From Approximations of Practice to Transformative Possibilities: Using Theatre of the Oppressed as Rehearsals for Facilitating Critical Teacher Education

ABSTRACT

Rehearsals and other approximations of practice are often touted as effective pedagogies for preparing teachers to reproduce/replicate practices deemed universally beneficial. However, scholars have noted that reproducing practices across contexts risks undermining equity and justice. This article reports on a three-year project that examined the potential of Boalian Theater and Freirean culture circles to facilitate learning among justice-oriented teacher educators. Using an ethnographic approach, the article shows how, guided by these critical pedagogies, rehearsals can facilitate transformational learning by re-imagining responses to dilemmas of practice in equity-oriented and contextually sensitive ways.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

¹ With the exception of the three authors, all names are pseudonyms.