Critical friendship: An Affirming Dialogic Space to Address Uncertain Futures

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Friday 1:45 pm - Gold 2
  In Roundtable Session: Self-Studies Exploring Futures & Opportunities: AI, Equity, and Uncertainty

Abstract

In this co-authored self-study, we will explore our collaborative process and our shared thinking that has shaped the direction of a self-study in progress centered on a teacher educator’s experiences of facilitating professional development sessions for a multidisciplinary group of K-12 mentor teachers who resisted a traditional expert-novice approach. Our research space of dialogue revealed three central themes: (a) capturing a theory of action, (b) intellectual virtues, engagement, and resistance; and (c) turning back to self. The iterative nature of an affirming critical friendship dialogue, which included interpretive analysis and synthesis, paired with a respect for experience and expertise, serves as a way to move away from hierarchical approaches and toward a more inclusive, democratic model of teacher education.

Authors

• Amanda Moody Maestranzi, Lehman College - CUNY

• Harriet R. Fayne, Lehman College - CUNY