Teacher Agency in Handling Controversial Issues in South African Classrooms

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Thursday 7:45 am - Gold 2
  In Roundtable Session: Educating for Democracy in International Contexts

Abstract

Amid the dismantling of democracy around the world, addressing controversy in classrooms is urgent and fraught. This paper’s purposes are to 1) examine a case that shows how a South African student teacher addressed planned and unplanned controversial issues, and 2) apply an ecological conception of teacher agency to suggest its analytic and practical contributions to the field. The case of “Sarah” is particularly instructive as it traces her learning in a teacher education module on teaching controversial issues and two student teaching placements. It examines the achievement of agency as Sarah drew on her past experience, future aspirations, and assessment of current conditions when teaching controversial issues lessons and handling unplanned controversy at two contrasting school sites.

Author

• Judy L. Pace, University of San Francisco