In this article, Cindy and I explore our creative megapuppetry activism. As avocational advocates of social change in the state of Tennessee, we describe our lived experiences of educating adults about social issues in public spaces through protests, rallies, and parades. We use this description as a phenomenological autoethnography, investigating…

Teachers in public schools regularly face labor oppression. Despite this reality, in research and practice, "social justice teacher preparation" has largely neglected the topic of "labor struggle." We offer this community auto-ethnography as a collective reflection on how we came to our own understandings around these issues…

Background: We are at a historical juncture that is punctuated by the rise of white nationalism, an exacerbation of racial divisions and tensions, an uptick in hate crimes, and bullying increasingly targeting immigrant youth, all of which, in the current political and cultural climate, have often been legitimized through a recourse to…

Previous studies have documented the personal transformation that many low literate adults undergo when they engage in literacy campaigns. In particular, research has captured how improved literacy leads to a greater willingness and capacity to speak out, or what is often referred to as voice. This paper focusses on the impact of an adult…

This article argues that by combining critical ethnographic and autoethnographic perspectives we can move beyond the insider/outsider dualism, better understand the ways in which stories of personal experience are "strategic," and interrogate the broader contexts and processes of social inequality that shape life trajectories. The…

In this article I explore the role of transpersonal consciousness in Peace Education. Following the framework of transrational peace philosophy, I discuss the dynamics between the spiritual and policitary layers and their relevance in preparing for elicitive teaching, curriculum design, and developing pedagogical approaches. I use my personal…

Although TESOL in-service teacher education committed to "culturally sustaining pedagogy" (Paris, 2012) has underscored the critical role of teachers' professional subjectivities for student achievement, relatively few studies have attempted to capture the perspectives of African American classroom teachers working with English language…

In this article, a beginning teacher, experienced teacher, and teacher educator reflect upon their experiences with qualitative self-studies of language and literacy in teacher education courses. The goal of these course projects was to introduce teachers to sociocultural theories, qualitative research, and "new" literacies. Sharing…

The aim of this article is to provide insight into ways that a domain-specific model for reflection can support student teachers in reflecting on teaching experiences. According to the literature, the quality of reflection fundamentally depends on the conceptual repertoire that practitioners bring to bear on the situation. This process is referred…

Pedagogical literature focuses on the effectiveness of first-year programs on students' success in college. Less attention is devoted to the effects these programs have on faculty. In this study, focus groups were conducted with 20 faculty members who teach first-year seminars at North Carolina State University, a large, public research…

This article involved a series of investigations influenced by the Reggio Emilia approach to early education as well as ideas of Paulo Freire. Within a Reggio-influenced classroom, teacher professional development is seen as essential, whereas for Paulo Freire, both teacher and the student are learners. These 2 ideas were brought together in a…

This article connects teachers' experiences of reflective school portfolio development to the idea of teachers' knowledge communities, the different groups and individuals with whom teachers negotiate meaning for their stories of experience, lived and told, and re-lived and re-told, over time. The reflective analysis makes the case that the…