Embracing the Uncomfortable: Wobble as a Tool for Growth and Action in Teacher Education

• In Event: Amplifying Voice and Agency in Preservice Teacher Education

Abstract

This paper explores the concept of wobble and the importance of helping novice teachers develop the ability to acknowledge and unpack things that make them uncomfortable. Acknowledging and embracing cultural differences and developing an awareness of biases can create opportunities for novice teachers and teacher educators to become agents of change in a system of schooling rife with systemic inequities. The authors critically examine their efforts to help teacher candidates reckon with the ways teachers’ cultural and educational experiences are inhibiting their efforts to create classroom cultures that honor, respect, and serve all students. Discussion will focus on how teacher educators and teacher candidates can critically reflect upon their own actions and worldviews to actively address systemic inequity.

Authors

• Trevor Thomas Stewart, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

• Lauren May, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University