Teaching Asian America in Elementary Classrooms

• In Event: Reframing the Status Quo With Critical Voices From Minoritized Populations

Abstract

As many states embark on recent mandates to include Asian American and Pacific Islander content in K-12 classrooms, we consider what it means to teach content to young learners that many educators never formally learned about themselves. Given that Asian American (hi)stories are rarely addressed in teacher preparation programs and professional developments, most educators are left alone to develop their own content knowledge and find appropriate instructional resources. To address these challenges, this conceptual paper builds on AsianCrit and the Stop AAPI Hate K-12 Curriculum Framework and offers critical approaches to teach Asian America in teacher education and elementary classrooms, which moves beyond a superficial inclusion of Asian American contents that fit the white settler supremacy narrative.

Authors

• Noreen Naseem Rodriguez, Michigan State University

• Sohyun An, Kennesaw State University

• Esther June Kim, College of William & Mary