Teacher identity and culturally Responsive pedagogy

2018-07-24The pedagogical decisions that teachers make have a profound impact on learning. Historically, teachers have held the individual power in making many of the decisions as to which texts are taught, what lenses those texts are viewed and the learning experiences that go along with it. And while classrooms in the United States are growing more and more diverse every year, the teaching population continues to be made up primarily of white, middle class females. This study examined the ways in which teacher identity manifests itself in culturally responsive pedagogy. Using an identity framework, the researcher interviewed, observed and analyzed a case study of six high school English teachers working collaboratively to make pedagogical decisions. The findings suggested that identity plays a crucial role in the decision making process. The data suggested that teachers tap into many different forms of identity–including nature, institutional, discursive and affinity identities–as they negotiate what they will teach and how they will teach it. The research revealed the impact of the team’s strong affinity identity and the ways in which this identity resulted in more culturally responsive pedagogy. It also suggested that discursive identities can reinforce and further perpetuate practices that are learner-centered. And finally, the data suggested a connection between institutional identities and power dynamics within the team and the way in which that impacted the extent to which team members were able to make their voices heard. The last chapter contains journal excerpts from the researcher documenting her own transformation throughout the research