Presenter Information

Felicia BaidenFollow

Location

Social Justice (Session 5 Breakouts)

Proposal Track

Research Project

Session Format

Presentation

Abstract

The recent killings of Black Americans namely Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, and Rayshard Brooks by police officers or vigilantes have increased racial tension and social unrest locally and nationally. Protests have ensued around the world for racial justice and equity. As educators, it is imperative now more than ever to examine and interrogate our education system and determine more equitable and socially just teaching practices that will better serve a culturally and linguistically diverse student population and ultimately contribute toward the public good of society. Research has suggested that educators need support and professional learning on how to teach for social justice and equity (Burke & Collier, 2017; Dover, 2013; Riley & Crawford-Garrett, 2016). Accordingly, this research study explored a social justice-driven professional learning community. The following overarching research question guided this study: How can a social justice-driven professional learning community (PLC) influence P-12 educators? Data included audio-recordings of the professional learning sessions, written reflections and documents collected during the professional learning, and follow-up interviews. Data analysis was undergirded by critical pedagogy. The findings of this research suggest that teaching for social justice and equity requires intentionality, multiple perspectives, and teaching strategies and resources.

Keywords

professional learning community, social justice, equity, culturally responsive teaching, racial justice, critical literacy, multicultural children’s literature

Professional Bio

Dr. Felicia Baiden is an assistant professor of clinical practice at Mercer University. Her research focuses on professional learning communities and teaching for social justice and equity. She has presented her work at local and national conferences, including Georgia Council for the Social Studies, Georgia Council of Teachers of English, National Council of Teachers of English, National Association for Professional Development Schools Conference, and National Association for Multicultural Education. Most recently, she co-created and co-facilitated, Courageous Conversations, a free, virtual conference designed to support P-12 educators with anti-racist strategies to create a more racially just and culturally responsive learning environment.

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Oct 2nd, 3:00 PM Oct 2nd, 4:00 PM

The Time is Now: Building Educators’ Capacities to Teach for Social Justice and Equity

Social Justice (Session 5 Breakouts)

The recent killings of Black Americans namely Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, and Rayshard Brooks by police officers or vigilantes have increased racial tension and social unrest locally and nationally. Protests have ensued around the world for racial justice and equity. As educators, it is imperative now more than ever to examine and interrogate our education system and determine more equitable and socially just teaching practices that will better serve a culturally and linguistically diverse student population and ultimately contribute toward the public good of society. Research has suggested that educators need support and professional learning on how to teach for social justice and equity (Burke & Collier, 2017; Dover, 2013; Riley & Crawford-Garrett, 2016). Accordingly, this research study explored a social justice-driven professional learning community. The following overarching research question guided this study: How can a social justice-driven professional learning community (PLC) influence P-12 educators? Data included audio-recordings of the professional learning sessions, written reflections and documents collected during the professional learning, and follow-up interviews. Data analysis was undergirded by critical pedagogy. The findings of this research suggest that teaching for social justice and equity requires intentionality, multiple perspectives, and teaching strategies and resources.