Teaching About Homelessness Through Multicultural Picture Books and Virtual Reality in Preservice Teacher Education

Abstract

Using multicultural children’s literature is one way to help preservice teachers build cultural knowledge and awareness about diversity. Another possible practice, not commonly used, is the addition of emerging technology in conjunction with conventional instructional approaches. In this article, we reviewed incorporating a lesson about homelessness in preservice teachers’ ( N = 46) respective curricula. We provided an illustrative example of the class and assignment process employed to facilitate preservice teachers’ knowledge, skills, and awareness that can be used with K-12 students who are experiencing homelessness. The goal of these assignments was to initiate or continue the conversation about building knowledge related to effective teaching practices about diversity in general and homelessness in particular. In this article, we shared an innovative instructional strategy that might lead to a shift in educators’ approaches, a move toward more diverse curriculum.