Critical Family History, Identity, and Historical Memory

Many teacher educators recommend that preservice teachers examine their own backgrounds and experiences to identify assumptions, beliefs, and values, as well as cultural contexts in which they grew up, which impact on how they under-stand schooling and students. As Pinar noted, " Self-excavation precedes the self-understanding, which precedes self-mobilization " (2004, 55) of teachers who can 10 cultivate intellectual development of a widely diverse student populace. Com-monly, Social Foundations courses initiate self-examination through processes such as life history and autobiography. Self-examination is particularly important as a part of learning to teach students who are culturally different from oneself, and to address institutionalized inequities that permeate students' lives both inside of school