Trusting the Process: Using Oral Histories to Encourage the Development of Teachers’ Socio-political Consciousness
Type of Presentation
Individual paper/presentation
Conference Strand
Diversity and Inclusion
Target Audience
Higher Education
Second Target Audience
K-12
Location
Session 3 Papers
Relevance
This proposal discusses the use of oral history research to support the development of socio-political consciousness (SPC) in teachers. SPC is a critical awareness of the socio-political, historical, and economic contexts of education.
Proposal
In social justice education, socio-political consciousness (SPC) is an understanding of the socio-political and economic factors that influence the lives of students, their families, and their communities (Murray & Milner, 2015). SPC enables teachers to be critical consumers of the curriculum taught in schools and to be active producers of curricula that challenge deficit-orientations of diverse and historically marginalized students that may be manifested in curricular policies, materials, and practices. This session discusses the use of oral history research to support teachers SPC in an online professional development program designed to enhance the cultural responsiveness of teachers of urban learners. Oral history supports the development of SPC in teachers by providing them with opportunities to hone research skills, engage in critical analysis, and increase their historical and current knowledge about the schools and communities they are assigned to teach in. Due to covid-19 restrictions, oral history interviews with individuals pre-selected by the PD facilitators were not possible. Instead, teachers chose their own oral history participants and conducted the interviews online. Teachers’ abilities to critically analyze the interviews suggests that their self-selection of interview participants provided opportunities to engage in critical analysis and reflection that may not have been possible with interview participants chosen by the facilitators. A main takeaway from this project is the importance of trusting learners and the learning process in social justice education.
Short Description
This presentation discuses the use of oral history research to support the development of teachers' critical awareness of the social, historical, political, and economic contexts of education for urban learners. Teachers' critical analysis and reflection on their oral history interviews are shared. A main takeaway from this project is the importance of trusting learners and the learning process in social justice education.
Keywords
oral histories, critical consciousness, teacher education, social justice education, urban education
Publication Type and Release Option
Event
Recommended Citation
Ross, Sabrina N., "Trusting the Process: Using Oral Histories to Encourage the Development of Teachers’ Socio-political Consciousness" (2022). Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy. 17.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/gaintlit/2022/2022/17
Trusting the Process: Using Oral Histories to Encourage the Development of Teachers’ Socio-political Consciousness
Session 3 Papers
In social justice education, socio-political consciousness (SPC) is an understanding of the socio-political and economic factors that influence the lives of students, their families, and their communities (Murray & Milner, 2015). SPC enables teachers to be critical consumers of the curriculum taught in schools and to be active producers of curricula that challenge deficit-orientations of diverse and historically marginalized students that may be manifested in curricular policies, materials, and practices. This session discusses the use of oral history research to support teachers SPC in an online professional development program designed to enhance the cultural responsiveness of teachers of urban learners. Oral history supports the development of SPC in teachers by providing them with opportunities to hone research skills, engage in critical analysis, and increase their historical and current knowledge about the schools and communities they are assigned to teach in. Due to covid-19 restrictions, oral history interviews with individuals pre-selected by the PD facilitators were not possible. Instead, teachers chose their own oral history participants and conducted the interviews online. Teachers’ abilities to critically analyze the interviews suggests that their self-selection of interview participants provided opportunities to engage in critical analysis and reflection that may not have been possible with interview participants chosen by the facilitators. A main takeaway from this project is the importance of trusting learners and the learning process in social justice education.
