Connections Forged and Missed: Reflections on Diversity and the Possibilities and Limitations of Co-Constructing Social Justice Spaces in Higher Education
Location
Boston 1
Session Format
Presentation
Abstract
While existing research is clear on the significant educational and social benefits of diversity in higher education (e.g., Alger, 2013; Turner et al., 2008; Williams, 2013), methods of successfully incorporating diversity in higher education spaces remain elusive (Chun & Evans, 2018; Patton et al., 2019; Williams et al., 2005). In this presentation, we reflect upon the individual and collective knowledge for social justice that we gained through our efforts to co-construct a culturally-affirming virtual educational space for approximately 90 international teachers of color who were participating in an urban education professional development (PD) that we facilitated between January of 2021 and May of 2022. We use critical geography and collaborative self-study inquiry based on collaborative teaching (Davie, 1995) and self-study methodology (Louie et al., 2003) to map out ways that the confluence of our diversity and lived experiences and the diversity and lived experiences of the international teachers of color enrolled in the PD influenced the educational space we co-constructed. Information presented in the presentation will address the following question: In what ways did we experience success and challenges in forging connections within and across various aspects of diversity in the PD?
Keywords
social justice education, critical geography, faculty diversity, diversity in higher education
Professional Bio
Sabrina Ross, Ph.D. is a Professor in the Educational Research unit at Georgia Southern University. Her scholarship centers on social justice education and involves examining intersections of race, gender, and power within formal and informal educational contexts. She has published articles in The International Journal of Critical Pedagogy, Educational Foundations, The Journal of African American Males in Education, The International Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, and Teaching in Higher Education.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Ross, Sabrina N.; Walton, Calvin; He, Ming Fang; and Stevenson, Alma, "Connections Forged and Missed: Reflections on Diversity and the Possibilities and Limitations of Co-Constructing Social Justice Spaces in Higher Education" (2024). Georgia Educational Research Association Conference. 41.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/gera/2024/2024/41
Connections Forged and Missed: Reflections on Diversity and the Possibilities and Limitations of Co-Constructing Social Justice Spaces in Higher Education
Boston 1
While existing research is clear on the significant educational and social benefits of diversity in higher education (e.g., Alger, 2013; Turner et al., 2008; Williams, 2013), methods of successfully incorporating diversity in higher education spaces remain elusive (Chun & Evans, 2018; Patton et al., 2019; Williams et al., 2005). In this presentation, we reflect upon the individual and collective knowledge for social justice that we gained through our efforts to co-construct a culturally-affirming virtual educational space for approximately 90 international teachers of color who were participating in an urban education professional development (PD) that we facilitated between January of 2021 and May of 2022. We use critical geography and collaborative self-study inquiry based on collaborative teaching (Davie, 1995) and self-study methodology (Louie et al., 2003) to map out ways that the confluence of our diversity and lived experiences and the diversity and lived experiences of the international teachers of color enrolled in the PD influenced the educational space we co-constructed. Information presented in the presentation will address the following question: In what ways did we experience success and challenges in forging connections within and across various aspects of diversity in the PD?
