Transformative Learning within an International Teaching Experience: Developing as Emerging Culturally Responsive Teachers

Disrupting narratives of racial progress: Two preservice elementary teachers’ practices

“…Demoiny (2018) suggests that exposing preservice elementary teachers to readings (i.e., Bolgatz, 2005; Husband, 2012) that provide examples of race talk in K-5 classrooms is one possible way to counter the common belief that elementary students are too young to discuss race within social studies methods courses. Given that Lauren's in this project only seemed to reinforce deficit thinking about students, this study corroborates prior scholarship (Adams et al, 2005; Jacobs et al, 2020) demonstrating that participation in community-based field experiences does not necessarily transform the preservice teachers’ beliefs about teaching and learning.…”

“…Community-based field experiences, or those situated within the community, are productive opportunities for preservice teachers’ learning because they allow teachers to reevaluate and potentially transform their prior beliefs about teaching and learning in diverse settings (Cooper, 2007; Hallman, 2012). Studies (Adams et al, 2005; Gallego, 2001; Jacobs et al, 2020) document how community-based field experiences can broaden K-12 preservice teachers’ understandings of where students’ learning takes place, how schools reside within the greater context of the community, students’ lives outside of school, and students’ capabilities, strengths, and interests.…”

Perspectives of transformative learning and professional agency: A native Chinese language teacher’s story of teacher identity transformation in Australia

“…The teacher’s story corroborates the attitude that international teaching experiences can be seen as a form of disorienting dilemma ( Mezirow, 2000 ) that can function as a catalyst for teachers to achieve transformative insights into their professional self ( Ye and Edwards, 2018 ; Jacobs and Haberlin, 2022 ). Building on the results of this study, the subsequent discussion will revolve around four aspects (also see Figure 1 ) that contribute to the scholarly literature on transformative learning, teacher agency and L2 teacher identity development.…”

“…The findings indicate that a teacher’s agency is a potential resource for the process of critical reflection, the main internal drive for teacher identity transformation. Critical reflection may occur when a teacher attempts to solve problems and reflects on her or his own beliefs ( Jacobs and Haberlin, 2022 ). Agency might resource a teacher to question and negotiate the prior teaching self, thus facilitating identity re-negotiation.…”

“…A disorienting dilemma is often a significant personal event ( Taylor, 2000 ) that represents a seed of new awareness, and exploring this awareness indicates a possibility of transformation ( Poutiatine and Conners, 2012 ). Overseas teaching experience, such as that of the participant teacher in this study, is often seen as giving rise to disorienting dilemmas ( Jacobs and Haberlin, 2022 ). As a consequence of the disorienting dilemma, individuals are triggered to engage in critical reflection on their prior assumptions about themselves and the world as well as those of others.…”