Innovations in Higher Education. Decolonization Is Not a Buzz Word: (Re)Envisioning Early Childhood Teacher Education Through Curriculum Design
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Author鈥檚 Note
Several style guides, including 51涩涩屋app鈥檚, suggest that authors use certain linguistic conventions when describing race, ethnicity, and cultural identity markers. For example, publishers often encourage the use of capital letters when referring to听Black听and听white听racialized groups. Due to my intentional efforts to decenter whiteness and disrupt the focused attention on the perspective of a white gaze, I lowercase听white听as it relates racial and/or ethnic identity while capitalizing听Black听and听People of Color听as deference to these terms鈥� historical and contemporary social implications (Howell, Norris, & Williams 2019). Moreso, while 51涩涩屋app editorial style customarily uses听Latino/a, I have chosen to use听Latine听in this article.听Latine听is a term used by LGBTQIA+ Spanish speakers that denotes a more gender expansive and intersectional view honoring 鈥�. . . gender non-conforming, non-binary, trans, queer, agender and gender-fluid folks . . .鈥� (El听Centro 2023).
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In fall 2022, faculty at the Erikson Institute in Chicago (Erikson, for short) began redesigning the graduate school鈥檚 early childhood education teacher licensure program with the goal of 鈥渟trengthening the early childhood workforce and addressing systemic inequities that prevent all children from receiving the opportunity to thrive in preschool and school鈥� (Erikson Institute 2023). This collective work was part of the institute鈥檚 continuing efforts to disrupt structural disparities across the early care and education landscape. We understood that within early childhood teacher preparation there remained a question of whose ways of being and knowing were valued and centered (Souto-Manning & Winn 2019).
As a member of the Master of Science in Early Childhood Education teacher licensure program development team, I worked alongside colleagues to create 12 new courses for educators interested in obtaining a triple endorsement (T3) in early childhood education, bilingual/English as a Second Language (ESL), and special education. Our working group was comprised exclusively of Asian American and Pacific Islander, Black, and Latine women. We aspired to develop courses that would push the boundaries of white-dominant, monolingual narratives in early education and would prepare teacher candidates to envision culturally sustainable and inclusive early learning environments that meet the holistic needs of young children and families. We were also tasked with cultivating a teacher licensure program that was responsive to the needs of Black and Latine teacher candidates and that focused on听raciolinguistic听justice, which is a perspective that considers the impact of systemic oppression on the language practices of racialized communities (Flores &听Rosa 2015).
In this article, I discuss the work of reconceptualizing early childhood teacher preparation curriculum broadly in higher education and specifically within my graduate institution. This work included exploring and solidifying what we meant when we said that we wanted to decolonize the program鈥檚 coursework. Therefore, I provide a brief discussion about settler colonialism in the theoretical and research literature. I also share specific examples of how I integrated decolonizing pedagogies into redesigned course syllabi and assignments with the purpose of fostering more equitable and just early听learning spaces.
Designing Teacher Preparation Curriculum Through a听Decolonized Lens
Within theory and research, there has been a growing movement to recognize the harmful impacts of colonization on every facet of early childhood education practice鈥攆rom the preparation of early childhood educators to the longstanding understanding and recommended practices that guide educators鈥�, administrators鈥�, and other stakeholders鈥� decision making (Tuck & Yang 2012; P茅rez 2019; Sturdivant 2023). These calls are not new. Rather, the roots of current views and practices toward decolonization stretch back decades with works by Indigenous scholars who questioned whose knowledge systems were valued (see Cajete 1994; Smith 1999; Kawagley 2001;听Grande 2004).
Decolonizing early childhood teacher preparation 鈥渉olds the potential to better prepare candidates to notice institutional barriers, identify their positioning within school settings, and begin to resist standardization in their beginning years of teaching鈥� (Lees, V茅lez, & Tropp Laman 2023, 15). Beginning the process of decolonization involves identifying the dominant narrative in our society and in our understanding of history, theory and research, and educational practices. It entails examining the privilege given or denied to individuals and groups due to their identities, including their race or culture. It also requires that we reflect on how our current practices are rooted in the ideals of settler colonialism. To 鈥渢ruly implement a practice that reflects these lofty goals, early childhood educators must wrestle with the ways in which white supremacy culture, settler colonialism, and capitalism inform and shape mainstream approaches to early childhood education鈥� (Moquino et al.听2023, 129).
The process of decolonization can start in the preparation and professional development that occurs in higher education. To advance equity, the expectation is that 鈥減rospective educators understand the historical and systemic issues that have created structural inequities in society, including in early childhood education鈥� (51涩涩屋app 2019, 10) and that teacher candidates engage in reflection about implicit bias and its impact on their thinking and practices (51涩涩屋app 2020). This includes eminent theories of child development that limit historical, contemporary, and future Indigenous knowledge sources. (See 鈥淚ntegrating Land Education in Early Childhood Course Studies鈥� below for links to land education and its integration into early childhood听teacher education.)
Our faculty鈥檚 collaborative process of decolonizing curriculum began with the acknowledgment of the historical and contemporary impact of systems of oppression on minoritized communities. Conversations about power and inequity should be embedded in every course. Recent research supports the call for professional learning communities to facilitate both pre- and in-service teachers鈥� critical consciousness beyond the single courses taken during university preparation programs (Souto-Manning & Cheruvu 2016; Souto-Manning & Winn 2019; Jackson, Kazembe, & Morgan 2021; Lees, V茅lez, & Tropp Laman 2021; Diaz-Diaz 2022). Teacher educators who reject the notion of racial and ethnic monoliths recognize that empowerment occurs when teacher education programs 鈥減rivilege the unique experiences and backgrounds of teachers of Color as valuable and authentic resources in preparing them to meet the needs of diverse learners鈥� (Souto-Manning听& Cheruvu听2016, 22).
As a faculty of teacher educators, we understand the importance of critically reflecting on the kinds of learning experiences and course assignments we provide teacher candidates at our institution, so we have worked to give careful consideration to the individual social, linguistic, and cultural identities of our early childhood preservice teachers who are Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC). We have found that this could be accomplished through assignments created to prompt students to examine their intersections of identity, such as the Archaeology of Self assignment I discuss later in听this article.
Integrating Land Education into Early Childhood听Course Studies
Lees, Tropp Laman, and Calder贸n (2021) define听settler colonialism听as 鈥渢he permanent move of mostly European settlers into other territories that requires the ongoing displacement听and/or听elimination of Indigenous peoples, the enslavement and dispossession of Indigenous peoples from Africa, and the individual ownership of land for capital gain鈥� (279). Decolonization is a powerful response to settler colonialism鈥攊t is not an abstract notion that simply exists in theory; it is rooted in action. Tuck and Yang (2012) clearly affirm that the ultimate result of decolonization must be the 鈥渞epatriation of Indigenous land and life鈥� (1). Moving away from the tourist perspective of historically marginalized communities and into a decolonial stance means that early childhood education teacher educators are charged with constantly questioning our intentions听and methods.
While researching contemporary reconceptualized early childhood pedagogies, I realized that land education played an important role in confronting and addressing the dominant ideas and practices in our field. Land education focuses on the connection among lands, waters, and nonhuman entities (Nxumalo & Cedillo 2017; Lees, Tropp Laman, & Calder贸n 2021). It centers Indigenous knowledge systems and rejects notions of hyper-individualism and Western discourses regarding human relationships to lands. To advance equity and justice, teacher educators can expose early childhood education preservice teachers to land education, which may include a revision of course readings, assignments, and field placement experiences with Indigenous communities (Lees, Tropp Laman, &听Calder贸n 2021).
Lees, Tropp Laman, and Calder贸n (2021) reflected on the impact of land education on four early childhood education preservice teachers鈥� theories about land, control or ownership, and power. Their approach to early childhood teacher education began with Indigenous communities and knowledge while also challenging processes that have or continue to oppress Indigenous peoples and understandings. They found that after being exposed to land education, teacher candidates experienced shifts in their worldviews about colonialism and racism and were subsequently able to incorporate multiple perspectives in their teaching听and learning.
I found a similar response among the teacher candidates in the T3 program at Erikson. As they were exposed to coursework designed within a decolonized framework, including land education, they experienced burgeoning epistemic shifts in their theories of knowledge, ideas about colonialism and racism, and their perspectives about teaching and learning. For example, a preservice teacher said, 鈥淥ne way I think about introducing听anti-colonial听practices in my classroom is to ensure that I share accurate stories with multiple perspectives of the colonial history of Indigenous peoples in the United States.鈥�
Our work as teacher educators at Erikson has just begun. While we have recognized the need for epistemic shifts, we also acknowledge that it requires genuine partnerships with Indigenous communities to continue authentically centering Indigenous ways of being听and knowing.
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Beginning with an Examination听of Identity
My intersections of identity provide an important reference point for my perspective as an early childhood teacher, educator, and researcher. My experiences at Erikson are grounded in my positionality as a Black, queer, cisgender woman who has been socialized in the settler colony of the United States. I am often the only Black, queer woman in early childhood teacher education spaces. As a result, I have experienced tokenization and the exploitation of my intellectual labor and property. In turn, as a Black early childhood teacher educator, I feel a sense of urgency when considering the curricula and pedagogical needs of BIPOC preservice teachers. When I develop course readings and create assignments, I reflect on the training I received in an alternative early childhood education certification program鈥攚hat I did and did not find responsive, affirming, and just. I wonder how I can best support BIPOC teacher candidates to face inequity and injustice in educational settings and in broader systems and how they can take action to address the significant loss that has occurred due to colonialism (Sturdivant 2023).
When I began the process of helping to decolonize the curricula at Erikson, I started by posing questions to help me to examine the inherently colonial nature of standardized notions of childhood (P茅rez 2019; Sturdivant 2023). Questions I听explored included
- When I use the term听decolonization, what do听I mean?
- What do I hope to accomplish through my efforts to decolonize early childhood preparation curricular and听instructional materials?
- How can I authentically center Indigenous knowledge production in听these spaces?
- How do I support teacher educators to recognize and move beyond European ideas of universalism and focus on our relationships with particular land histories (place-based education)?
Considering these questions led me to dig deeper into the literature on settler colonialism and decolonization, broadly and in relation to early childhood teacher education (see Lees, Tropp Laman, & Calder贸n 2021 and Tuck & Yang 2012). They also sparked an interrogation of my practices as a Black teacher educator working with BIPOC early childhood educators. Given my positionality (as described earlier), I examined the complexity of being both an insider and outsider in academia. Eventually, I learned how to subversively navigate these spaces in the spirit of what Trafi-Prats (2020) noted as听Black fugitivity, which is understood as practices of refusal or disengagement with anti-Black听academic spaces.
Reimagining the Syllabi for Early Childhood听Preservice Educators
When working to decolonize curricula within higher education spaces, one of the goals should be to challenge the oppressive focus on dominant white discourses (Souto-Manning & Cheruvu 2016; Souto-Manning & Winn 2019). Because children develop and learn within social, political, cultural, and historical contexts, teacher educators and teacher candidates must understand and address the dominant narratives and practices that impact the field (51涩涩屋app 2019); otherwise, they may reflect and sustain them (Diaz-Diaz听2022). This means accounting for the dominant notions and recommendations in syllabi readings and discussion topics. Theories of development from those such as Jean Piaget, Erik Erikson, and John Dewey are touted as the gold standard in courses on cognitive and social and emotional learning. However, theories of learning and development often place racialized children and families outside of the spectrum of what is considered 鈥渘ormal鈥� or 鈥渢ypically developing鈥濃�攎ore specifically 鈥淲hite, able-bodied, and middle-class children鈥� (Sturdivant听2023, 50).
Curriculum redesign in higher education settings requires teacher educators to lean into the work of unlearning dominant ways of being and knowing and to counteract a study of early childhood education rooted in settler colonist ideals. In contrast, curriculum can center the knowledge of BIPOC communities and scholarship to advance equity and justice (Daza & Tuck 2014; Broughton 2022; Diaz-Diaz 2022). I intentionally focused on course materials with the purpose of cultivating learning environments that encouraged higher education students to critique the colonial structures our discipline is built upon and to examine how ways of knowing from historically marginalized communities could be elevated. In the process of doing this, I reviewed previous syllabi for Eurocentric perspectives and revised them to include materials, activities, and assignments that aligned with the program鈥檚 and my goals around decolonization. (See 鈥淎 Sampling of Resources Used to Decolonize the Syllabi鈥� below.)
A Sampling of Resources Used to Decolonize听the Syllabi
The following are some examples of the readings I assign in the courses听I teach.
- 鈥�A Sense of Place: Human Geography in the Early Childhood Classroom,鈥� by Pamela Brillante and Sue Mankiw, published in听Young Children,听July 2015
This article discusses how educators can integrate 鈥渉uman geographic learning鈥� in the social studies curriculum. I used this resource to support teacher candidates in gaining instructional approaches that ground learning in place-based knowledge situated within young children鈥檚听specific environments.
- 鈥�,鈥� a talk featuring Trisha Moquino at the 2022 EmbraceRace Early Childhood Summit
In this webinar, Trisha Moquino shares about the importance of honoring Indigenous knowledge systems through language in early childhood education. I used this resource to support teacher candidates鈥� reflections on the impact of intergenerational knowledge systems and ancestral language practices on young children鈥檚 development in recognizing inequity and injustice and learning to听take action.
- 鈥淕rowing Our Sense of Place and Kinship with the Land,鈥� by Rukia Rogers, published in听Exchange Press,听January/February 2023
This article details the land stewardship experiences of teachers and children of the Highlander School in Atlanta, Georgia. I used this resource to encourage teacher candidates to consider how their relationships with the land influence how they engage young children in听place-based explorations.
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Implementing a Decolonized Approach in Early Childhood听Teacher Preparation
It is not sufficient to limit conversations about diversity, equity, inclusion, justice, and belonging to one or two social justice courses. Decolonizing early childhood education preparation programs involves ongoing examination and conversations that can result in a variety of experiences and emotions. Setting the stage for these types of conversations requires intentional efforts to foster learning communities built on trust so that faculty and students can enter with authenticity and vulnerability. To address this need, Erikson T3 faculty use an听ethos of care听(Mauldin 2023) to inform our commitment to each other as members of our learning community. In syllabi and through interactions, we model what it means to center and value each student as an individual with various intersecting identities, lived experiences, interests, and needs, so teacher candidates can apply this same approach in their own practices. In the following section, I discuss the Archaeology of Self and Community Guidebook Oral History assignments that students complete within Erikson鈥檚 broader听care-focused framework.
Archaeology of听Self Assignment
Within the first year at Erikson, teacher candidates complete a seminar course that includes an assignment designed for individual and communal reflection called the Archaeology of Self assignment. It is based on Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz鈥檚 鈥渁rchaeology of self鈥澨�(2021, 288). (For another example of an early childhood education teacher preparation assignment based on听Sealey-Ruiz鈥檚听archaeology of self, read 鈥�Toward听Pro-Black听Early Childhood Teacher Education,鈥� by Muller et al. in the Spring 2022 issue of听Young Children.) To create an environment for students to engage in the work required by this assignment, I center an approach in my pedagogy and praxis that Sealey-Ruiz (2021) calls听critical love. For example, I begin every class session by asking about teacher candidates鈥� well-being and by offering a space for vulnerability as an act of communal care. My goal is to co-create a professional learning space that embodies the principles of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion through radical self and听communal love.
The Archaeology of Self assignment spans the duration of a semester and is designed to support teacher candidates as they examine and reflect upon the intersection of their identities through weekly blog posts, which we call stories of self. These blog posts, either written or video recorded, are based on students鈥� lived experiences and might include reflection and discussion about their names, language practices, communities, geographies, and accessibility. To help facilitate these discussions, I offer prompts. For example, in one prompt I ask, 鈥淲hat is the story you learned growing up about your race or ethnicity? How were you perceived or understood? How did that affect your experiences both inside educational spaces and in outside contexts?鈥� During this time, teacher candidates are also asked to develop their social and political consciousness through self-reflection exercises focused on their positionality within their communities. For the culminating activity, they create a life soundtrack, which is a playlist of six to 10 songs related to key life events. Accompanying the soundtrack, they include brief descriptions for each song choice, explaining how their life histories influenced their pedagogy as early听childhood educators.
Some of the goals of this assignment are for students to be听able to
- describe their relationship with, respect for, and understanding of the communities they hope to serve听as educators
- demonstrate a clear understanding of how their own cultural backgrounds and experiences influence their thinking about learning听and education
- make strong connections between their own identities and larger institutional and structural dynamics as a way to situate themselves within larger frameworks听of power
Students who have taken this seminar commented on how each week鈥檚 story of self allowed them to deeply consider how they reimagined early learning spaces. One student noted, 鈥淚 hope that with my experience in this program, I can empower my students to move toward liberation, to labor for freedom, and imagine ways to move beyond boundaries.鈥� Another student stated, 鈥淓xposing students to narratives that examine the experiences, struggles, and triumphs of various racial groups helps broaden students鈥� perspectives and听challenges stereotypes.鈥�
Community Guidebook Oral听History Assignment
As a descendent of African people, I pondered the question: How can I engage with a topic such as land education from the perspective of someone whose ancestors were forcibly displaced and then brought to stolen land? After considering how land education applied to our program鈥檚 urban context, I implemented urban land pedagogy (Tuck & Yang 2012). (See 鈥淚ntegrating Land Education in Early Childhood Course Studies鈥� below for more听on this.)
The Community Guidebook Oral History assignment is one example of how early childhood education professionals can engage in 鈥渙ngoing critical engagement with what stories of place are made visible, which stories remain invisible, as well as the whys and hows of these obscurances鈥� (Nxumalo & Cedillo 2017, 104). Through this assignment, T3 students position community members鈥� knowledge and histories at the heart of intergenerational connection. They create texts that center community members鈥� lived experiences and stories of place, which they compile into a guidebook to share with the young children they meet in their student teaching and听practicum placements.
The process of decolonization can start in the preparation and professional development that occurs in听higher education.
When designing the Community Guidebook Oral History assignment, I use the text听Lifting as They Climbed: Mapping a History of Trailblazing Black Women in Chicago, by Essence McDowell and Mariame Kaba (2023) as a model. In their guidebook, the authors trace the geographic, historical, and political roots of Black women from the south and west sides of Chicago. I also build upon the work that teacher candidates complete in another T3 course, where they conduct community explorations as a way to learn about and develop family and community partnerships. More specifically, they explore resources located in the communities where they live and work, and they investigate how community members鈥� histories and practices can be incorporated into early听childhood curricula.
For the Community Guidebook Oral History assignment, teacher candidates continue this community focus by crafting open-ended questions and conducting 30-minute oral history interviews each week about historical landmarks with 10 community members they are acquainted with from their previous community exploration assignment. Next, they use the data gathered from these oral history interviews to create visual artifacts suitable for children ages 3 to 7. For example, one of the artifacts a teacher candidate designed for the guidebook assignment showcased a community supermarket housed in a building with a colorful mural that featured culturally important听Latine figures.
Decolonization Is an听Action Word
Decolonizing early childhood teacher preparation programs takes the sustained efforts of teacher educators and teacher candidates and includes ongoing reflection and learning. As one teacher candidate explained, 鈥淲hile my teaching philosophy centers abolition, anti-racism, decolonization, and play-based pedagogy, I recognize that I am not an expert and that I am a partner in learning with my students.鈥� The experiences in my first year as an early childhood teacher educator have taught me that this work requires deep reflection and intentional action.
While my colleagues and I have made significant changes and I have learned a great deal, I remain focused on how we can further the work we have started. As I look ahead, I intend to deepen my relationships with and support of youth-led Indigenous community organizations in the Chicagoland area, such as the Chi-Nations Youth Council, whose work focuses on local ecologies. I also remain committed to centering intersectional Indigenous knowledge systems by inviting guest lecturers from the Chi-Nations Youth Council to Erikson to engage directly with teacher candidates. By describing the work of our program and my specific journey in planning and implementing it, I hope to inspire other teacher educators, program staff and leaders, and teacher candidates to consider how they can advance equity and justice in听their settings.
听Innovations in Higher Education, coedited by Anthony Broughton, PhD, and Elisa Huss-Hage, MEd, aims to recognize and support the efforts of educators, staff, and administrators who prepare early childhood professionals. The column examines stories from the field, connections to theory and research, and recommendations for practices related to coursework, clinical experiences,听and professionalism.
Photograph: 漏 Getty Images
Copyright 漏 2024 by the 51涩涩屋app. See Permissions and Reprints online at .
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Meghan L. Green,听EdD, is an assistant professor of raciolinguistic justice at Erikson Institute. Her scholarship centers the impact of teachers鈥� lived experiences on their use of culturally sustaining pedagogy and anti-bias and anti-racist early听education.听[email protected]