Chapter 1: Disrupting And Problematizing Teachers’ Notions Of Equity Pedagogy: Narrative Pedagogy and Dialogic Interactions as Transformative Practices

According to Banks (1997) the ethnic texture of the United States is changing and most teachers are likely to have students from diverse ethnic, racial, language, and religious groups in their classrooms, which has given rise to interracial tensions and conflicts. In teacher education, this conundrum has brought into focus how teachers are trained to enter and teach in schools within this new reality. Banks (2009) suggests that race relations in schools and classrooms must be improved so that all students acquire the knowledge, attitudes, and skills needed to participate in cross-cultural interactions and personal, social and civic action that will help make the nation more démocratie and just. If teachers are going to meet the needs of students, then space must be created that allows for reflective inquiry on the teaching and learning process. Adopting an equity pedagogy, that is, modifying one’s teaching to bring about the academic achievement of students from diverse racial, ethnic, culture, gender and social class groups (Banks, 2009), can assist learners from varied backgrounds to “attain the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to function effectively within, and help perpetuate a just, humane, and democratic society” (McGee, Banks, & Banks, 1995, p. 152).