"You Are Whiter Than White Paper": Race as Curriculum in Toronto Early-Years Classrooms

• In Event: Roundtable Session 27
  In Roundtable Session: Curriculum Practice and Student Experiences

Abstract

In this study, educators from early years classrooms in Toronto engaged in specific curriculum tied to race. Based on artifacts, journals and facilitators’ reflections, we explored what educators learned with and from their students. What we found in this work is that when given the opportunity to engage in critical practitioner inquiry with intentionality towards race, educators worked with curriculum that initially they may not have selected; may not have seen the value or importance of; and that they may have been uncomfortable with. Additionally, educators sought to question their own beliefs about the content of the professional learning modules, in relation to aspects of social identity in the early years.

Authors

• Nicole West-Burns, University of Toronto

• Karen Murray, Toronto District School Board