institutional habitus as the de facto diversity curriculum of teacher education教程.pdfVIP

Institutional Habitus as the de facto Diversity Curriculum of Teacher Education aeq_1088 280..297 CATHERINE CORNBLETH Graduate School of Education, University at Buffalo, State University of New York The unofficial “diversity curriculum” of an urban high school and how it is negotiated by prospec- tive teachers during field experience and student-teaching experiences are examined. The school setting, including the people within it, communicate messages such as “who we are” and “how we do things here.” The intermediary construct of institutional habitus is used theoretically and analytically to focus institutional setting and illuminate how it shapes prospective teachers’ understanding and practice. [diversity, teacher education, social context, habitus] With respect to diversity in teacher education, two substantial and purportedly influential segments of most programs, field experience or practicum and student-teaching, remain largely unexamined by policymakers and researchers (see, e.g., Sleeter [2001] for a critical review of the research). Despite renewed calls for more clinical and school-based teacher preparation, it cannot be assumed that such experiences are necessarily beneficial for either prospective teachers (PTs) or their students. It is one thing to place PTs in low- income schools with diverse student populations; it is another to study and reform what occurs there. For example, what might PTs make of teacher comments such as these from a high school science teacher: “The problem is how do you change a culture,” Mr. Nelson said, referring to working-class and poor African Americans. He expressed resentment regard- ing what he described as their sense of entitlement to public assistance. If we say anything (to or about African American students), he claimed, it’s “you whites don’t understand.” Mr. Nelson’s s