Considerations and Challenges of Promoting Early Childhood Preservice Teachers' Understandings of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy

• In Event: 68.060 - Roundtable Session 29
  In Roundtable Session: 68.060-19 - Preparing Culturally Relevant Early Childhood Teachers: Considerations and Challenges

Abstract

The major objective of this paper is to report and discuss course experiences that most influenced the understandings of culturally relevant pedagogy for early childhood education majors. The authors draw upon 3 consecutive years of end of course reflection data that give insight into aspects of the course resulting in outcomes for the preservice teachers as ascribed by Ladson-Billings’ theoretical tenets of (a) sociopolitical consciousness, (b) cultural competence, and (c) academic success. Though preservice teachers were able to draw upon relevant literature and demonstrate a moderate level of understanding of the tenets, there was minimal transfer between what they learned and what they were able to articulate about their beliefs and implications for their future teaching practice.

Authors

• Tambra O. Jackson, Indiana University - IUPUI

• Brandy S Bryson, Appalachian State University

• Brittany Ashley Garvin-Hudson, The Ohio State University