The Tensions of Bringing Undergraduate Teacher Candidates Into Critical, Activist Educator Spaces

• In Event: 51.079 - MTCC Roundtable Session 22
  In Roundtable Session: 51.079-2 - The Complexities of Preparing Social Justice Educators

Abstract

This paper shares findings from a practitioner inquiry study of an undergraduate urban education fellowship program. Fellows and faculty facilitators attended professional conferences hosted by teacher activist networks and on-campus meetings to debrief each conference. Video blogs, field notes, artifacts, facilitator memos, and meeting transcripts were analyzed using qualitative methods. Findings revealed that facilitators responded to three tensions and pedagogical dilemmas over the course of the semester: the filtering of new experiences through a savior lens, explicit discomfort with the presence of queer bodies, and taking up space in a context designed to center the voices of members of marginalized groups. This study offers insight into navigating challenges experienced by teacher educators when situating learning in anti-oppressive activist spaces.

Authors

• Kathleen Riley, West Chester University of Pennsylvania

• Kathryn Solic, West Chester University of Pennsylvania