Encouraging Agitation: Teaching Teacher Candidates To Confront Words That Wound

• Published in: Teacher education quarterly (Claremont, Calif.) Calif.), 2010-01, Vol.37 (1), p.53-72
• Main Author: Staples, Jeanine M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: African Americans; Critical Theory; Education; Educational Environment; English Teachers; Ethnolinguistics; Gender Bias; Homosexuality; Ideology; Language; Language Arts; Language Usage; Learning; Linguistics; Literacy; Literacy Education; Methods; Political candidates; Popular Culture; Practice; Preservice Teacher Education; Preservice Teachers; Professional development; Racial Bias; Racism; Secondary School Teachers; Self concept; Sexism; Social Action; Social Attitudes; Social Justice; Society; Sociolinguistics; Stereotypes; Student teacher relationship; Student teachers; Students; Study and teaching; Teacher Attitudes; Teacher centers; Teacher Characteristics; Teacher education; Teacher Education Curriculum; Teacher Educators; Teacher Role; Teacher Student Relationship; Teachers; Teaching Methods; Training; United States; Violence; Whites; Words
• ISSN: 0737-5328

James Gee (1986) suggested that [English] language arts teachers play a crucial gatekeeping role in our society and could either see themselves as keepers of the museum of language or guides into the complexities of language learning. In particular, he noted that those teachers who failed to view the political nature of their practices opened themselves to being pawns at the hands of those who both saw and exercised their political views of the classroom. Many teachers who take inquiry stances on their practice embrace the concept of classroom as a place where language, literacy, and power intersect in ways that can be enabling or stunting. Accordingly, these teachers seek to understand what it means to teach and research language and literacy in ways that call attention to these political and power issues. (Fecho & Allen, 2003, p. 234)