Historical and Personal Understandings of Race: Racial Discourse in Bilingual and Monolingual Teacher Education Courses

• In Event: 52.044 - "Un-Othering": Supporting Preservice Teachers in Their Understanding of Diversity and Equity

Abstract

Pedagogical approaches to teaching about race in a teacher education program were studied in order to identify which approaches were effective in cultivating a strong understanding of race and privilege. The study aimed to understand a) the types of pedagogies used to advance racial discourse in teacher education courses needed for bilingual and traditional certification and b) evaluate which of these approaches effectively engaged White teacher candidates in conversations about race and racism. Findings suggest that while presenting the history of racial construction along with the history of racism in the United States helped candidates conceptualize institutionalized racism, classroom discourse where teacher educators identified their positionality yielded richer participation and conversation about the impacts of racism in today’s schools.

Author

• Renee Shank, University of Washington - Seattle