Feminist Dialogic Pedagogical Spaces in Teacher Education: Practical Inclusivity, Eye-opening and Change

Abstract

In this reflective article, I explore a feminist dialogic pedagogy of inclusive education (IE) in the sociocultural context of my and my students’ lived experience. I ask what a feminist dialogic pedagogy means to my students. The purpose of this article therefore is to advance knowledge about a feminist dialogic pedagogy in teacher education with a focus on the formation of students’ critical consciousness of IE philosophy that is currently mandated by all Canadian provinces. My intention is to contribute to an evolving scholarship of feminist pedagogy in teacher education programmes with a grounded and creative understanding of teacher candidates’ lived experience. The article argues that feminist dialogic pedagogy creates a space of inclusion for all students. Despite and across social differences, this pedagogy leads a conscious change among students, impacting their daily lives. Consequently, students successfully achieve their academic goals because they feel critically attentive to and conscious of their situated knowledge (Haraway, 1988, Feminist Studies, vol. 14, pp. 575–599) in educational institutions.