Developing Critical Consciousness Through Teacher Leader Preparation

• In Event: Roundtable Session 18.
  In Roundtable Session: A Nested View of Democratic Leadership and Community: Agents of Change for the Public Good

Abstract

Definitions of teacher leadership suggest that critical teacher leaders influence their colleagues toward critical consciousness, leading to the development of a school culture where democratic leadership structures give voice to marginalized students, families, and teachers. This ethnographic study examined teacher leaders’ development of critical consciousness. Participants were part of a master’s program designed to prepare critical teacher leaders.
A communal view of leadership is central to teacher leadership. Neuman (2000) argued that “leadership is no longer seen as a function of age, position, or job title” but depends on “a community and is the responsibility assumed with the consent of the community” (p. 10). Likewise Childs-Bowen, Moller, and Scrivner (2000) noted that leadership flows among community members, each taking responsibility for leading at different times, within different spaces. Spillane, Halverson, and Diamond (2001) proposed a distributed perspective that considers leaders’ actions rather than position, highlighting the belief that tasks are “distributed across multiple leaders in a school” (p. 25). Katzenmeyer and Moller (2001) merge these ideas, describing teacher leaders as those who “lead within and beyond the classroom, identify with and contribute to a community of teacher learners and leaders, and influence others toward improved educational practice” (p. 5).
Friere (1970/2006; 1973/2002) described three levels of consciousness: magical consciousness, naïve consciousness, and critical consciousness. The magically conscious fail to grasp the causes of a problem, and submit to reality as if it were a fact they have no power to change. Naïve individuals identify potential causes of a problem, but believe these are unchanging. In contrast, the critically conscious observe problems, examine potential causes within the historical and social context, explore possible responses, and select the most reasonable response for action. Critical consciousness development is mediated by facilitator guidance (Carlson, et al., 2006; Freire, 1970/2006) and consists of a journey of personal and communal experiences (Carlson et al.; Kincheloe & Steinberg, 2002; Milner, 2003; Sleeter et al., 2004; Zamudio et al., 2009) culminating in the balance between theory and practice (Carlson et al.; hooks, 1994; Kincheloe & Steinberg; Zamudio et al.).
The findings of this study indicate the challenge of developing critical consciousness. Participants struggled to accept responsibility for creating socially just schools. At times, they shared thoughts that could be classified as magical or naive. As such, dialogue is essential among those preparing to be teacher leaders (Freire, 1970/2006; Kincheloe & Steinberg, 2002; Zamudio, et al., 2009). The findings also show that dialogue alone may not move teacher leaders toward critical consciousness. Participants needed a facilitator to guide the process (Carlson, et al., 2006; Freire, 1970/2006; Gay & Kirkland, 2003). The intentional selection of course readings coupled with purposeful design of learning activities and assignments led participants to explore critical issues within their school context. However, professors must be deliberate in their planning if they expect their students to develop critical consciousness. Finally, personal characteristics made a difference in the development of critical consciousness. Teaching experiences that included work with marginalized students positively affected the development of critical consciousness.

Author

• Jill Bradley-Levine, University of Indianapolis