Repositioning resistance: studying the in-service and pre-service teachers we don’t reach and teach in our literacy and diversity courses

This article describes findings across two separate teacher education studies that analyse pre-service and in-service teachers’ explorations of literacy and diversity through literature discussion and peer interaction. Using the notion of “storylines” in positioning theory, the authors analyse particular storylines they construct within, and across, participants. Findings conclude that these storylines, as revealed through positioning theory, provide a needed alternative to merely labeling teachers as “resistant” to multicultural explorations. The authors discuss how we, as teacher educators, must (1) position ourselves to avoid characterizing pre- and in-service teachers from a deficit perspective, and (2) engage in thoughtful reflective practice to explore ways to teach the students we struggle to reach.