"I-You" Versus "I-It" Thinking for Place-Based Teaching and Teacher Education

• In Event: New Avenues for Teacher Education

Abstract

Human capital—even when subjects are children— must accumulate by producing, moving through cruel inequalities of race and class that rob children and their families of their voices, objectifying and dehumanizing them as “Other” or “It”.

Schooling itself distracts us from local places. Place-based education is rooted in belonging, participation, and contribution. For example, preservice teachers in my study examined their natural environments, studied community history, and addressed local issues through action research with children and families. This study sought to explore:

°How might “I-You” versus “I-It” thinking be used by preservice teachers to not only recognize the subjectivities of children and their families, but also to work towards better home-school relationships?

Author

• Melissa Beth Sherfinski, West Virginia University
  Presenting Author