Resisting Assimilation: Developing Teacher Candidates' Critical Consciousness in a Middle-Grades Program

• In Event: Hilton Roundtable Session 3
  In Roundtable Session: Critical Topics for 21st Century Middle-Level Teaching and Learning

Abstract

If middle grades educators are to meet the needs of every young adolescent, teacher education programs must be charged with supporting teacher candidates in developing and enacting critical consciousness. Grounded in critical reflection, analysis, and action, critical consciousness offers a complex, context-specific, and iterative approach to supporting social justice, equity, and inclusion. Drawn from a longitudinal study of clinically based teacher education, we feature a case study of one teacher candidate’s experiences in the final two semesters of a middle grades teacher preparation program at a large research-intensive university. Our qualitative data analysis of transcribed audio recordings and artifacts from coursework and clinical experiences yielded evidence of critical consciousness enacted and the responses of middle grades students and practicing educators.

Authors

• Susan Y. Leonard, University of Georgia

• Gayle Andrews, University of Georgia