(Re)Considerations of Ignorance and Resistance in Teacher Education

Abstract

This article questions the status of two recurring concepts in teacher preparation: resistance and ignorance. Both of these terms have significant presence within the teacher education literature. Because both of these terms often occur in relation to a particular topic, that of race and multicultural education, we also utilize race as the discourse that frames our consideration of these two important issues. To reframe and reorient our attention to the processes of ignorance and resistance, we turn to psychoanalytic considerations of those terms and consider what such a turn can offer teacher educators as they engage teacher candidates with issues of race.

Passing the Buck, or Thinking about Experience? Conditions for Professional Development among Teachers in a Norwegian Middle School

“…As this case, among others, relates to learning about ethnic or cultural differences, the function of the container, according to Garrett and Segal [48], may be to parse out various emotionally charged reactions to conversations, wonder about when these emotions seem absent, and question the teachers about their different kinds of silences. It requires being attentive to the teachers' struggles and being open to their confusions and acts of defending their self [48].…”

Culturally relevant teachers : a critical beacon in the educational standards movement.

“…Participants in Garrett and Segall's (2013) qualitative study mirrored the results of Sleeter's (2011) study in that studied participants' reactions to Spike Lee's film When the Levees Broke, which depicts the devastation in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.…”

“…References to culture, both intentional and unintentional, naturally occur in the classroom as teachers and students interact with each other and with literacy texts (Garrett & Segall, 2013). If the adults in the classroom avoid considering the role played by race and culture in the educational experience, then tensions between teachers, students, and the wider community will persist regardless of the curriculum used.…”

“…Teachers must acknowledge students' frustrations, questions, and defenses and take advantage of them to create teachable moments (Garrett & Segall, 2013).…”

“…An effective system for self-reflection is professional development opportunities (Garrett & Segall, 2013;Jaquith, Mindich, Chung Wei, & DarlingHammond, 2010;Sleeter, 2011;Young, 2010). Schools use professional development to provide training to teachers regarding programs, teaching strategies, or review of quantitative student testing data.…”