Fostering a Critical Conscious—a Wide Awakeness—in New Teachers through Student Teaching Abroad

Abstract

educate is simply form, Freire (1998, 39) tells us. Who forms and who is being formed? And do we prepare ethical, critically conscious educators who will, as Freire envisions, respect their students as whole human beings? How do we foster a critical consciousness in new teachers, teachers who themselves are part of a culture that is embedded with inequity and oppressive systems, being one of the most important systems maintain and normalize social injustice. are not simply curriculum dispensers, but rather are cultural workers committed addressing the contextual issues facing our students, our schools, and our communities (Kincheloe, et al., 2000, p. 5). To become cultural workers, a critical consciousness--a wide awakeness--is required. This article examines the fostering of critical consciousness in new teachers through student teaching abroad. The 21st Century School Context Paulo Freire's idea of conscientization, the raising of a critical consciousness in educators, remains one of the major challenges for those who prepare teachers for our nation's public during this era of technocratic, mechanistic testing, which is supported by No Child Left Behind legislation. Yet, this legislation is not unexpected for how can one expect a government that makes its elitism and authoritarianism manifest ... in its politics [to be a proponent of] the autonomy of schools (Freire, 1998b, p. 10)? The freedom that teachers once had develop, design and curriculum has decreased and is now being replaced with prepackaged, one-size-fits-all, and scripted materials for the teacher. Their autonomy and the autonomy of their are restrained from producing what the prepackaged practice promises: children who enjoy freedom, who are critical and creative (Freire, 1998b, p. 9). Recent events have forecast what the future may be like for new teachers. Teachers who try through challenging questions and active engagement are struggling at times with being reprimanded or even fired. In an article on the parental support for a teacher who was dismissed for not using scripted instruction, David Cutler describes the principal's charge that the teacher did not teach the curriculum. Cutler goes on quote the teacher, stating that he was fired for his teaching approach as he was following the district curriculum but [i]nstead of direct teaching.. .he divides his students into groups, each dedicated a different academic subject, [creating a] 'learning center' method [that] allows students help each other, learn by themselves, and progress at their own pace, all under his guidance or assisted by parent volunteers (Boston Globe, February 9, 2006). The conflation of curriculum with instruction reduces teaching a mechanical activity, increasingly constricting the decision making and curriculum making of a teacher. Freire argued that for any reason to transform the experience of education into a matter of simple technique is impoverish what is fundamentally human in this experience: namely, its capacity form the human person (Freire 1998). What opportunities are there for teacher-candidates see otherwise when they do fieldwork in classrooms, especially those who use direct or scripted or prepackaged instruction and materials? And can teachers become cultural workers if they are critically unaware of their own culture? Cultural Identity of a Teacher An identity emerges out of one's cultural upbringing. That identity we carry with us throughout our living and relating others. For a teacher, identity motivates and colors the social dynamics of teaching, as well as the pedagogical approaches used teach. If a teacher does not reflect on the impact of culture upon his or her identity, the ramifications for students are immense. Freire argues that a teacher's cultural identity is the engine that moves whatever happens in the classroom (Freire, 1998). …