Decolonizing Practices and Teacher Sense of Place in an Indigenous space

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Wednesday 11:45 am - Gold 1
  In Roundtable Session: The Politics of Becoming: Subjectivity, Power, and Teacher Formation

Abstract

This qualitative study sought to understand how non-Native educators who relocated to Hawai‘i developed a sense of place, connected with land, and how that process influenced their teaching practices. Findings indicate that participants cultivated a sense of place by reflecting on cultural symbols, engaging in Hawaiian cultural practices, learning the language, and actively acknowledging their positionality within a colonized environment. This research demonstrates how educators engaged in decolonial practices and later helped build awareness and cultural understanding with students.

Author

• Josef Donnelly, University of Hawai'i at Hilo