Promoting Critical Consciousness in a TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) Methods Course: The Impact of Teachers’ Intersectionality and Identity

• In Event: From District Leaders to Classroom Discourse: Policies and Practices in Multilingual Learner Education

Abstract

Schools in the U.S. have a history of discrimination against linguistically minoritized students, necessitating a focus on equipping teachers to recognize and address inequities at the school and classroom level. While fostering teachers' critical consciousness (CC) has gained renewed attention in dual language bilingual education spaces, there are limited studies that specifically highlight CC for TESOL professionals. Drawing upon a Freirean understanding of critical pedagogy, this qualitative study explores the development of CC or conscientização in pre-service TESOL teachers concerning language and race. The study investigates how PSTs' backgrounds and prior experiences influence their development of CC in a TESOL methods course. Specifically, it examines their perspectives on multilingualism and their ability to recognize connections between language, race, and power.

Authors

• Jessica B Crawford, University of Maryland

• Astrid Sierra, Metropolitan State University of Denver