“Era como si esas casas no encajaban con la comunidad”: Caminatas with Futurxs Maestrxs Bilingües in a Gentrifying Latinx Community

Abstract

Although direct engagement with neighborhood espacios deepens student understanding, less is known about the benefits of this approach to bilingual teacher preparation programs. Our article addresses this gap by highlighting community walks, or caminatas, as a pedagogical approach with futurxs maestrxs bilingües (FMBs). Specifically, we propose an espacio emergente in the preparation of FMBs, and we examine how two Latinx professors used caminatas through a historically Latinx community in a rapidly gentrifying area to support the development of students' critical consciousness. Our findings indicate that the caminatas allowed students to historicize the local neighborhood, interrogate power and their own deficit conceptions of minoritized communities, critically listen to the sounds and voices of the community, and experience discomfort in nuanced ways. We argue that caminatas deepen FMBs' understanding of community assets and are an innovative way to support the fourth goal of preparing FMBs: developing critical consciousness.

Humanizing Education for Immigrant & Refugee Youth

“…Community walks allow teachers to see the community and its assets through the eyes of their students, positioning students as experts; they help teachers better understand family and community language practices and see students' multilingualism as an asset. Further, community walks offer a lesson in cultural humility by replacing assumptions with first-hand interaction with students' communities and by inspiring the reflective practice needed by educators and social service providers when working with diverse populations (e.g., Heiman et al, 2021).…”

Educação Humanizadora para Jovens Imigrantes e Refugiados

“…As caminhadas na comunidade permitem que os professores enxerguem a comunidade e seus atributos através dos olhos de seus estudantes, considerando os estudantes como especialistas; ajudam os professores a entenderem melhor as práticas de linguagem familiar e comunitária e a enxergarem o multilinguismo dos estudantes como um atributo. Além disso, as caminhadas na comunidade oferecem uma lição de humildade cultural ao substituir suposições pela interação em primeira mão com as comunidades dos estudantes e ao inspirar a necessária prática reflexiva para educadores e prestadores de serviços sociais ao trabalhar com populações diversas (por exemplo, Heiman et al, 2021).…”