Lifting the Veil: Reflections on Privilege and Reciprocal Pedagogy as a White Adult Educator

Authors

  • Julie Marie Skogsbergh University of Massachusetts Amherst

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.55370/dsj.v5i(2).978

Keywords:

Adult Learning, White Privilege, Critical Pedagogy

Abstract

This reflective essay addresses the themes of racialization and privilege that lead me on the path to become an educator in one of the nation's oldest public institution degree completion programs for adult students. It provides background information and contextualizes my own racialized experiences as a white, first generation student from a lower-/working-class background, all of which have consequently informed my teaching approaches to working with adult students in both online and blended (mixture of online and in-person classes) formats. Additionally, it also presents my concept of reciprocal pedagogy, which informs my pedagogical and curricular choices in working with adult students. Lastly, it provides a framework for educators who work with adult students, whether online or in-person, to think about and reflect upon their own positionalities as well as what informs the pedagogical and curricular choices we make.

Author Biography

Julie Marie Skogsbergh, University of Massachusetts Amherst

University Without Walls, Lecturer

References

DiAngelo, R. (2018). White fragility: Why it’s so hard for white people to talk about racism. Boston, MA: Beacon Press.

Frankenburg, R. (Ed.). (1997). Displacing whiteness: Essays in social and cultural criticism. Durham, NC: Duke University Press.

hooks, b. (1989). Talking back: Thinking feminist, thinking Black. Boston, MA: South End Press.

Horton, M., Kohl, J., & Kohl, H. (1998). The long haul: An autobiography. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

Lawrence-Lightfoot, S. (2000). Respect: An exploration. Cambridge, MA: Perseus Books.

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Published

2020-12-09

Issue

Vol. 5 No. (2) (2020): White Privilege, White Supremacy, and Adult Education

Section

Reflections

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