(Be)coming Socially Just Teacher Educators: The Role of Critical Collaborative Teacher Education

This study explores how teacher educators learn to teach for social justice through a critical pedagogy lens, focusing on a collaborative teaching model within a required social foundations course for pre-service teachers. Employing postcritical ethnography and collaborative autoethnography, the research examines the experiences of three teacher educators with diverse positionalities. Findings reveal four key themes: the importance of mentorship in learning to teach for social justice, fostering a culture of collaboration, navigating challenging moments, and acknowledging the significance of positionality. The study highlights the need for institutional support systems and the dismantling of whiteness within teacher education to empower educators of color. This research contributes to understanding how collaborative and critical approaches can enhance teacher educators’ development in social justice pedagogy, ultimately impacting teacher education programs and pre-service teachers.