Banish the Bans

The Teacher Educators’ Role in Promoting Book Access and Choice

Authors

  • Kim Stevens Barker Augusta University
  • Gina M. Doepker The University of Texas at Tyler
  • Johna Lee Faulconer East Carolina University
  • Linda D. Green East Carolina University
  • Laura E. Jacobs Towson University
  • Jess Smith Baylor University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15763/issn.2376-5275.2023.6.1.77-86

Keywords:

teacher education, preservice teachers, inservice teachers, censorship, book access, book choice, intellectual freedom, literacy

Abstract

As the restriction of books in schools continues to rise in the U.S., the authors of this piece argue that teacher educators have an important and powerful role to play as they empower preservice and inservice teachers to advocate for book access and choice.  Four actions for teacher educators to consider are recommended: 1) building background knowledge 2) modeling effective strategies 3) introducing pathways of advocacy 4) providing a community of support.

* It should be noted that the authors of the article used alphabetical order as authors and wish to recognize all contributions as equal.

Author Biographies

Kim Stevens Barker, Augusta University

Kim Stevens Barker is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Teaching and Leading in the College of Education and Human Development at Augusta University. Her research interests include multi-sensory literacy instruction, interprofessional teacher education, and multi-genre texts. She regularly reads banned and challenged books, and her favorite banned book is From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankwiler.

Gina M. Doepker, The University of Texas at Tyler

Gina M. Doepker is an Associate Professor in the School of Education at The University of Texas at Tyler. Her research interests include using alternative texts (e.g., comic books & graphic novels) during literacy instruction to increase children’s reading/writing skills and motivation. Her favorite banned book is To Kill a Mockingbird.

Johna Lee Faulconer, East Carolina University

Johna Lee Faulconer is an Associate Professor in the Department of Literacy Studies, English Education, & History Education in the College of Education at East Carolina University. Her favorite challenged and often banned books are the Harry Potter series and Al Capone Does My Shirts. Her scholarly interests include teacher education, disciplinary literacy, and book access for underserved communities.

Linda D. Green, East Carolina University

Linda Green is an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department Developmental and Special Education in the School of Education at CUNY-Medgar Evers College. Her favorite banned books are Speak, The Skin I’m In, and The Story of Ruby Bridges. Her scholarly interests include teacher education, urban education, literacy/communication development and school leadership.

Laura E. Jacobs, Towson University

Laura Jacobs completed her doctoral work at North Carolina State University and recently transitioned to her new role of Assistant Professor of English Education in the Department of Secondary and Middle Grades Education in the College of Education at Towson University. Her favorite banned books are the Harry Potter Series, Drama, and Prince and Knight. Her scholarly interests include teacher education, scripted English Language Arts curricular programs, and increasing student exposure to diverse literature.

Jess Smith, Baylor University

Jess Smith is an affiliate clinical assistant professor for the Online Doctorate of Education in Leadership and Organizational Change in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at Baylor University. She researches the intersection of mentorship and teaching reading and writing. Her favorite banned books are Slaughterhouse-Five, Looking for Alaska, and The Lorax.

References

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Murray, J., Swennen, A., & Shagrir, L. (2009). Understanding teacher educators’ work and identities. Professional Development in Education, 36(1–2), 29–43. Springer. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-8874-2_3

PEN America. (2022, April 22). Banned in the USA: Rising school book bans threaten free expression and students’ first amendment rights. https://pen.org/banned-in-the-usa/

Smith, K. (2005). Teacher educators’ expertise: What do novice teachers and teacher educators say?. Teaching and Teacher Education, 21(2), 177–192. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2004.12.008

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Zalaznick, M. (2022, February 24). Beating back book bans: How to keep a challenge from becoming a crisis. District Administration. https://districtadministration.com/beat-back-school-book-bans-challenge-censorship-crisis/

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Published

2023-08-26

Issue

Vol. 6 No. 1 (2023): CENSORSHIP AND YOUNG ADULT LITERATURE: INTELLECTUAL FREEDOM, READING RIGHTS, & READING ACTIVISM

Section

Pedagogy Plus

License

Copyright (c) 2023 Kim Stevens Barker, PhD , Gina M. Doepker, PhD, Johna Lee Faulconer, EdD, Linda D. Green, EdD, Laura E. Jacobs, PhD, Jess Smith, PhD

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.