Combatting Racism Through Critical Language Pedagogy in Teacher Preparation

• In Event: Fostering Equity and Cultural Awareness: Exploring Antiracism Education, Multicultural Efficacy, and Inclusive Curriculum Development in Teacher Preparation Programs

Abstract

The paper addresses how a critical language pedagogy (Crookes, 2021) of Comm.Unity (Hafner, 2013) informed an Anti-Racism Education (ARE) project at a public, teacher preparation program. The context is a fall semester ARE Town Hall focused on the film True Justice (Kurnhardt, 2019) in relation to histories of lynching, and connections to current racial justice movements. Student survey findings (n=56) show positive response to: ARE Event overall effectiveness (81%), organization (83%); effective course intersections (85%); importance of ARE learning to teacher preparation (95%). Implications of the study are drawn for three levels: (individual) continual teacher and faculty learning; (collective) building ARE learning across Education courses; (global) growing ARE impacts on partner schools and communities.

Author

• Andrew Habana Hafner, Westfield State University