ERIC Number: EJ1473042
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-Jul
Pages: 15
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0163-9641
EISSN: EISSN-1097-0355
Available Date: 2025-01-16
Holding up the Mirror: The Role of Teacher Educators and Syllabi in Perpetuating or Disrupting Inequity
Infant Mental Health Journal: Infancy and Early Childhood, v46 n4 p391-405 2025
This blended pilot-empirical and theoretical manuscript documents a reflective journey undertaken by a group of early childhood teacher educators located across different regions of the United States as they examined their course design, materials, and syllabi construction. Grounded in reflective practice, intersectionality, and critical pedagogy, their collaborative endeavor necessitated profound self-examination and recognition of oppressive structures inherent within the field and reproduced throughout course syllabi, thereby perpetuating societal inequities inside and outside the classroom context. Their iterative, evolving effort resembled a reflective consultation group, marked by continuous self-reflection, challenging assumptions, and transforming actions, vividly portrayed in their vignettes. A nonlinear spiral model emerged as a visual representation of the multiple entry points into an ongoing process--highlighting access points that encourage curiosity and interrogation of academic syllabi and course content. The inclusive nature of this inquiry invites faculty members and practitioners to confront racism, ableism, and other systems of domination, amplify marginalized scholarship, and redefine early childhood education-related fields, including the Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health landscape. It also underscores the imperative of sustained introspection and collaborative action in nurturing equity.
Descriptors: Teacher Role, Teacher Educators, Course Descriptions, Equal Education, Early Childhood Teachers, Course Content, Early Childhood Education, Racism, Attitudes toward Disabilities, Infants, Mental Health
Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education; Early Childhood Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1College of Education & Human Development, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada, USA; 2School of Family and Consumer Sciences, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois, USA; 3Education Department, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts, USA