Teacher Education
Document Type
Book Chapter
Publication Date
1997
Publisher
Caddo Gap Press
Abstract
Teachers play a pivotal role in society. On a daily basis they influence the futures of the children they encounter. Not only do they teach children how to read and write butteachers are also charged with the task of creating responsible citizens who should think critically about society. Teacher educators, and specifically those individuals charged with the task of preparing preservice teachers, have responsibilities similar to teachers in the field. Education, on any level, ought to be a transformative process.
Thus, the preparation of teachers as instruments of social change ought to be a central focus in preservice teacher education programs. Teacher educators, as well as elementary and secondary mentor school teachers, are agents who have the potential to guide preservice teachers to think critically about educational structures that either promote or hinder the development of social equality in schools. Our views are corroborated by scholars such as Gloria Ladson-Billings who states that "teacher education programs throughout the nation have coupled their efforts at reform with revised programs committed to social justice and equity" (1995, p. 466).
Chapter of
The Heart of the Matter: Teacher Education Reform Perspectives and Possibilities
Editor
J. Gary Knowles
Ardra Cole
Rosebud Elijah
Recommended Citation
Garcia, S. & Litton E. (1997). Beyond Burritos and Lumpia: Ethnic Identity as a Difference in Preservice Teacher Education, in The Heart of the Matter: Teacher Education Reform Perspectives and Possibilities, Edited by J. Gary Knowles and Ardra Cole, Caddo Gap Press, San Francisco.
Comments
Copyright © 1997 Caddo Gap Press. All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission.