“Radical TAs”: Co-creating liberatory classrooms with undergraduate students

Authors

  • Mattie Schaefer Department of Education, University of Vermont
  • Tenaja Henson Campaign Coordinator, Reproaction, United States
  • Rehshetta Wells Consulting Services, Keeling & Associates
  • Sarena Ezell Department of Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Wake Forest University
  • Judia Holton Project Creator and Steward, H2afrO, United States
  • Donzahniya Pitre Health and Welfare Unit, East Bay Community Law Center
  • Krista Craven Department of Equity and Inclusive Communities, Carleton University, Canada

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15173/ijsap.v6i1.4892

Keywords:

co-teaching, curricular co-creation, social justice education

Abstract

In this paper, we suggest that when undergraduate students are engaged as full teaching partners with professors in the college classroom, more liberatory and transformative educational spaces can be created. This paper is based on findings from a qualitative participatory study led by a team of six undergraduate students and one professor who engaged in a series of collaborative teaching endeavors (known as the Radical Teaching Assistant Project) at a small liberal arts college in the southern United States. Our findings suggest that positioning undergraduate students as co-teachers in college classrooms (a) fosters deeper student engagement through relatability, (b) creates more accessible and generative learning environments, (c) subverts knowledge hierarchies in the academy, (d) challenges dominant discourses and norms in the classroom, and (e) provides a space to engage in prefigurative politics. We also discuss some key challenges that arise through this model of collaborative teaching. Our findings suggest that students have much to offer college classrooms when they are central actors in designing course curricula and facilitating class sessions for their peers.

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Author Biographies

Mattie Schaefer, Department of Education, University of Vermont

Schaefer, Mattie (they/them/theirs) was a student in the Community and Justice Studies and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality programs at Guilford College when participating in the Radical TA project. Mattie is currently working towards their M.Ed. in Higher Education & Student Affairs Administration at the University of Vermont, as well as working in Residential Life at the University of Vermont.

Tenaja Henson, Campaign Coordinator, Reproaction, United States

Henson, Tenaja (they/them/theirs) was a student in the Community and Justice Studies program at Guilford College when participating in the Radical TA project. Tenaja currently is a Campaign Coordinator with Reproaction, an organization that seeks to increase access to abortion and advance reproductive justice. Currently, Tenaja is a trained full spectrum doula, supporting pregnant people as they navigate a variety of reproductive health decisions.

Rehshetta Wells, Consulting Services, Keeling & Associates

Wells, Rehshetta (she/her/hers) was a student in the Community and Justice Studies program at Guilford College when participating in the Radical TA project. Rehshetta currently works in Consulting Services for a higher educational consulting firm. Additionally, Rehshetta holds a Master of Science degree in Adult Education from North Carolina A&T State University, where her research interests included education policy affecting adult/working learners.

Sarena Ezell, Department of Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Wake Forest University

Ezell, Sarena (she/her/hers) was a student in the Community and Justice Studies program at Guilford College when participating in the Radical TA project. Sarena is currently a grad student at Wake Forest University where she is studying for her MA in clinical mental health counseling. Sarena hopes to be a therapist for low-income students as well as a future dean of students.

Judia Holton, Project Creator and Steward, H2afrO, United States

Holton, Judia (they/them/theirs) was a student in the Community and Justice Studies program at Guilford College when participating in the Radical TA project. Judia is currently in, near, and under water as often as possible while launching H2afrO, the environmental-healing justice project they founded to widen swimming ability in Black communities. They hope H2afrO inspires Black folks to have a greater sense of personal freedom and all people to take action that positively combats global climate change.

Donzahniya Pitre, Health and Welfare Unit, East Bay Community Law Center

Pitre, Donzahniya (she/her/hers) was a student in the Community and Justice Studies program at Guilford College when participating in the Radical TA project. Donzahniya is currently working as a program coordinator at East Bay Community Law Center providing critical legal services to Alameda County Residents who are at risk of poor health outcomes due to poverty, unsafe living conditions, homelessness, inadequate health care coverage, and other destabilizing social conditions. Donzahniya also provides legal services to clients through the HIV/AIDS Law Project.

Krista Craven, Department of Equity and Inclusive Communities, Carleton University, Canada

Craven, Krista (she/her/hers) was an Associate Professor of Community and Justice Studies at Guilford College when participating in the Radical TA project. Krista is currently a Learning Specialist in the Department of Equity and Inclusive Communities at Carleton University.

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Published

2022-05-10

How to Cite

Schaefer, M., Henson, T., Wells, R., Ezell, S., Holton, J., Pitre, D., & Craven, K. (2022). “Radical TAs”: Co-creating liberatory classrooms with undergraduate students. International Journal for Students As Partners, 6(1), 47–63. https://doi.org/10.15173/ijsap.v6i1.4892

Issue

Vol. 6 No. 1 (2022)

Section

Special Section: Partnership in fostering socially-just pedagogy

License

Copyright (c) 2022 Mattie Schaefer, Tenaja Henson, Rehshetta Wells, Sarena Ezell, Judia Holton, Donzahniya Pitre, Krista Craven

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