Making Sense of Whiteness With Preservice Social Studies Teachers

• In Event: Roundtable Session 2
  In Roundtable Session: Studying Privilege and Oppression Across Educational Systems

Abstract

This project utilizes the framework of Whiteness studies to analyze pre-service social studies teachers’ reactions to discussing the impact of White privilege in educational settings. As teacher educators and researchers, we seek to address the growing need for empirical work around issues of race, privilege, and classroom practice and feel that pre-service social studies teachers are well positioned to address these concepts with students. This process requires pre-service teachers to examine their own understanding of structural racism and the role Whiteness plays in perpetuating this unequal set of power relations. Our findings suggest pervasive resistance to accepting the salience of White privilege in classrooms, as well as how personal experiences profoundly affects how pre-service teachers make sense of these issues.

Authors

• Ryan M. Crowley, The University of Texas - Austin

• Billy Smith, The University of Texas - Austin