Rebuilding Traditional Teacher Preparation: Preparing Critical-Conscious Teachers

• In Event: Honoring What They Bring: Preparing Teachers to Center and Sustain Students' Backgrounds, Cultures, and Experiences

Abstract

The teacher shortage expedited a movement to deregulate teacher preparation for the purpose of expanding alternative programs. Unfortunately, many teachers in these programs are not prepared for the realities of classrooms and struggle to combat the inequalities and injustices experienced by their students.

As a faculty member in a traditional program, I continually ask myself how to effectively prepare our candidates with the professional knowledge and critical consciousness to engage in meaningful work with learners who are marginalized by our schooling system. As such, this paper will discuss the critically conscious teacher preparation framework and four foundations I consider non-negotiable in preparing all teachers to embrace language and culture as the cornerstone from which to build anti-racist, anti-biased classroom communities.

Author

• Tatiana Joseph, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
  Presenting Author