critical self-reflection for preservice teachers so that they are aware of their biases, privileges, and positions of power, as well as being cognizant of how these school reforms detrimentally impact poor communities of color. More often than not, when such discussions are broached, preservice teachers want to change the topic to practical teaching strategies rather than addressing issues of social justice. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to explore how “Theatre of the Oppressed” can be utilized to help prepare preservice teachers to become highly effective and socially just educators. More importantly, how can “Theatre of the Oppressed” be employed to engage teacher candidates in critical reflection and consciousness, as well as increase their understanding of systemic inequality.     

Learning from Escuela: Documentary Film as a Context for Teacher Learning

This article reports on the design of a teacher education activity that involves the documentary film, Escuela, which was produced by Hannah Weyer. We describe this instructional design, highlighting how documentary film can be used strategically to create opportunities for teacher candidates to approximate the work of culturally relevant teaching.     

Preparing Teachers to Work with Diversity Issues in Israel: Paradigms,Puzzles, and Praxis

This article presents findings from a qualitative study exploring how Israeli teacher educators prepare candidates to address multicultural issues. Background is presented regarding multicultural education in Israel along with a discussion concerning Israel's unique diversity-related challenges. Findings explore multicultural practices that are used by Israeli teacher educators designed to support development of multicultural sensitivity and create deeper understanding of different groups. Discussion of the data and recommendations for Israeli and American schools are presented.     

PART IV: THE MULTICULTURAL LIBRARY

The changing demographic representation of students in United States public schools has significant implications for colleges of education. These changes make it imperative for colleges of education to produce candidates that possess the knowledge, skills, and sensitivity to deal with diverse student populations. To do so effectively, teacher educators would have to understand the meaning of cultural diversity and how to effectively integrate it into all facets of their teacher education programs. Such integration processes will include helping candidates to become more diversity mature (that is, to be comfortable with who they are) so that they can develop the self-efficacy that will propel them to contribute to the goals of a multicultural society. This article suggests the systems approach based on the systems analysis theory as a model for integrating cultural diversity in colleges of education. The process of systems analysis consists of a sequence of activities that includes (a) definition of the problem, (b) determination of the objectives and criteria for performance, (c) examination of alternative plans, and (d) evaluating the chosen alternative in light of resulting outcomes from the process. Using the systems approach to integrate cultural diversity will lead to a comprehensive assessment of current diversity efforts in individual colleges of education. Integrating cultural diversity will also entail collaboration among the systems and subsystems within and outside the college community, and finally, it will lead to the designing of a cultural diversity plan that takes advantage of the values inherent in the material and human resources possessed by the institution. This article challenges educators to examine their commitment to promoting cultural diversity and offers a plan to make their programs more multicultural in nature.     

Playing Slavery in First Grade: When “Developmental Appropriateness” Goes Awry in the Progressive Classroom

This article unfurls in the aftermath of an event where three first grade children at a reputable progressive elementary school were found playing slavery during school recess. As word caught on, parents ignited into a frenzy: some railed against the teacher, others demanded an answer, while still others believed this was precisely the meaning of progressive schooling. In swift response, school administrators sent a conciliatory email apologizing for their misjudgment. Slavery, they declared, was too difficult a topic and developmentally inappropriate for such a young age. Guided by critical childhood studies and concepts of difficult knowledge, this reflective article explores how adults drew from developmental frameworks and used children as proxies to protect themselves from the complicated conversation of race and slavery. It unpacks this event through three entry points: encountering difficult knowledge in primary school; the moralization of child development; and the ongoing work inherent to social justice-oriented schooling. It is hoped that readers can take this example into their own teacher education programs and school faculty meetings to query how adults can open up spaces for critical encounters rather than launch accusations when faced with the emotional charge of oppressive histories.     

A/R/T-Candidates Explore Intersectional Identities Through Art

Teaching diversity and social justice can be difficult when working with teacher candidates (TCs) from primarily homogenous areas, with little to no exposure to pluralistic realities. In multicultural classes, TCs often struggle to understand intersections of race, gender, orientation, socioeconomic levels, religion, ability, and citizenship. In this article, an educational studies professor and four undergraduate students discuss their methodological use of Artist/Researcher/Teacher (a/r/tography) to introduce intersectionality to young students in the classroom. The article discusses a/r/tography as a method in teacher education and provides arts-based examples of how intersectionality can be taught in the PK–12 school system.     

Classroom to Communities of Practice: Benefits for English Learners and Teacher Candidates Through Partnerships

This study investigates a service-learning program for university students seeking teacher certification examined through the lens of sociocultural theory. Data was collected from teacher candidates (TCs) in the form of surveys and an open-ended writing assignment. Administrators from the partner schools were also interviewed to provide their perspectives of the service learning. Findings show that the service-learning program allowed TCs and their English learners (ELs) to form communities of practice that were mutually beneficial. Teacher candidates reported numerous opportunities to apply the strategies learned in their methods course, as well as an increase in their sense of preparation for teaching ELs. Administrators provided positive feedback about the service-learning program in terms of the relationship between the partner school and the university. Difficulties arose in terms of TCs' accountability and the level of participation afforded to the TCs by the classroom teacher. Implications highlight the importance of negotiating expectations that address the needs of both parties equally in order to support a strong community of practice that prepares TCs to meet the needs of ELs.     

The Heuristic for Thinking About Culturally Responsive Teaching (HiTCRiT)

Michèle was hurrying to class. How, she thought, could she offer the students in her African American English in Society and Schools class a method of understanding, comparing, and abstracting the studies they had been reading in class? The heuristic described in this study evolved from a desire to capture aspects of several seminal studies that illustrated how African American English was deployed in classrooms for productive work with African American students. Michèle recalled that whenever she asked graduate students or practicing teachers what they, other teachers, and schools might do to improve the schooling of students of color, one of the most consistent responses was Culturally Responsive Pedagogy (CRP). However, when pressed and asked what one would detect in classrooms where CRP is being put into practice, few were able to specify what an observer might see. Specifying the dimensions of CRP and its relationship to the heuristic had not been on Michèle’s mind. Even so, it was during the class discussion that the heuristic’s relevance to CRP became clearer. Jonathan, who had been tapped as a teaching assistant in an English language arts methods class, believed HiTCRiT could be modified to use with teacher education candidates, as a substitute for the standardized lesson planning tool used in the department. He piloted its use with the class the following semester. Utilizing HiTCRiT to explain research and existing practices as well as to assist teachers in creating culturally relevant instruction modified and shaped it, creating a more robust tool. Thus, the HiTCRiT came into being and came to inform our thinking and teaching practice.     

Poetry

As teacher-education programs across the United States seek to comply with the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) standards to provide accountability and improve teacher preparation, they are challenged by two NCATE standards in particular: composition of candidates for licensure and the composition of the faculty. This article describes 1 large university's activities during the last 10 years in their attempts to increase their faculty's levels of awareness and to enhance their accomplishments for infusing culturally responsive and responsible pedagogy across the curriculum. Their educational journey provides a map that can be followed by other faculty as all teacher-education programs meet the NCATE challenge.     

Diversity Education at a Predominately White Catholic College

This article discussed the successes that have occurred in a graduate and an undergraduate course in diversity education and English language acquisition at a small, predominantly white college. The activities and assignments that are discussed in this article have been refined by the four professors who teach the courses to enable candidates to examine their own biases and the power they have as teachers in a classroom. In addition, the assignments and activities educate and begin to provide candidates with the tools to address cultural capital and how to work with families and students who have different beliefs than themselves.     

Enhancing Cultural Humility Through Critical Service-Learning in Teacher Preparation

To provide opportunities for preservice teachers to move beyond the limitations of their life experiences, the teacher preparation program at the University of Vermont has worked to advance service-learning experiences that push preservice teachers to examine their own identities and biases by providing them with opportunities to interact with others whose life experiences are different than their own. The goal of these experiences is to assist the preservice teachers in recognizing how their emerging practice, which is entrenched within their own positionality, impacts individuals that they work with as well as the broader community. This interpretive study examined outcomes of the experience through the lens of cultural humility. This study affirms the need to be explicit about practice, particularly as it relates to critical pedagogy to advance social justice. It also offers a glimpse into how teacher preparation programs may construct learning experiences to support the development of cultural humility.     

The Rhythms of a Teacher Research Group

This paper presents an inside look at the rhythms of a year-long teacher research group by highlighting the experiences of four alternatively certified urban middle school teachers of color as they engaged in practitioner research about issues of gender equity, racial identity, and culturally relevant teaching. Using examples from “data dilemma” discussions about research issues and examples from their research, the article illustrates three distinct types of dilemmas that occurred over time and shows how the collective worked to solve research problems and improve the teaching practices of the participants in the group. Suggestions for creating and sustaining teacher research groups that examine issues related to diversity are included.     

Getting Out of their Comfort Zone: Examining Teacher Candidates' Reactions to Service-Learning Abroad

This study presents data gathered from a service-learning trip to Costa Rica designed for teacher candidates. Data include participant responses to writing prompts, field notes, and follow-up questionnaires. Results show that participants' experience with the language barrier raised their empathy toward English learners. However, participants expressed dissonance regarding student behavioral norms.     

Multicultural Library

While the debate over the merits of licensure testing for new teacher applicants continues in Massachusetts, many students who might have considered careers as teachers are discouraged and in some cases considering other options. This article looks at this issue from 4 interrelated perspectives: the Northeast's changing demographics, resulting in higher numbers of minority and language diverse children entering classrooms; the need for accurate and detailed information from the Massachusetts Department of Education on the pass rates of minorities taking the teacher tests; the argument from psychometricians that these tests are flawed; and, finally, the argument that a variety of measurements, beyond a single standardized test, should be utilized to ascertain candidates' classroom abilities. At a time when teacher shortages loom larger and larger, we should be welcoming minority and language diverse candidates into our ranks instead of raising the stakes even higher.     

Culturally and Linguistically Relevant Readalouds

The teacher readaloud is an instructional tool established in its ability to foster children's language and literacy development. Increasing cultural and linguistic diversity and changing standards place pressure on teachers to provide literacy and language instruction relevant to children's everyday lives and learning. This article presents a framework for conducting culturally and linguistically relevant readalouds within two essential components, talk and text, in terms of developing cultural competence, maintaining high academic expectations, and fostering a critical stance. Particular attention is given to the interactive nature of these readalouds and how they can be used to promote children's active co-construction of textually-based meaning.     

Assessing Performance-Based Outcomes of Multicultural Lesson Plans: A Component Within a Comprehensive Teacher Education Assessment Design

Lesson plans can serve as a rich means of evaluating multicultural/diversity (MCD) learning outcomes for student teachers. However, a structured evaluation procedure is needed to effectively elicit meaningful data for program feedback. This study examines the evolution of a lesson plan evaluation component and presents the lesson plan instrument, rubric, and evaluation data. The lesson plan assessment was one part of a comprehensive, university-wide evaluation project funded by the U.S. Department of Education to assess MCD outcomes. Results indicated only about 50% of teacher education candidates demonstrated at least minimal skills in creating an effective, meaningful MCD lesson plan. Implications for teacher training are discussed.     

Developing Culturally Competent Preservice Teachers

An unfortunate, yet persistent, truth in U.S. public schools is the large achievement gap existing between children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and their White, middle-class counterparts. The potential for cultural dissonance between contemporary teachers and their students necessitates that educators must persistently seek culturally responsive practices. Much has been written regarding strategies for culturally responsive pedagogy; therefore, this article moves beyond a review of culturally responsive pedagogy. Rather than providing teacher candidates with more suggestions for culturally responsive teaching activities, the authors provide teacher educators with specific resources for facilitating the development of cultural competence among preservice teachers.     

Multicultural Vignettes for Teacher Preparation

Future teachers need to attain skills, knowledge, and positive dispositions in multicultural education to provide a culturally sensitive learning environment. It is the responsibility of teacher educators to use tools of assessment to train and gauge student progress toward this end. The purpose of this article is to describe the process of creating and using vignettes as a classroom assessment tool to better prepare teacher candidates for diverse classrooms. Results from our experiences using vignettes indicate that most students are only beginning to develop proficient performance standards, and need additional learning experiences. Implications for using vignettes to partially address National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education standards and prepare students for the Principles of Learning and Teaching (PLT) test are also presented and discussed.