“What Do You Need a Course Like That for?” Conceptualizing Diverse Ruralities in Rural Teacher Education

Abstract

This article examined preservice teachers discourse models of diversity in a rural context. We explored the perceptions of diversity among preservice teachers at a rural university as they were asked to problematize simplistic notions of rurality in a semester-long diversity course titled “Teaching Culturally Diverse Learners” in teacher education. Considering the complexities of preparing preservice teachers to address the needs of all students, we argue that preservice teachers must engage rurality as dynamic, rather than homogeneous, White, and nondiverse. Data from student coursework and post-course interviews were analyzed using grounded theory. Findings suggest that rural preservice teachers discourse models of diversity have the potential to shift from dominant to counter-hegemonic when given context-sensitive opportunities to unpack identity and diversity beyond Whiteness. Implications propose the development of pedagogies reflective of complex diverse ruralities offers critical opportunity to prepare future teachers to embrace equity across geographies in their future profession.

Factors Associated With Novice General Education Teachers’ Preparedness to Work With Multilingual Learners: A Multilevel Study

“…Most of these students are concentrated in a small number of regional schools with higher than average rates of poverty and lower than average rates of academic performance (Barley & Wegner, 2010; Showalter et al, 2017) as well as resource challenges (Vaughn & Saul, 2013). We believe there is the need to offer more appropriate and tangible professional development opportunities targeting rural teachers working with multilingual students, such as awareness of the diversity in town and rural areas and the specific perspectives and pedagogies to support quality teaching and learning for multilingual students in those areas (Alim et al, 2020; Anthony-Stevens & Langford, 2020; García et al, 2017). This is especially critical for rural teachers with less exposure to diversity in their own educational and teacher preparation experiences but who have multilingual students in their classrooms.…”

Indigenous Teacher Education Is Nation Building: Reflections of Capacity Building and Capacity Strengthening in Idaho

“…Lastly, creating collaborative and relevant teacher preparation experiences for Indigenous teachers in a program struggling to support even foundational culturally responsive orientations (Anthony-Stevens & Langford, 2020) required Vanessa to seek out regular opportunities to broadly disseminate IKEEP’s vision and needs in the college. Audio diaries recorded by Vanessa during the first 18 months of the program described the acute daily barriers to “building a space that doesn’t exist yet,” and the struggles to establish a conversant level of respect for Tribal sovereignty and the unique responsibility the land grant institution had to learn with an Indigenous teacher cohort.…”

“…Programs largely focus on preparing white preservice teachers (primarily young, middle class, monolingual women) to teach ethnically and socioeconomically diverse children and adolescents (e.g., Sleeter, 2008; Ladson-Billings, 1998; Nieto, 2013). Findings from decades of robust research on cultural diversity and learning show that all preservice teachers must move beyond simplistic notions of diversity as difference, and be taught to view diversity in sociopolitical context and as an asset in classrooms rather than deficit (Anthony-Stevens & Langford, 2020; Gay, 2010; Howard, 2010; Ladson-Billings, 1995). Further, all teachers must be given opportunities to develop knowledge, skills, and perspectives that enable them to understand their students’ lives in context (Cochran-Smith et al, 2004; González et al, 2005; Milner, 2010).…”

Regenerating Teacher Education Programs with Indigenous Knowledge in Idaho

“…(Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation, n.d.), which undercuts attention to tribal sovereignty and responsibilities of public education to serve tribal citizens. Further, research on regional preservice teacher perceptions of culturally responsive teaching tell us concerted and systematic efforts will be required to debunk legacies of racism and settler colonialism to prevent teachers from embracing diversity as more than a checklist of technical strategies (Anthony-Stevens & Langford, 2020). In this way, the efforts of Idaho's IIEC to specifically offer standards for teacher candidates to address Indigenous knowledge and sovereignty in education are groundbreaking; however, TEP's will likely be unprepared to meet the change.…”