Internationalizing Teacher Education For Social Justice

In Internationalizing Teacher Education for Social Justice: Theory, Research, and Practice, editors Suniti Sharma, JoAnn Phillion, Jubin Rahatzad, and Hannah L. Sasser present a collection of personal, passionate, and participatory global perspectives of teacher educators on internationalizing teacher education for social justice. The reader will encounter each author’s personal and professional journey into global classrooms for internationalizing teacher education and supporting future teachers in developing competencies necessary for addressing the academic needs of diverse K-12 classrooms. This collection provides a broad, critical, and interpretive overview of shifts in U.S. and global perspectives to offer transformative frameworks and strategies on preparing K-12 teachers to meet the complex demands for skills in the twenty-first century. The global tenor of this book, framed by theory, research, and practice spanning several countries provides a timely contribution to internationalizing teacher education for social justice in the twenty-first century. The authors’ dedication to preparing teachers who have knowledge of world cultures and global issues, combined with a deep commitment to social justice for promoting equity in education, informs each chapter. The authors take up the internationalization of teacher education for social justice as both an opportunity and a challenge, transcending rhetoric to meaningful action, situating their global understanding to inform readers of critical engagement with, and examination of, theory, research, and practice for effecting social and educational change.

In Internationalizing Teaching and Teacher Education for Equity: Engaging Alternative Knowledges Across Ideological Borders, editors Jubin Rahatzad, Hannah Dockrill, JoAnn Phillion, and Suniti Sharma, present a collection of teacher educators’ cross?cultural perspectives on the formation of knowledge through the internationalization of teacher education. Each chapter contributes to ongoing discussions about the process of internationalization in teacher education, and the impact of crossing ideological boundaries on the practice of teaching and teacher education. The varied perspectives that authors offer establish the importance of ideological travel as imperative to preparing internationally competent educators. This collection seeks to engage readers in a variety of critical reflections on the often?presumed benefits of internationalization in teacher education. Through questioning the presumed benefits of globalization as a hegemonic ideology, readers will encounter alternative perspectives that demonstrate the possibility of thinking otherwise. The diverse perspectives available in this book broaden theory, research, and practice, working toward more critical spaces of engagement with the process of internationalization. This collection intends to challenge the maintenance of the dominant ideologies internationally through research from a multiplicity of backgrounds. Each chapter is informed by the authors’ commitment to an ethical practice within teacher education for the purpose of constructing equitable social relations, understanding the process of internationalizing teacher education as a social justice movement. Opportunities and challenges within international teacher education are offered to inspire meaningful praxis. Planetary understandings inform readers through critical examinations of theory, research, and practice for the purpose of equitable social and educational transformations.

Promoting Global Competence and Social Justice in Teacher Education reconceptualizes the purpose of education to include the attainment of global or cosmopolitan perspectives. This goal has important implications for how we not only educate today’s students, but also how we prepare teachers to teach in a diverse and complex world in which habits of perspective, inquiry, imagination, empathy, communication, commitment, humility, integrity, and judgment increasingly resonate in importance. This book advocates for preparing teacher candidates to acquire a nuanced, global perspective of their subject areas and be prepared to handle the demands of educating students for our changing global context. To this end, Promoting Global Competence and Social Justice in Teacher Education encourages the development of pedagogical strategies that will enable students to consider multiple perspectives and cultivate respect for diverse peoples and cultures.

The primary purpose of this book is to serve as a resource in teacher preparation programs. It is also intended to serve as an instructional resource in P?12 education. The book will be especially useful in methods of teaching and foundational courses both at the elementary and secondary education levels. The book contains pertinent instructional topics, units and lessons in global education and social justice themes. The secondary purpose of this book is to serve as a resource for graduate students and researchers whose interest is global and social justice education. This unique book provides for an interdisciplinary approach to teacher education. Additionally, this book is intended to create a deeper sense of relevancy to issues of curriculum in teacher education. Together, global educators and social justice educators can forge pedagogical content knowledge that bridges the gap between affirming one's own identity and maintaining unity with the whole, thus exemplifying a robust notion of social justice. Consequently, content in this book will help pre?service teachers to gain confidence and deeper knowledge around issues of global interest, responsibilities and uncertainties associated with their role as teachers who will teach children within the intersection of local and international neighborhoods.

Social Justice and International Education: Research, Practice, and Perspectives brings together a group of educators, scholars, and practitioners in the field of international education who are doing important and innovative work promoting social justice, confronting inequality, and fostering social responsibility in a global context. The book does not operate on a singular definition of social justice; rather, the authors describe their own working definition and how it has guided their international education work. Divided into three parts, the book explores social justice research, social justice in practice, and different perspectives from practitioners across the field.

In Internationalizing Education: Local to Global Connections for the 21st Century, Cameron White offers a unique perspective in addressing issues in global, international, and comparative education.

As countries become increasingly interdependent, student populations in the United States are becoming more culturally diverse. These students’ transnational perspectives present significant challenges to teachers, but a disconnect exists between the skills teachers need and those provided to them by colleges of education. As teacher preparation programs continue to cater to historic models of diversity, the programs show a glaring lack of recognition for the recent changes in school and community populations. Internationalizing Teacher Education in the United Statesexamines the impact of globalization on teacher education in the United States, explains the current barriers to teacher education becoming more internationally minded, and presents possible solutions for teacher education programs to consider. Other books address the multi-national challenges faced by American education in the 21st century, but this book takes it one step further, offering teacher educators practical and theoretical explorations of their vital role in the education of contemporary student populations in the United States.

Transforming Teacher Education for Social Justice offers teacher educators a new way to think about the development of culturally responsive educators. The authors identify the core components needed to restructure and reorient programs of teacher education to adequately prepare new teachers for the racially, culturally, and linguistically diverse communities they will serve upon graduation. They propose a new model of teacher preparation that capitalizes on the strengths of programs evidencing important outcomes. Chapters address the notion of situated learning embedded in communities; the need for extensive clinical experience in authentic teaching situations; strategies for interweaving theory, content, pedagogy, and classroom practice; the importance of student engagement and motivation; and the implementation of critical service learning. Key policy implications of this model are also discussed within the current landscape of teacher education reform. Book Features: A specific approach for realizing the promise of culturally responsive teaching. A flexible model for a community-engaged teacher preparation. Compelling data on student learning outcomes based on university/school/community collaboration as evidence of eliminating the achievement gap. “The most striking piece of this book is the descriptions and stories of how the community serves as mentors to the university faculty and students. The authors take readers with them through the many authentic activities led by the community mentors. We are left both with the desire to spend time with these remarkable community members ourselves and the desire to develop similar community-based programs.” —Jana Noel, California State University, Sacramento “Mandatory reading for teacher educators who are serious about preparing teachers for diverse schools and communities.” —Tyrone Howard, UCLA