Experiences of Preservice Teachers on Study Abroad: Developing New Pedagogical Perspectives on Teaching Non-White Students

• In Event: Poster Session 16
  In Poster Session: Transformative Social Justice Practices in Diverse Contexts

Abstract

Preparing White teachers to work in low income, high minority schools is the greatest challenge facing teacher education in the U.S. Factors responsible for this include deeply entrenched beliefs held by preservice teachers and their resistance to multiculturalism. Also, 2010 census indicate that foreign born population has increased while the teaching force has remained predominantly White. Since teachers teach the way they were taught, when White rural or suburban teachers are sent to urban classrooms populated with culturally and linguistically different students, they are ill-equipped to work with them. Scholars warn that unless preservice teachers are exposed to multicultural experiences, the gap between students and teachers will continue to widen and so will academic achievement between White and non-White students.

Author

• Genevieve Ngozi Aglazor Ph.D., Tarleton State University