Loving Out Loud: Community Mentors as a Conduit for the Development of Culturally Responsive Teachers Through a Pedagogy of Care and Connection

• In Event: 33.078 - Roundtable Session 11
  In Roundtable Session: 33.078-5 - Reflections on Cultural Competence and Culturally Responsive Teaching

Abstract

This manuscript details a community-based teacher education initiative emphasizing the context of children’s lives as a critical cognizance for educators. Twenty preservice teachers participated in an immersive semester based in a low income, African American community, where they practice taught at an elementary school, completed coursework at the local community center, and participated in critical service learning alongside members of the community. Candidates were matched with community mentors who invited them to church, to family gatherings, and to community events. Findings indicate the candidate-mentor dyad afforded authentic participation in the community, resulting in key cultural insight and increased cultural competence. Experiences provided a window into children’s lived experience upon which candidates could build in their teaching throughout the semester.

Authors

• Eva M. Zygmunt, Ball State University

• Patricia Clark, Ball State University

• Susan Tancock, Ball State University

• Winnie Mucherah, Ball State University

• Jon M. Clausen, Ball State University