Mediating Factors: Racial Awareness, Culturally Responsive Teaching, and the School Context of White Bilingual Teachers

• In Event: 21.062 - MTCC Roundtable Session Six
  In Roundtable Session: 21.062-2 - Teaching and the Role of Race, Space, and Place

Abstract

This study focused on the personal experiences and contexts that influenced the racial awareness and teaching of four White bilingual teachers. The study aimed to understand a) How and which contexts contributed to a White teacher’s understanding of racial constructs such as institutionalized racism, White privilege, and oppression? b) How, if at all they implemented culturally responsive teaching practices? And c) How the schools in which they taught influenced the types of practices they used with their students? Findings suggest that the four study participants had a deep understanding of institutionalized racism and oppression, but their understanding of their own privilege varied. Additionally, findings also showed that the schools and districts in which they taught heavily influenced their teaching practices.

Author

• Renee Shank, University of Washington - Seattle