"Is This Critical Enough?" Criticality and Dysconsciousness in Preservice Teacher Unit Planning and Instructor Feedback

• In Event: Rethinking Teacher Education Pedagogy: Multifaceted Approaches for Implementing Equity Pedagogy

Abstract

This teacher-action research study investigates the ways in which 15 elementary preservice teachers exhibit critical consciousness (CC) (Freire, 1973) and dysconsciousness (King, 1991) as they designed inquiry-based social studies units. The study also examines the extent to which we, their instructors, demonstrated CC and dysconsciousness within our feedback. Utilizing Critical Discourse Analysis (Fairclaugh, 2010; Rogers & Mosley Wetzel, 2013), we aim to more deeply understand the intricacies behind why PSTs struggle to enact criticality and how instructors can more effectively support PSTs. Findings indicate that PSTs and instructors were able to embed moderate levels of criticality, but most data demonstrated inconsistent depths of criticality. Implications call for more critically-oriented unit templates and specialized training for critical elementary social studies teacher educators.

Authors

• Genevieve E. Caffrey, University of Missouri

• Mary Adu-Gyamfi, University of Missouri