(Be)coming Critical Teacher Educators: Collaborative Self-Study Across Contexts

Date

2021-06-28

Department

Program

Citation of Original Publication

Tondreau, A., White, K., Gardiner, W., Stevens, E.R., Dussling, T.M., Hinman, T., Degener, S., & Wilson, N.S. (2021). (Be)coming Critical Teacher Educators: Collaborative Self-Study Across Contexts. Studying Teacher Education, 17(3), 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1080/17425964.2021.1946389

Rights

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in A journal of self-study of teacher education practices on 28 Jun 2021, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/https://doi.org/10.1080/17425964.2021.1946389.

Subjects

Abstract

This collaborative self-study looks at how eight white literacy teacher educators worked together to re-center critical literacy and teaching for equity in methods courses. We used self-study methodology to interrogate not only our pedagogy, but also our own internalization of white supremacy culture and complicity in perpetuating the status quo. Our group met virtually on a monthly basis, discussed common readings, shared resources, and wrote journal reflections. Findings show that our collaboration helped us explore and evolve how we framed the work of critical literacy, delve into the discomfort of initiating and facilitating difficult conversations with students and colleagues, and develop concrete actions for re-centering and enacting critical literacy practices. Building upon the collaborative self-study work that guided our practice, we argue that our collaboration – across contexts and across time, attending to both our self-work and our pedagogy – provides a new way forward. As teacher educators, we found self-study to be a sustainable way to outgrow ourselves, and this research serves as a call to action for other teacher educators to take up this work, as well. Dismantling the status quo is a lifelong endeavor, our work is ongoing, and we find it is strengthened when approached both individually and collectively.