Critical Network Literacy: Toward a Critical Reimagination of Social Network Research and Practice in Teacher Education

• In Event: Fairmont Roundtable Session Fifteen
  In Roundtable Session: Critical Reimagination of Teacher Education for Equity and Justice (Table 8)

Abstract

This theoretical paper describes the results of a four-year inquiry into a critical reimagination of social network research and practice in teacher education. Drawing from literature study, practitioner experience, and three of the authors’ empirical studies on teachers’ social networks and humanizing critical professional development, the paper offers a transformative new approach to applying the science of social networks to equity-centered, teacher-led professional development and change work called Critical Network Literacy (CNL). The paper describes the theoretical basis of CNL and the elements of the CNL approach: network inquiry, humanizing work, and dialectical social infrastructure design. The results of this work have significant implications for social network research and teacher education, particularly in supporting and sustaining teachers of color.

Author

• Kira J. Baker-Doyle, University of Illinois at Chicago
  Presenting Author