Relational uncertainty in teacher education: addressing racism and cultural discrimination in classrooms

Navigating the intricate web of social, racial and cultural dynamics within the classroom demands dedicated investment in teachers’ understanding of relationalities and relational pedagogy as a form of resistance to racism and cultural discrimination in schools. Recognising a lack of direct engagement with these issues in Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programs in Australia, we argue that ‘relational uncertainty’ is a complicit contributor to racism in schools. Located within a period of reform to ITE programs in Australia, this paper positions ‘uncertainty’ as a long-time companion to teaching that is rapidly increasing under anxiety and ambivalence related to race and culture. Stemming from an initial literature review and our research, we conceptualise three strategies – pedagogy of discomfort, confronting whiteness, and racial literacy – for addressing obstacles to support effective development of relational pedagogy in ITE – as a way in to better prepare teachers for specific relational challenges.