Scaffolding Subversion: Preparing Pre-Service Teachers to Sustain Justice-Oriented Action

Dominant sociopolitical ideologies influence educational policy and threaten school-based equity. As teacher educators called to support the development of pre-service teachers (PSTs) who advance justice in their practice, we are compelled to consider our work against the contemporary sociopolitical context. Through collaborative critical discussions, we sought to explore what PSTs need to sustain their engagement in justice-oriented action beyond their teacher preparation program. The ideas and practices that emerged as essential to us as teacher educators in this era were the following: (a) Understanding and Sustaining Self, (b) Bridging Self and Community, (c) Cultivating Equitable Communication, and (d) Subverting Oppression, Hegemony, and Inequity through Criticality and Action.