White Teachers' Talk and Beliefs About Black Students' Behavior and Learning

• In Event: Moscone Center North Roundtable Session 6
  In Roundtable Session: Examining Whiteness and Its Consequences

Abstract

Inequitable discipline practices and teacher beliefs can disproportionately affect Black children and create inequitable learning opportunities. Because talk conveys beliefs (Gee, 2007), I investigated the talk of four white teachers of majority Black students. Findings include teacher talk that (1) conveyed deficit beliefs about students, (2) juxtaposed students with broader perceptions of teaching and learning, and (3) minimized race and racism. This study encourages racially reflective teaching, as well as a critical examination of teacher racial biases and inequitable discipline practices.

Author

• Meghan Dale, University of Pittsburgh