Learning to advocate for educational equity in a teacher credential program

Abstract

Drawing on a 5-year program-wide investigation of ways preservice teachers learn to teach to diversity, this study uses focus groups of graduates to illuminate survey results of their feeling well prepared to advocate for equity in classrooms and schools. Offering suggestions for improvement, graduates nonetheless reported two broad categories of program strength. The first was the value of infusion of culture, language, and equity content in coursework. Themes in strong coursework included focus on culturally responsive, equity-focused pedagogy; preparation to teach English language learners; developing cultural knowledge and sensitivity; and learning advocacy beyond the classroom. Faculty taught and modeled these concerns through many means. The second, which extended coursework, was sustained and scaffolded apprenticeships in teaching for equity, including student teaching supervisors as equity mentors, placements that support teaching for equity, and ongoing cohort discussions of equity teaching.

Conceptualising teachers’ advocacy as comedic trickster behaviour: Implications for teacher education

“…Issues of job risk compete with what Athanases & Martin (2006) claim, that student learning is the purpose of advocating for educational equity. This is much more specific than the general call for the adults to meet the needs of the children that Howe (1986) recommends.…”

“…If agreement could be reached on what should be learned, that next question would ask what would count as proof of learning. Athanases & Martin's (2006) argument that student learning is advocacy seems removed from Athanases & Oliveira's (2007) work in helping teacher candidates employ advocacy through relationship building and social interaction. Are diminishing negative social behaviours or interest in the curriculum proof of student learning?…”

“…We had both heard mantras of "let's do what's best for kids" from administrators at school and central office levels. These admonitions are often the result of efforts to convince us and our colleagues to do things that both of us felt would hurt students with disabilities, English learners, and other at-risk populations on both the meeting the needs of the students (Howe 1986) and promoting student learning (Athanases & Martin 2006) standards of advocacy. Therefore, we are hesitant to call the request to "do what's best for kids" a call for advocacy that matches any definition that we were able to uncover in the research literature.…”

“…Instead, many supervisors may have focused on trying to assuage the feelings of the student teacher while convincing her to be more assertive in her interactions with the children. Such an act would have been a summons to advocate using the definition around student learning that Athanases & Martin (2006) call for.…”

“…Although we see the classroom curriculum and management as ground zero for advocacy (Athanases & Martin 2006), a novice teacher might not be able to intentionally use these for advocacy without careful mentoring, causing advocacy to collapse under the weight of the school landscape (Athanases & Oliveira 2007). The lesson that we learn from looking at advocates as comedic tricksters is that they use keen understandings of their communities to hold a mirror up that reveals hypocrisy.…”