Learning to Teach Under Fire: Fostering Democratic Classrooms Through Sustaining Black Fugitive Pedagogies

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Wednesday 9:45 am
  In Roundtable Session: Teacher's Work in Contentious Times: Pedagogy and Teachers' Experiences

Abstract

As primarily conservative politicians aim to discredit and outlaw curricula centered on discussions of systemic racism, complex historical topics, gender equality, and other related issues, it is especially significant in today’s contemporary context for educators to engage in pedagogical practices that center marginalized students for improved learning and flourishing in pursuit of a multiracial democracy. In this conceptual article, we suggest a set of recommendations to help educators conceptualize and execute their work under censorship laws in what we refer to as politically tense spaces. We recommend unlocking principled resistance, adapting curriculum for critical consciousness, sustaining Black fugitive pedagogical practices, engaging in union and community involvement, and preparing teachers for politically tense spaces.

Authors

• Neven Matthew Holland, University of California - Los Angeles

• Keara L. Williams, University of California - Los Angeles