Moving TESOL forward: Increasing educators’ critical consciousness through a racial lens

Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) professionals are immersed in multilingual and multicultural spaces. Thus, many consider TESOL educators innately culturally competent, yet others argue this is not the case (e.g., Lin et al., 2004). Moving the TESOL field from liberal to critical forms of multiculturalism (Kubota & Lin, 2006) requires consideration of power and privilege with increased critical consciousness (Freire, 1973). Using critical approaches through a racial lens, the authors examine the concepts of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) for professional development and fostering a culture of social justice, where TESOL professionals recognize the ongoing reflexive work necessary to embrace diversity in all its forms. To determine educators’ level of critical consciousness, the authors propose using the Glasgow Group’s (2017) levels of inclusive school communities as a framework for locating educators along a continuum of critical consciousness. They guide readers through the six levels, providing self‐reflection questions, and recommending critical consciousness‐raising resources.