Teachers as Co-Constructors of Truth, Knowledge, and Curriculum: Exploring Three Teachers Institutes© Across the United States

Session Type: Symposium

Abstract

This symposium asks whether teacher-driven content research and curriculum development – wherein teachers become content experts in response to their understanding of their school context and the needs of their students – is a promising way for teachers and schools to advance knowledge and promote truth-telling. The symposium begins by centering the voices of teacher-participants and program directors from three distinct teachers institutes serving diverse rural and urban communities. We then open up dialogue about the role of teachers and professional development in our current times. We suggest that teachers are important knowledge producers, and that professional development programs should strive to create spaces for teachers to collaboratively inquire, muddle through, and create knowledge for themselves, their peers, and their students.

Sub Unit

• Division K - Teaching and Teacher Education / Division K - Section 01: Teacher Learning

Chair

• Angelina E. Castagno, Northern Arizona University

Papers

• Making Literature Relevant: Centering Contemporary African American Women Writers in a Teacher-Developed Curriculum Unit - Karen Brinkley, School District of Philadelphia; Edward M. Epstein, University of Pennsylvania

• Taking Risks, Challenging Assumptions, and Broadening Perspectives: Building and Sustaining a Supportive Teacher-Researcher Community - Barbara Prillaman, Red Clay Consolidated School District; Trish Hermance, University of Delaware

• Native Nation-Building Through Culturally Responsive Professional Development and Teacher-Authored Curriculum on the Navajo Nation - Jolene Rose Smith, Northern Arizona University; Angelina E. Castagno, Northern Arizona University

Discussant

• Rogers Smith, University of Pennsylvania