“This might have been better than anything we could have taught or planned”: disrupt/ion leading the way towards culturally sustaining pedagogies

Abstract

In this paper, I describe moments from a first-grade classroom whereas co-researchers, the classroom teacher and I found ourselves challenged by ways we experienced disruption in the classroom. Upon further analysis we saw these moments as opportunities to embrace culturally sustaining pedagogies, recognizing students’ enactment of their culturally situated ways of knowing and being as important, disrupting traditional approaches to schooling. Insights described provide recommendations for practice as well as questions to consider regarding how educators can engage in this approach, as well as how administrators and higher education faculty can support and mentor educators in developing their pedagogical practice to value and sustain students culturally diverse ways of knowing and being in early education classrooms.

Keywords:

• Disruption
• culturally sustaining pedagogy
• early education
• thinking with theory
• teaching

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 The slash:”/” is included to be inclusive of both disrupt and disruption, considering the term as both a noun and a verb. Figure 2 explores this in more detail.

2 2. In this article, I made deliberate choices in capitalization. I capitalize Black, but do not capitalize white to call attention to the unearned privileges of people who identify as white in the United States.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Oona Fontanella-Nothom

Oona Fontanella-Nothom is an Assistant Professor of Early Childhood in the College of Education at California State University, Los Angeles. Oona’s research on the teaching and learning of race and racism seeks to name and challenge the ways that antiblackness permeates the lives of young children. Her writing, research, and (re)presentations also seek to disrupt narrow and limited conceptions of what inquiry can be. She believes that when we are willing to truly listen and learn from children, we can work towards social transformation.