Dangerous Discourses in Teacher Education: Grappling with Uneasy Silences and Disturbing Dialogues in University Settings - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Dangerous Discourses in Teacher Education: Grappling with Uneasy Silences and Disturbing Dialogues in University Settings

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Bigler, E. & Collins, J. (1995). Dangerous Discourses: The Politics of Multicultural Literature in Community and Classroom. Report Series 7(4). – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: Dangerous Discourses in Teacher Education: Grappling with Uneasy Silences and Disturbing Dialogues in University Settings


1
Dangerous Discourses in Teacher
EducationGrappling with Uneasy Silences
andDisturbing Dialogues in University Settings
  • Jorge P. Osterling, Ph.D.Shelley Wong, Ed.D.
  • George Mason UniversityNAME 2005

2
Problem
  • What role does social justice play in a teacher
    education program for predominantly White,
    middle-class students?

3
Research Site
  • Some of our MME graduate students
  • Have never left their own neighborhoods or
    communities
  • Have developed a vision of education derived from
    a rather narrow experience of society
  • Have never examined their own privileged position
  • Most of these students entered the program with a
    superficial understanding of multicultural
    education (cf. Sleeter Grants human
    relations or single group approach Kubotas
    liberal multiculturalism)
  • We hope to introduce them to a wider and more
    sensitive understanding of what multiculturalism
    is and can be. One that advocates social justice

4
Multiple Perspectives
  • What teaching practices may help faculty broaden
    the horizons of pre-service teachers and raise
    their awareness of multiple perspectives?

5
Our Approach
Dangerous Discourses in Teacher Education.
  • Bigler, E. (1999). American Conversations Puerto
    Ricans, White Ethnics, and Multicultural
    Education.
  • Bigler, E. Collins, J. (1995). Dangerous
    Discourses The Politics of Multicultural
    Literature in Community and Classroom.
  • Nieto, S. (1999). The Light in Their Eyes
    Creating Multicultural Learning Communities.

6
Our Case Study
  • We invited Melanie Bush to our campus to discuss
    with our students her 2004 book Breaking The Code
    of Good Intentions Everyday Forms of Whiteness.
  • What ensued was disturbing
  • First, a long baffling silence,
  • Then, the hesitant introduction of rather
    prejudiced views seldom openly expressed on
    campus.

7
Student Samples(Please See Handouts)
8
Research Questions
  • What are the students telling us?
  • What are the hidden messages in the student
    responses?
  • Why are they now telling us these things?
  • How do we reach out to students who remain silent
    about race and whiteness during classroom
    dialogues?
  • How do we respond to students who see critical
    theory/pedagogy as being too theoretical and not
    related to day-to-day life?

9
Discussion and Questions
  • Jorge P. Osterling, Ph.D.
  • ltjosterli_at_gmu.edugt
  • Shelley Wong, Ed.D.
  • ltswong1_at_gmu.edugt

10
References
  • Bigler, E. (1999). American Conversations Puerto
    Ricans, White Ethnics, and Multicultural
    Education. Philadelphia Temple University.
  • Bigler, E. Collins, J. (1995). Dangerous
    Discourses The Politics of Multicultural
    Literature in Community and Classroom. Report
    Series 7(4). Albany, NY The National Research
    Center on English Learning Achievement.
    Retrieved November 2, 2005 from
    http//cela.albany.edu/reports/danger/index.html
  • Bush, M.E.L. (2004). Breaking the Code of Good
    Intentions Everyday Forms Of Whiteness. Lanham,
    MD Rowman Littlefield.
  • Kubota, R. (2004). Critical multiculturalism and
    second language education. In B. Norton K.
    Toohey (Eds.). Critical Pedagogies and Language
    Learning (pp. 30-52). Cambridge Cambridge
    University Press.
  • Nieto, S. (1999). The Light in Their Eyes
    Creating Multicultural Learning Communities.
    Sonia Nieto. New York Teachers College Press.
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