“I Did Not Know Enough About the Topic”: Student Teachers’ Experiences Navigating an Increasingly Challenging Sociopolitical Terrain

• In Event: Sunday Roundtable Session 1:15 pm
  In Roundtable Session: Resisting “Janky” Practices in Teacher Education: Calling Out the Importance of Providing Novice Teachers With Adequate Support (Table 25)

Abstract

In this study, we examine the experiences and growth of four preservice teachers (PTs) as they learn about and enact racially literate, culturally sustaining pedagogies in their field-based methods courses and student teaching internships. We employ a qualitative to examine data related to: (1) the tensions that PTs face when they enact CSP in the classroom; and (2) how PTs navigate tensions that arise. Our research focuses on four illustrative cases to highlight that critical perspectives are developed over time and context, with meaningful support from cooperating (mentor) teachers and university faculty.

Authors

• Jessica Murdter-Atkinson, University of North Texas

• Heather Dunham, Clemson University