It Takes Courage: Fostering the Development of Critical, Social Justice–Oriented Teachers Using Museum and Project-Based Instruction

• In Event: Making Museums an Integral Part of Formal Teaching and Learning

Abstract

Objectives or purposes
This qualitative research study focuses on how preservice teachers (PSTs) grapple with feelings about a museum exhibit in order to disrupt social norms and develop understanding about justice-oriented teaching. A semester-long research activity examined the potential of using a community-based museum exhibit about the power of small acts of courage. Activities and assignments in this project encouraged reflection on the conceptualization of courage in educational settings and prompted development of a justice-oriented school curriculum.

Theoretical Framework
Two overlapping theoretical positions inform this work; we focus on critical, justice-oriented teaching and museums as pedagogical tools for experiential learning. Justice-oriented courage is conceptualized by Palmer (1998), who defined courageous teaching as an introspective and reflective process from which educators gain a better understanding of self in order to successfully engage students. We also draw from Renner and Brown’s (2006, p. 21) “hopeful curriculum” which includes three areas—community, praxis and courage.
Like Dewey (1990), we view museums as vital connections between the outside community and the schoolhouse—a mediator between the lived experience and the scholastic world. As a learning tool, museums can also provide opportunities for critical analysis on issues of race and ethnicity.

Method
A collective case study was conducted to examine how PSTs understood the meaning of courage through visiting a museum exhibit and how that experience may influence conceptions of justice-oriented teaching. Participants engaged in two interventions: a visit to the Courage exhibit at a local museum with a focus group discussion and development of a project demonstrating the concept of courage in an educational setting. Prior to both interventions, participants engaged in class readings and dialogue on school integration and re-segregation policies.
Participants
A sample of one class of seven White PSTs participated in this case study. Four males and three females, ranging in age from 20-24 participated in all activities.
Data
Using the constant comparative method (Glaser & Strauss, 1967), researchers analyzed transcripts from focus group discussion, student self-evaluations on the ‘New Courage Project’, and a multi-media artifact.

Results
Results suggest that this experience generated justice-oriented thinking in participants, which led to initial development of sociopolitical consciousness.
Acknowledging the socio-cultural complexities of teaching
Upon conclusion of the course, PSTs reported a heightened understanding of how courage may be a motivating factor for school reform; how race still plays a critical role in the inequitable distribution of resources in schooling; and the need for change at local, state, and national levels.
Re-centering the curriculum
The research indicates the curriculum needs to be centered around the physical, cognitive, and developmental needs of those students who are typically marginalized.

Implications for Teacher Education
By challenging these PSTs to identify and discuss specific instances of injustice in clinical observation settings, teacher educators develop an understanding of how PSTs might translate theory into practice. We home PSTs countermand the social injustice and disparity so prevalent in today’s public schools and reflect on how their own practice can be transformative.

Authors

• Heather Marie Coffey, University of North Carolina - Charlotte

• Abiola A. Farinde, University of Pittsburgh