Teacher Education Programs: Promoting a Culture of Research for the Common Good

• In Event: Roundtable Session 52
  In Roundtable Session: The Promise and Perils of Diversity in Urban Education

Abstract

Since 9/11, dominant media streams propagate an image of Islam that conjures associations of violence and fanaticism. In this essay, we argue that the implications of these media discourses penetrate the public, legal, and private spheres, and we explicate the consequences of this penetration. We posit that the perpetuation of such discourses erodes the possibility for democratic engagement. In order to establish a democracy that serves the common good, it becomes important to disrupt the influence of these discourses. Thus, we propose that teacher education programs promote the use of research amongst pre-service teachers in order to actualize this disruption. We argue that teachers able to deconstruct social discourse remain a crucial element in disrupting the reproduction of status quo.

Authors

• Amina Shareef, Purdue University

• Adrien Chauvet, Purdue University