Abstract

This article explores the cultural practice of observation in teacher education, focusing on how teachers “learn to see” the differences between students. Conceptualizing “the visual” as a curricular problem that produces certain knowledge as in/valuable, I historicize the practice of scientific observation as embodying anticipatory reasoning, which directs teachers to see, name, and categorize the differences in the present in relation to the normative future. The analysis highlights the double gesture of observation; whereas teachers understand seeing diversity as a precondition to providing pedagogical and curricular supports for all students, this practice actually maintains the boundaries that demarcate human differences. The findings provide insights into evidence-based education today. Compared to the teachers at the turn of the twentieth century who contributed to visualizing racial differences, today’s evidence-based reforms prepare teachers to reduce the achievement gap that is associated with students’ racial, ethnic, and linguistic diversity. Despite this historical change towards more equitable education, teachers continue to contribute to reifying the racialized social ordering by failing to question how the white-centric gaze of deviancy structures the racial, ethnic, and linguistic diversity in the education system. I suggest that studies of diversity in education should consider visual politics and that teacher education programs should promote cultural and historical sensibility to prepare teachers to challenge the pre-established curricular discourse and systemic racism.

摘要

本文探讨了教师教育中观察的文化实践，着重于教师如何“学习看”学生之间的差异。我将“视觉”概念化为一个课程问题，该课程问题产生了某些知识，这些知识是有价值的/有价值的，我将科学观察的实践历史化为体现了预期推理，它指导教师看到，命名和分类与规范有关的当下差异。未来。分析突出了观察的双重姿态；尽管教师理解将多样性视为为所有学生提供教学和课程支持的前提，但这种做法实际上保持了界定人类差异的界限。这些发现为当今基于证据的教育提供了见识。与20世纪初的教师将种族差异可视化相比，今天的循证改革为教师减少与学生种族，族裔和语言多样性相关的成就差距作了准备。尽管朝着更加公平的教育迈进了历史性的变革，但教师仍对不以白人为中心的视线凝视如何构成教育系统中种族，族裔和语言多样性的质疑，继续为实现种族化的社会秩序做出了贡献。我建议对教育多样性的研究应考虑视觉政治，而教师教育计划应提高文化和历史敏感性，以使教师为挑战既定的课程设置和系统种族主义做准备。