The Culturally Responsive Teacher Educator

Source: The Teacher Educator, 49:265–283, 2014
(Reviewed by the Portal Team)

This article aims to examine how sociopolitically conscious teacher educators tailor preparation for teachers of color.

Methods
The participants were three teacher educators, who teach in teacher education programs with commitments to culturally responsive pedagogy.

Data were collected through classroom documents (i.e., syllabus, assignment descriptions), pre- and post-course interviews and focus groups, faculty teaching logs, and classroom observations.

Findings
The results showed that teacher educators’ pedagogy for teacher candidates of color was characterized by three binding mindsets and practices: 
1. The authors found that teacher educators made an intentional choice to work as a change agent for communities of color.

2. The authors also found that teacher educators challenged sociocultural barriers to the academic and professional achievement of teachers of color.
The participants' commitment was focused on person and performance in that they were conscious about ensuring the academic and professional success of teacher candidates of color. The commitment was action provoking in that the teachers educators chose to teach at universities that had significant cultural and linguistic diversity.
The participants cared about how they were prepared and how they could be best positioned to teach culturally and linguistically diverse students in schools.

3. It was also found that teacher educators implemented constructivist approaches as an instructional bridge to prepare teacher candidates of color to work with culturally and linguistically diverse students.
Using constructivist pedagogical approaches, these teacher educators combatted racial inferiority, English only perspectives, anti-social justice rhetoric, and impoverished views of students of color through a series of learning events including personal testimonies, reading historical accounts, and designing instructional activities that build on the cultural and linguistic strengths of students.

The authors conclude that the conceptualization of the culturally responsive teacher educator comprises dispositions, skills, and knowledge that the teacher educator can take in her or his classroom to cultivate meaningful learning experiences for teachers of color.