Zoe Burkholder. Color in the Classroom: How American Schools Taught Race, 1900–1954, New York: Oxford University Press, 2011. 264 pp. Hardback $34.95.

Bolgatz, Jane

doi:10.1111/j.1748-5959.2012.00420.x

Cited by 8 publications

(15 citation statements)

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“…When race is viewed as a threshold concept, then, preservice teachers’ performed resistance can be viewed as part of the learning process. As Bolgatz (2005) concludes, “If we are willing to slow down our conversations, we can take student's apparent backpedaling or avoidance as an opportunity to examine the subtleties and complications of racial issues” (p. 112). The oscillation (Meyer and Land, 2006) exhibited by preservice teachers like Michelle, and even attempts to dismiss new knowledge in favor of older, safer epistemologies and ontologies, is part of the learning process and not grounds for the dismissal of the preservice teachers as resistant or racist.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pushback and Possibility: Using a Threshold Concept of Race in Social Studies Teacher Education

Smith

Crowley

2015

The Journal of Social Studies Research

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The authors illuminate the process of preservice teacher learning about race through a narrativized case study of Michelle, a White elementary teacher. Michelle displayed elements of White resistance to race but also a desire to engage in teaching about race. When race is viewed as a threshold concept ( Meyer & Land, 2006 ), Michelle's struggles with race highlight important considerations for teacher education.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pushback and Possibility: Using a Threshold Concept of Race in Social Studies Teacher Education

Smith

Crowley

2015

The Journal of Social Studies Research

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“…To date, the extant literature has characterized tense discussion moments as “thorny exchanges” (Bolgatz, 2005, p. 12) and “clash[es] of racial realities” (Sue, 2015, p. 6) that indicate poor teacher facilitation and provide evidence that students are not learning. In contrast to these studies, this analysis demonstrated that race talk tensions did not significantly derail discussions or cause students to disengage.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A critical analysis of this exchange may illuminate the problematic nature of two white students who appear to know very little about significant historical and contemporary black leaders in the US society. While an important curricular criticism, a reconstructive lens also illuminates that Michael and Ben were beginning to practice racial literacy by reflexively identifying and discussing what they did not yet know (Bolgatz, 2005). In response, Ms. Allen invited the students to extend their reflection to analyze why they appeared to lack a robust understanding of the individuals on the cards (“Why do you think […]”), using the pronoun “we,” to position herself as a co-learner with students poised to investigate the impact of whiteness on their collective knowledge. Michael: Because maybe, because like Ben: Maybe in the future when we have to learn about them [“Great African Americans”]we could just say‘Oh she did this and that’(.…”

Section: “Washington Didn’t Want Them To Know”: Tensions From Competi...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A reconstructive analytic focus on students’ interaction, however, illuminates ways Ben and Michael collaboratively engaged with multiple practices of racial literacy in this final exchange. First, they both take an inquisitive stance of asking and answering questions (“What did Barack Obama do?”), a stance that is significant as racially literate students “recognize that they have much to learn, and they know how to ask questions” to pursue ongoing learning (Bolgatz, 2005, pp. 1–2).…”

Section: “Washington Didn’t Want Them To Know”: Tensions From Competi...mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Race talk tensions: practicing racial literacy in a fourth-grade classroom

Daly

2022

ETPC

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Purpose There is a pressing need to teach students how to talk critically about race to understand the personal and political implications of racism in the contemporary US society. Classroom race talk, however, often includes moments of discomfort or confusion as teachers and students navigate new norms for making sense of race and racism. The purpose of this paper is to examine how one white teacher and her multiracial class of fourth-grade students navigated race talk tensions while reading and discussing shared texts. Design/methodology/approach Data for this paper were collected as part of a larger, year-long qualitative study on antiracist pedagogy. In this paper, the author analyzes video data of classroom race talk recorded during whole-class and small-group literacy lessons. Using inductive coding and reconstructive critical discourse analysis, the author examines how the teacher and students co-constructed meaning during tense or confusing conversational moments. Findings The findings demonstrate that the teacher and students jointly mediated tensions by using the practices of racial literacy, which included learning about the history of racial inequality in the USA, considering racism as structural and systemic rather than individual and asking and answering questions for continued inquiry and critical self-reflection. While previous research studies have characterized race talk tensions as problems or obstacles to student learning, the findings from this study suggest that tensions can be generative to developing and enacting racial literacy. Originality/value In the current political climate, alarmist rhetoric issued by conservative politicians and media outlets has discredited race talk as harmful or damaging to children. This study offers a positive reframing of tensions, which may provide teachers encouragement to pursue literacy instruction that equips students with knowledge and skills to better understand and confront racism.

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“…Scholars, educators and activists have long advocated for anti-oppressive, culturally relevant and responsive teaching in general and in social studies in particular (see, for example, Banks, 2007; Bolgatz, 2005; Gay, 2002; Martell, 2013; Smith et al. , 2021).…”

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confidence: 99%

Exploring social studies teachers' use of action research to enhance cultural responsiveness

Parkhouse

Bennett²

2023

SSRP

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PurposeCulturally responsive teaching is widely recognized as beneficial to students, especially those from historically marginalized communities. The social studies literature includes many studies of what culturally responsive teaching looks like in practice and how it can be taught to pre-service teachers. However, little is known about how in-service social studies teachers advance their knowledge and skills in this area. Studies of professional development (PD) suggest action research is a powerful format for teacher learning, but few closely examine the specific mechanisms through which action research fosters culturally responsive teaching.Design/methodology/approachThis qualitative case study of three secondary social studies teachers draws on the following data: two in-depth interviews with each teacher, audio recordings of action research meetings, project artifacts and field notes. Data were analyzed through multiple rounds of inductive and deductive coding using a codebook developed by a diverse group of researchers. The teacher participants reviewed and confirmed the findings.FindingsAll three teachers expanded their use of culturally responsive social studies instruction through systematic inquiry into their own interactions with students. The action research process fostered this growth through the following specific mechanisms: reflecting and reading independently, using data to strengthen relationships and leveraging a structure for addressing race and power in the curriculum.Originality/valueThis study illustrates how teacher action research can foster culturally responsive teaching by allowing educators to self-direct their own critical reflection and data gathering on inequities in their schools. It can also provide a structure for elevating histories that have traditionally been marginalized in standardized curricula.

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Zoe Burkholder. Color in the Classroom: How American Schools Taught Race, 1900–1954, New York: Oxford University Press, 2011. 264 pp. Hardback $34.95.

Cited by 8 publications

References 0 publications

Pushback and Possibility: Using a Threshold Concept of Race in Social Studies Teacher Education

Pushback and Possibility: Using a Threshold Concept of Race in Social Studies Teacher Education

Race talk tensions: practicing racial literacy in a fourth-grade classroom

Exploring social studies teachers' use of action research to enhance cultural responsiveness

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