Being "Risky and Dangerous" Together: Exploring Race and Racism in Early Elementary Teachers' Critical Literacy Spaces / Latricia Whitfield.

Format:

Book

Thesis/Dissertation

Author/Creator:

Whitfield, Latricia, author.

Contributor:

University of Pennsylvania. Reading, Writing, Literacy, degree granting institution.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Teacher education.

Educational leadership.

Educational administration.

Reading, Writing, Literacy--Penn dissertations.

Penn dissertations--Reading, Writing, Literacy.

Local Subjects:

Teacher education.

Educational leadership.

Educational administration.

Reading, Writing, Literacy--Penn dissertations.

Penn dissertations--Reading, Writing, Literacy.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (166 pages)

Distribution:

Ann Arbor : ProQuest Dissertations & Theses, 2023

Contained In:

Dissertations Abstracts International 84-11A.

Place of Publication:

[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania] : University of Pennsylvania, 2022.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Despite young people's knowledge of and clarion calls to inquire about race and racism, research suggests that there is little attention to these topics in early elementary critical literacy spaces. This practitioner research study sought to understand how kindergarten, first, and second grade teachers designed learning experiences that helped students interrogate race and racism over the span of one academic calendar year. Grounded in a critical literacy pedagogical framework (Janks, 2010) and Critical Race Theory's five hallmarks (Delgado & Stefancic, 2001), the teachers were invited to consider these frameworks when cultivating opportunities for students to interpret racism and generate strategic ways to disrupt dominant societal ways of being. Secondly, this study aimed to shed light on the teachers' perspectives about how they taught the lessons and their students' awareness of these topics. Finally, the study provided a window into my development as an administrator supporting teachers in this work. Drawing upon five qualitative data sources- classroom observations, interviews, inquiry community meetings, memos, and research journal entries- three primary findings emerged. There were five common lesson design features for the race and racism centered learning experiences: resurfacing of prior knowledge, utilizing didactic material invitations, facilitating subsequent discussions about the didactic material, assigning counternarrative activities, and using student responses as launching pads for upcoming lessons. These lesson design features were instrumental in creating a context for students to explore issues of race and racism in the classroom. Taking an inquiry stance on their practice, each teacher's perspective differed with regards to their students' awareness of race and racism and how they taught the lessons. As the practitioner researcher, and administrator supporting K-2 teachers, I learned the importance of authentic connections, the necessary disruption of the dualism that exists between practical and formal knowledge, and the constant pursuit to actively push against mechanistic ways of leading.

Notes:

Source: Dissertations Abstracts International, Volume: 84-11, Section: A.

Advisors: Waff, Diane; Committee members: Gadsden, Vivian; Campano, Gerald; Whitelaw, Jessica.

Department: Reading, Writing, Literacy.

Ed.D. University of Pennsylvania 2023.

Local Notes:

School code: 0175

ISBN:

9798379535094

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license.