Critical Conversations as a Model for Teaching Anti-Racism in Initial Teacher Education

Dados Bibliográficos

ID19483333
AutoresM Richards (0000-0002-6510-7445, University of the West of England), Sarah Whitehouse (0000-0003-2089-8017, University of the West of England), Karan Vickers-Hulse (0000-0002-2048-3519, University of the West of England), Mandy Lee (0000-0003-0384-6928, University of the West of England), Jane Carter (0000-0001-6304-1027, University of the West of England), Hilary Dunford (University of the West of England)
Ano2026
Volume16
Fascículo6
Páginas184
Data de publicação2026-06-11
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoSocieties (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 2075-4698 • E-ISSN: 2075-4698
EditoraMDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT)
DOI10.3390/soc16060184
OpenAlexW7164350616
IdiomaEN
Referências citadas27

This article describes the use of dialogue, through the format of critical conversations, as a creative and reflective anti-racist tool to develop understanding of departmental values of anti-racism, equity and social justice with colleagues across academic, technical, and leadership roles. The project focused on the development and facilitation of spaces for dialogue between staff members employed in an education department in a university in a city in the Southwest of England. Making use of concepts from Smith and Lander’s critical pedagogy and critical race theory as well as philosophy for children (P4C), we developed a framework used by adult participants to encourage the development of racial literacy through reflexive practice. More than seventy staff members were invited to attend five sessions over a six-month period. During each session, staff members were given pre-prepared stimuli designed to encourage ‘epistemological shudders’ that stimulate dialogue in relation to professional roles and responsibilities of anti-racism, equity and social justice within our working context. Each session was facilitated by two colleagues, given the agency to make use of the stimuli within the sessions in any way they chose, together with their participants. Feedback from each session was non-mandatory and informal. In this article, we capture our reflections on the processes of developing and adapting P4C within a university education department. We believe that this evolving model acts as a valuable tool for dialogues, particularly when attempting to encourage discussion of topics perceived as providing professional risk due to their sensitive and controversial status within education and more broadly

Critical pedagogy · Professional development · Reflective Practice · Reflexivity · Social justice · Teacher education · Transformative learning · Critical Race Theory in Education · Education Discipline and Inequality · Teacher Education and Leadership Studies