Multicultural teacher education: Changing perspectives, changing practic

One of the greatest challenges facing education today is the preparation of teachers to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse student population. National studies highlight the increasing mismatch between the backgrounds and experiences of the teachers and that of the student populations which appears to threaten the achievement of non-white, non-English speaking and poor students in schools dominated by white, middle-class, English speaking (primarily women) teachers. This study was designed to explore a form of teacher education in Multicultural education which might serve to help bridge this gap.;This qualitative study is the story of twelve secondary teachers and their active engagement in a personal and professional exploration of their perceptions and understandings of how racism and other forms of marginalization story their lives and how these stories affect the way they have come to know their work, relationships and students. The teachers' stories unfold during a semester seminar which braided three strands of inquiry: (1) teacher voice in reform efforts, (2) Multicultural teacher education and (3) the use of narrative and narrative inquiry to create collaborative discourse communities. Strategies for personal and professional reflection and dialogue included: the writing and discussion of autobiographical segments of personal histories, small group work, discussions of readings and narratives focused in critical inquiry in Multicultural education.;Data collected include: background of the school and the school population, autobiographical writings, interviews, recordings of seminar sessions, journals and researcher reflections. Two interpretive perspectives were used in the analysis of teacher stories: (1) ethnographic grounded theory and (2) a racial identity development theory. These lenses were constructed to demonstrate divergent interpretations of stories possible from any one creation, telling or hearing and the nature of stories as social constructions.;The study suggests promise for the use of narrative and narrative inquiry in teacher education to change perspectives and practice if programs focus on the personal domain and promote self reflection and dialogue in the analysis of racism and other forms of marginalization prevalent in schools and in society.