Using Preservice Teacher Emotion to Encourage Critical Engagement with Diversity

Abstract

The demographics of classroom teachers and teacher educators do not mirror the diversity found in today's schools. As we prepare preservice teachers to be quality educators for all students, we must work to ensure that they are examining issues of equity and diversity that will affect those they teach. This article explores this challenge from my perspective as a teacher educator. Through self-study research, I consider how I, as a white, female, middle-class teacher educator, attempted to help preservice teachers to think beyond their own experiences. In the end, what I categorized as a strictly intellectual pursuit uncovered something much deeper and more engaging: the impact of emotion on learning in a university classroom. Transformative teacher preparation must be engaging on both intellectual and emotional levels. While the implications of this finding support the personal value of self-study, this study also contributes to our understanding of multicultural approaches when working with preservice teachers.

Keywords:

• diversity
• social justice
• teacher learning
• preservice teachers
• emotional intelligence
• critical reflection