Abstract
Teachers, as co-designers of learning experiences, are always making decisions in educational contexts that require ongoing inquiry, reflection and learning. In a society that is becoming increasingly segregated by socioeconomic factors, research has shown there is a need for a critical lens in teaching and research to better understand the inequities created by social class and its interseccionalities. This project created a space for professional teacher learning and collaborative critical inquiry into notions of social class, privilege, power and agency in language and literacy classrooms in the diverse Manitoba urban context. During a series of three online meetings, participants explored, through readings, discussion, and critical inquiry, what impeded or enabled educational efforts to address inequities in language and literacy education in the K-12 Manitoba school system. This work is informed by theories that highlight power and inequalities in language and literacy education and research, drawing upon critical literacies, decolonial theories and Bourdieu’s perspectives. Considering that English language teachers are implicated in systems of authority and knowledge informed by colonial understandings, this study advocates for continuous professional learning that critically explores positionalities, identities, places, and literacies that perform and are performed in dynamic relations of power.
Presenters
Karla Ferreira Da CostaProfessor, Letras Inglês, Universidade Federal do Mato Grosso do Sul, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Adult, Community, and Professional Learning
KEYWORDS
Critical Teacher Learning, Social Class, English Language Education
