Swimming through whiteness : exploring non-racism and anti-racism in social studies teacher education /

This dissertation sought to uncover the racial knowledge, racial standpoint, and racial pedagogical decision making of secondary social studies teacher education students. Grounded in critical race theory and critical whiteness studies this study examined the ways in which participants engaged with non-racism and anti-racism while developing a racial standpoint in the social studies classroom. Findings indicate that although participants' racial knowledge and understanding increased struggles persisted in enacting anti-racist social studies pedagogical approaches. Implications for research, policy, and praxis are discussed. In Chapter 1, I detail the overarching context of the study, introduced the theoretical framing, and provided definitions for key terms that will appear throughout the dissertation. Chapter 2 features a discussion of the theoretical foundation of this study as well as relevant research literature on the teaching and learning of race/ism within social studies education. Chapter 3 provides a detailed description of the research methods and methodology deployed in this study as well as a discussion of researcher positionality. In Chapter 4, I present findings related to participants' foundational racial knowledge and understanding. Chapter 5 includes a discussion of the three racial standpoints embodied by participants over the course of the semester. Finally, Chapter 6 includes a discussion of the implications of this study for social studies, teacher education, and the understanding of race/ism in America.Dr. Antonio J. Castro, Dissertation Supervisor.|Includes vita.Includes bibliographical references (pages 218-234)

Culturally Responsive and Inclusive Teaching

Building on previous events in this series, this panel will explore how to bring diversity, equity, and inclusion theories and practices into our classroom teaching, both in face-to-face and online instructional settings. Drawing on their expertise in a range of teaching and learning contexts, panelists will share principles for culturally responsive and inclusive instruction. Together, we will reflect on why this work has always mattered – and why it especially matters now. Watch the video to see the discussion. Click on the download button for a list of readings and resources.https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/inter_inclusion/1003/thumbnail.jp

“Who made these rules? We’re so confused.”: An Introduction to the Special Issue on Critical Race Media Literacy

In this introductory essay, editors of the special issue on critical race media literacy frame the current global contexts of race, racism, and media in which this issue is situated. Building from the work of authors included in this special issue, this essay calls readers to engage and disrupt racism in popular, educational, and other forms of media, both inside and beyond the classroom

Successes, Challenges, and Surprises: Teacher Reflections on Using Children’s Literature to Examine Complex Social Issues in the Elementary Classroom

Children’s literature provides elementary teachers and students the opportunity to critically engage in the world around them. However, too often teachers choose not to engage students in discussions of complex social issues out of a sense of fear or discomfort. In this paper, we explore the reflections of 11 teachers who chose to engage their students in discussions of three complex social issues: immigration, migration, and forced relocation. Specifically, we highlight the successes, challenges, and surprises teachers reported after completing a three-week long unit that integrated discussions of complex social issues with computer science and science. Findings suggest that despite teacher reservations, students are interested in talking about complex social issues and through engagement with children’s literature are able to engage in thoughtful, personal, and critical conversation about these issues. Further, through discussing critical social issues, teachers and students were able to build the culturally responsive social-emotional skills essential for effective participation in a diverse democratic society

A Case Study of Whiteness at Work in an Elementary Classroom

We are interested in how whiteness shaped one teacher’s abilities to engage his elementary school students in culturally responsive pedagogy, especially his abilities to engage or avoid conversations about race-based inequities in an integrated technology unit focused on NGSS disciplinary practices. We draw upon culturally responsive pedagogy, critical race theory, and critical whiteness studies to understand the role of whiteness in a single case study of integrated elementary science teaching leveraging electronic textiles technology. The case study reported here is part of a larger study investigating how technology integration supports justice-centered science learning for elementary school teachers and their students in the Intermountain Region of the USA. The authors are white and Latino and all, but one, are former classroom teachers. Drawing on multiple data sources (field notes of classroom observations, interviews, transcripts of video-recorded classroom sessions), we developed a single descriptive case to illustrate shifts in teacher practice over time. We documented one white, male, fifth grade teacher’s engagements with his students around issues of race as manifested in conversations about immigration, migration, and forced relocation in an integrated technology unit focused on NGSS disciplinary practices. This single case and the teacher perspectives it illustrates are resonant not only of our data but also the scholarly literature on white pre- and in-service teachers in the USA. We conclude with some practical recommendations for teacher professional development

Putting the “M” Back Into STEM: Considering How Units Coordination Relates to Computational Thinking

This theoretical commentary examines theory driven discussions in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields and mathematics fields. Through this examination, the authors articulate particular parallels between spatial encoding strategy theory and units coordination theory. Finally, these parallel are considering pragmatically in the Elementary STEM Teaching Integrating Textiles and Computing Holistically (ESTITCH) curriculum where STEM and social studies topics are explored by elementary students. This commentary concludes with questions and particular directions our mathematics education field can progress when integrating mathematics in STEM fields

STEM as a Cover: Towards a Framework for Queer Emotions, Battle Fatigue, and STEM Identity

This study seeks to understand the daily violence endured by queer youth. We use Queer Battle Fatigue, Ahmed’s cultural politics of emotion, and STEM identity theories to make meaning of youth’s experience. We draw from audio recordings and transcriptions of 15 queer youth over the course of a summer and fall LGBTQ + maker camp in a rural town in the Intermountain Western part of the United States. Findings show that the maker camp environment provided queer campers casual conversations about microaggressions and violence endured at school. In this context, STEM served as a cover (concealed goals) in three ways: emotion, validation/advice, and safety. This particular environment provided them recognition and validation of both their STEM and queer identities, allowing the group to be able to casually mention these instances of violence they had endured