Program Design. Ethnic Studies in Teacher Education: A Transformative Programmatic Approach to Centering the Experiences of Teacher Candidates of Color

• In Event: AERA Handbook Session 2

Abstract

Informed by the “overwhelming presence of whiteness” (Sleeter, 2001 and 2017) in teacher education, and the notion that teacher preparation is often not for teachers of color (Chung and Harrison, 2015), this chapter describes the cultural and structural shifts involved in creating an ethnic studies teaching pathway that centers the needs and experiences of teacher candidates of color. Analysis of three years of data collected from three cohorts indicates that this counterspace 1). Develops teacher candidate’s approaches to teaching that are collective and community-oriented, 2). Supports teacher candidates to develop classroom practice and curriculum in ways that engage their humanizing, anti-racist, feminist, and queer epistemologies and pedagogies, and 3). Emphasizes the importance of explicitly preparing teachers of color to enact their philosophies “outside of the bubble” of a teacher-of-color-centric counterspace.

Authors

• Darlene Lee, University of California - Los Angeles

• Josephine Pham, University of California - Santa Cruz