Striving for Sustainability: A Complex Account of Experiences Among Critical Educators

• In Event: Complexity Theories in Education SIG Paper Session

Abstract

This presentation uses a complexity theory lens to discuss the experiences of secondary English language arts (ELA) educators who aim to enact justice and equity-oriented pedagogies, even within a sociopolitical climate that may prohibit that work. These pedagogical goals are situated within multiple systems, including teachers’ personal ideologies, classrooms, schools, districts, and the broader sociopolitical climate. This study found that teachers’ pedagogical goals are interacting with influences across these systems, and that teachers are constantly working to find a sense of alignment among them. When they cannot find that alignment, teachers in this study chose to leave their professional contexts, bringing up important questions around the sustainability of critical pedagogues in the current educational climate.

Author

• Jennifer Ervin, University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire