Exploring the Lived Experiences of Middle-Grades Teacher Candidates Engaged in Critically Conscious Work

• In Event: Transformative Middle-Level Education: Fostering Inclusive, Caring, and Motivating Learning Spaces

Abstract

This phenomenological inquiry explored the lived experiences of 20 middle grades teacher candidates engaging in critically conscious work. Through close examination of participants’ personal cultural and historical narratives and justice journal entries, the authors identified several themes in participants’ experiences of critically conscious work (e.g., gender roles and expectations, racism, sexism, perceptions of the impacts of family structure and SES) and strategies for engaging in critical consciousness (e.g., distancing, aligning, critiquing, naming).

Authors

• Gayle Andrews, University of Georgia
  Presenting Author

• Susan Leonard, Madison County High School
  Presenting Author