Growing Critically Conscious Teachers: A Social Justice Curriculum for Educators of Latino/a Youth

by Angela Valenzuela

Overview

To meet the needs of the fast growing numbers of Latino/a English learners, this volume presents an approach to secondary education teacher preparation based on the work of the National Latino/a Education Research and Policy Project (NLERAP). Renowned scholar and educator Angela Valenzuela, together with an impressive roster of contributors, provides a critical framework for educating culturally responsive teachers. They examine the knowledge, skills, and predisposition required for higher education institutions to create curricula for educating Latino/a children, children of color, and language minority youth. Growing Critically Conscious Teachers illuminates why growing our own teachers makes sense as an approach for not only addressing the achievement gap, but for also enhancing the well-being of our communities as a whole.

Book Features:

• A community-based, university- and district-connected partnership model that fosters students’ critical consciousness.
  
• A framework for participatory action research (PAR) within teacher preparation that promotes community and societal transformation.
• A curriculum premised on sociocultural and sociopolitical awareness.
• The wisdom, experiences, and lessons learned from educators who have been change agents in their own schools, communities, and college classrooms across the country.

“An enormous contribution to the field. It will also be a cherished resource and guide for Latino/a and non-Latino/a teachers alike, and for the university faculty and school- and community-based facilitators who help prepare them.”
—From the Foreword by Sonia Nieto, Professor Emerita, Language, Literacy, and Culture, College of Education, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

“Provides the elemental sparks for essential conversations about culturally responsive teaching and the well-being of youth in our communities. Through a variety of critical perspectives this volume raises significant questions that must be at the forefront of Latino/a education. This excellent volume is a must read for teachers truly committed to educational practices of social justice in schools today.”
—Antonia Darder, Leavey Endowed Chair of Ethics and Moral Leadership, Loyola Marymount University

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780807773963
Publisher:	Teachers College Press
Publication date:	04/24/2016
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Angela Valenzuela is a professor in the Department of Educational Administration, Education Policy and Planning and Department of Curriculum and Instruction, Cultural Studies in Education at the College of Education, University of Texas at Austin.

Table of Contents

Foreword Sonia Nieto ix

Acknowledgments xiii

Preface: Uses of the Handbook xv

1 True to Our Roots: NLERAP and the Grow Your Own Teacher Education Institutes Initiative Angela Valenzuela 1

2 Teacher Capacities for Latino and Latin a Youth Carmen I. Mercado 24

3 Teaching for Critical Consciousness: Topics, Themes, Frameworks, and Instructional Activities Adele Arellano José Cintrón Barbara Flores Margarita Berta-Ávila 39

4 PAR Entremundos: A Practitioner's Guide Julio Cammarota Margarita Berta-Åvila Jennifer Ayala Melissa Rivera Louie Rodriguez 67

5 Social Justice Education Project (SJEP): A Case Example of PAR in a High School Classroom Julio Cammarota 90

6 Conclusion: El Árbol/The Tree: Returning to the Root Angela Valenzuela 105

Afterword Christine Sleeter 110

Appendix A NLERAP's Guiding Principles and Expected Teacher Competencies 114

Appendix B Mini-Ethnography: Community, District, School, and Classroom Study 115

Appendix C Transforming Deficit Myths About Language, Culture, and Literacy 127

Appendix D Naming, interrogating, and Transforming Deficit Myths, Fallacies, and "Habitudes" 129

Appendix E BaFa BaFa: Cross-Cultural Diversity/Inclusion Simulation Overview 130

Appendix F White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack Activity 133

Appendix G Critical Pedagogy Framework for Creative Reflection 136

Appendix H Group Work and Second Language Learner Planner 138

Appendix I Productive Group Work Rubric 140

Appendix J Planning for Language and Content Integration 144

Appendix K PAR Process Handout 145

Appendix L Frequently Asked Questions About PAR 149

References 153

Index 174

About the Editor and Contributors 182

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"Growing Critically Conscious Teachers will make an enormous contribution to the field. It will also be a cherished resource and guide for Latino/a and non-Latino/a teachers alike, and for the university faculty and school- and community-based facilitators who help prepare them. As such, it is a welcome addition to the small but growing literature on educating Latino/a students in U.S. schools. "
—From the Foreword by Sonia Nieto, professor emerita, Language, Literacy, and Culture, College of Education, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

"Growing Critically Conscious Teachers provides the elemental sparks for essential conversations about culturally responsive teaching and the well-being of youth in our communities. Through a variety of critical perspectives, this volume raises significant questions that must be at the forefront of Latino/a education. This excellent volume is a must-read for teachers truly committed to educational practices of social justice in schools today."
—Antonia Darder, Leavey Endowed Chair of Ethics and Moral Leadership, Loyola Marymount University

Editorial Reviews

"The book has many strengths, and it feels essential for teacher educators who desire to foster critical consciousness in their prospective teachers."

— Bilingual Research Journal

From the Publisher