Beyond White Privilege: Pushing Preservice Teachers Toward Racial Literacies

Session Type: Symposium

Abstract

Four social studies teacher educators describe ways in which they observed and developed racial literacies with preservice teachers in contexts ranging from the American Southwest to the Midwest to New England. These four qualitative studies, embedded in both elementary and secondary social studies methods courses, demonstrate the need for teacher preparation programs to push preservice teachers beyond basic understandings of white privilege and toward recognition of institutional racism both historically and contemporarily. Only once preservice teachers have developed racial literacies can they begin to consider how to take action in order to become anti-racist teachers; however, the studies in this session illustrate that this work must go beyond a single methods or multicultural education course.

Sub Unit

• Division K - Teaching and Teacher Education / Division K - Section 05: Preservice Teacher Education Coursework: Curriculum and Teaching to Improve Teacher Knowledge, Understanding, and Pedagogical Practices

Chair

• Terrie Epstein, Hunter College - CUNY

Papers

• "We Gotta Make a Change": Redesigning Elementary Methods With The Hate U Give - Noreen Naseem Rodriguez, University of Colorado - Boulder

• Developing Racial Literacy With White Social Studies Teachers - Tommy Ender, Rhode Island College

• "You and Your Racist Friend": Programmatic Considerations for Building Racial Literacy Through Antiracist Teacher Education - Andrea M. Hawkman, Utah State University

• Creating Your Own Room: Black Women Constructing Their Own Civic Narratives - Amanda Elizabeth Vickery, University of North Texas

Discussant

• LaGarrett Jarriel King, University of Missouri - Columbia