Anita Bright | Portland State University (original) (raw)

Papers by Anita Bright

In this think piece, the author explores a conundrum and tension related to using rubrics to eval... more In this think piece, the author explores a conundrum and tension related to using rubrics to evaluate doctoral work. She ponders whether the use of rubrics provides beneficial ways for students to " crack the code " of academia, and/or whether the use of rubrics is perhaps a tool to engender conformity. With these competing ideas in mind, the author considers in what ways one might press for means to provide this on-ramp of access for students to the existing power structures, while at the same time seeking to change academia, to more equitably provide spaces for a range in ways of knowing, growing, expressing, framing, and presenting research. How might scholars support their students in engaging in what Rochelle Gutiérrez describes as simultaneously " playing the game " while also " changing the game? " Invoking challenges to existing power structures, such as those voiced in critical race theory and decolonizing epistemologies, this essay speaks to the tensions within the sacred spaces in academia which have been established by those with the greatest historical power.

From ambivalence toward self-efficacy: Bilingual teacher candidates’ shifting senses of knowing as conocimiento with STEM, 2017

Is the mathematics presented in textbooks, trade books and standardized tests neutral? Drawing fr... more Is the mathematics presented in textbooks, trade books and standardized tests neutral? Drawing from critical theory and feminist epistemologies, the purpose of this research is to examine mathematics curricular materials through the lens of two questions: " What is valued? " and " Knowledge for whom? " Findings indicate that mathematics texts contain multiple examples of problems that reify hegemony, the exploitation of people, and a marked disregard for the environment. This article includes ways mathematics educators can reconceptualize mathematics texts as inextricably linked to cultural reproduction and furthermore, to use these insights to build ways that mathematics educators can disrupt the current narratives of inequity, waste, exploitation and the privileging of particularly narrow perspectives in mathematics education and replace them with more equitable, inclusive, sustainable and critical perspectives. Education for Whom? Word Problems as Carriers of Cultural Values School is widely regarded as one of the primary means of cultural reproduction , and within this context, our mathematics texts play a large, albeit frequently invisible and unchallenged role in this reproduction. In this article, I cast light onto issues taken for granted, and intend to help move the conversation from the dominant discourse to the outer edges of comfort, and perhaps even beyond. To this end, I engaged several groups of my graduate students, both pre-service and in-service teachers, in examining how mathematics texts might be part of this cultural reproduction.

e decision to become a teacher is often moti- vated by some form of love, layered into a series ... more e decision to become a teacher is often moti- vated by some form of love, layered into a series of experiences and set of beliefs about what it means to engage in a “helping” profession. However, what many good-hearted preservice teachers may not anticipate are the myriad ways in which they may be challenged to probe, confront, and eventually reshape their own un- named beliefs that may fall along the lines of neoliberalism, neocolonialism, classism, racism, sexism, heteronormativity, patriarchy, ableism, and linguicism. West (2015) describes Martin Luther King Jr.’s positionality as a stance of “radical love [which] emerges from catastrophe, perseveres through crisis, and yields an in- domitable spiritual center—a radical humility and radical integrity” (p. 3). In this chapter, we ponder the role of education in the greater struggle for social justice and speak to our own explorations and interpretations as we teach with—and attempt to instill in our preservice teachers—radical humility and radical integrity.

With a focus on transformation, this chapter engages educators in considering how the key ideas i... more With a focus on transformation, this chapter engages educators in considering how the key ideas in Critical Race Theory may be immediately applicable in their own settings. The authors explain ways to de ne, identify, and disrupt microaggressions, and explore ways to serve as empathetic allies to mar- ginalized students, families, and teachers. Grounded in the lived experiences of the two authors as they teach courses in an initial teacher preparation program at a large, urban institution in the Western U.S., this chapter includes vignettes that highlight the processes of calling in and being called in as a means to work towards greater equity and reduced oppression in educational and social settings.

Educational Studies, 2015

Mlet the Journal of Middle Level Education in Texas, 2015

The Qualitative Report, 2015

This paper focuses on the events of a Friday evening in the winter of 2012 wherein I went on a po... more This paper focuses on the events of a Friday evening in the winter of 2012 wherein I went on a police "ridealong" and accompanied a police officer as he went through the normal duties of his shift in a medium-sized city in the Pacific Northwest. During our time together, the officer arrested a 16-year old boy, and had him admitted to the local juvenile detention center. The officer also arrested an adult male who, during the process of being arrested, injured the officer such that the officer required medical attention. Additionally, I witnessed another officer performing an analysis of a suspected illegal substance. Drawing from critical autoethnographic methods, this paper details the events of the evening from my first-person perspective and is threaded with analyses of various facets of my privilege that emerged. The nagging questions that grew from these recognitions of unearned privilege are posed both to myself (as author) and also to readers, with the invitation to ponder the issues with me. This paper focuses on the events of a Friday evening in the winter of 2012 wherein I went on a police "ride-along" and accompanied a police officer as he went through the normal duties of his shift in a medium-sized city in the Pacific Northwest. During our time together, the officer arrested a 16-year old boy, and had him admitted to the local juvenile detention center. The officer also arrested an adult male who, during the process of being arrested, injured the officer such that the officer required medical attention. Additionally, I witnessed another officer performing an analysis of a suspected illegal substance. Drawing from critical autoethnographic methods, this paper details the events of the evening from my first-person perspective and is threaded with analyses of various facets of my privilege that emerged. The nagging questions that grew from these recognitions of unearned privilege are posed both to myself (as author) and also to readers, with the invitation to ponder the issues with me.

Democracy and Education, 2015

In this response, I applaud the work initiated in this research and underscore some of the key re... more In this response, I applaud the work initiated in this research and underscore some of the key reasons I find it so valuable. Building from this, I also issue a call to the greater mathematics education community-particularly the large mathematics professional organizations-to consider the ways their organizations have conceptualized and framed equity work, and invite them to entertain the idea of remapping their visions in ways that are more forward thinking and less traditionally safe.

European Journal of Humour Research, 2015

For critical educators working towards social justice and activism, it is imperative to promote a... more For critical educators working towards social justice and activism, it is imperative to promote a thoughtful and purposeful examination of the privileges that spring from institutionalised practices, and the ways belief systems may deny the normalcy of views or experiences of others. By employing critical discourse analysis and framing funny videos as part of larger, cultural "mirror" that reflects widely-held values and beliefs within local, institutional and societal domains, this paper identifies specific humorous videos and lines of inquiry that have supported educators in recognising their own complicity in promoting a narrow definition of normativity, along varying and intersecting planes, including white privilege, the privilege of being a heritage speaker of English, privileged gendered behaviours, heteronormativity, and the myth of meritocracy, among others. By using online humorous video clips as a springboard for reflection and discussion, this paper describes an illumination of the ways humorous media may have been given a "free pass" and allowed it to remain un-interrogated, even though it may be quietly and insidiously perpetuating damaging perspectives. Deconstructing these layered messages embedded in humorous video clips can be useful in helping (future) educators understand their own positionality and the ways these insights may positively impact their instructional practices in ways that promote equity and work against oppressive institutional practices.