Teaching To Give Students Voice in the College Classroom. Thematic Session

This study followed six "culturally aware" elementary school teachers through student teaching and their first two years of teaching to look at how their life experiences as minority people affected their classroom practices. The study was a qualitative inquiry based on reciprocal and interactive relationships. The approach was conversational in tone with an explicit intent to validate both the rational and cognitive epistemology traditionally associated with academic (and male) research and the emotions, intuitive leaps, and less verbalized feelings associated with women's learning. Interviews that ranged from 60 to 120 minutes were conducted in participants' homes. The findings suggested the role of "gate opener" which represents the common as well as the diverse ways all the participants saw themselves. They keep watch at the "gates" of schooling and educational opportunities (in the traditional sense), but look for ways to let students into success in school and access to the middle class. They also saw the need to change the perceived norm for acceptance. This finding has particular significance for teacher educators as it reminds them of the opportunities to be informed by their students who have alternative perspectives. Overall the findings point to the need to make room for culturally aware students' perspectives in university classrooms and to take seriously the responsibility to work toward equity in universities as well as in elementary and high school classrooms. (Contains 43 references.) (JB)