Architects and Advocates…
Teacher Educators as Architects and Advocates of Equity: Navigating Positionality and Practice
Dylan Scanlon1 , Joanne O’Flaherty 2, 3
1School of Education, Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia.
2School of Education, University of Limerick, Republic of Ireland.
3Ubuntu Network, School of Education, University of Limerick, Republic of Ireland.
This blog explores the evolving role of teacher educators (TEs) as both architects and advocates of equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) within teacher education. In contexts like Ireland, national education policy mandates the integration of global citizenship education (GCE) into teacher preparation programmes. Yet, the potential for meaningful transformation depends not only on policy but on the self-awareness and critical agency of TEs themselves. As such, the micro context of the TE – how they interpret, embody, and enact policy – can serve as a pivotal driver of change. The can is in italics, as this process is not something that should be assumed.
While TEs are positioned as both architects and advocates of equity, their ability to inhabit these roles depends on how they understand and reflect upon their own positionalities. Engaging with one’s positionality in the context of EDI requires time, vulnerability, and deep self- and social-awareness. This includes an honest reckoning with one’s place in society, and how this influences what is seen, known, or unknowable. This is a journey of discomfort and uncertainty (Lenihan & O’Flaherty, 2025), but also a journey which is necessary for the role required of TEs to be architects and advocates of equity. Emerging research from an international Community of Practice (CoP) highlights the value of collective witnessed reflection in this process (O’Flaherty et al., 2024; Scanlon et al., 2025). Within such spaces, TEs engage in experiential learning cycles that support deeper self-inquiry, expose unconscious biases, and link personal insight to professional identity. The CoP model provides a structured, emotionally safe space where vulnerability is met with empathy and critical support – making the difficult work of reflection more sustainable and transformative.
To add further complexity (and arguably, a reality check) to the context of positionality, once the TE has done the positionality work and uncovers their position in relation to EDI, the question begs, what do they do with this additional information? While there is a growing expectation for researchers and educators to disclose positionality in their work, this can sometimes lead to symbolic compliance – where positionality is acknowledged, but not deeply explored (see O’Gallchoir et al., 2025). Declaring oneself as a “White, middle-class man,” for instance, may do little to unpack how that identity shapes worldview, power, or pedagogy. Moreover, sharing positionality can be risky, especially for those in marginal or precarious positions. The performativity of positionality disclosure raises questions: Who benefits from this practice? Who might it endanger? And how can we ensure that this process is meaningful rather than tokenistic?
Equity, diversity, and inclusion within teacher education are not simply policy imperatives -they are lived, ethical commitments that begin with the TE. While policy may sow the seeds of inclusive practice, it is the TE’s willingness to critically examine their own position, engage in reflective communities, and take pedagogical risks that nurture genuine transformation. Without this groundwork, the promise of equity will remain rhetorical, and neoliberal reproduction will prevail. As TEs, we must ask not just what we teach – but who we are when we teach.
Please see: https://ubuntu.ie/educator-self-awareness-critical-refelction-for-gce/
References
Lenihan, R., & O’Flaherty, J. (Under Review). Global Citizenship Education in English Pedagogy: Reflecting on Decisions and Discomfort. Pedagogy, Culture and Society.
O’Flaherty, J. Iannucci, C., Galvin, T., Golden, B., Scanlon, D., & Fitzgerald, M. (2024). Cultivating Self-Awareness in Teacher Education: A Community of Practice Approach. Paper presented at the ECER Conference 2024, Nicosia, Cyprus, August 27th-30th.
Ó Gallchóir, C., O Flaherty, J., Hogan, D., & McCormack, O. (2025). The difficult dynamic of teacher educators as policy actors: considerations for counter-conduct. Pedagogy, Culture & Society, 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1080/14681366.2025.2455726
Scanlon, D., O’Flaherty, J., Iannucci, C., Golden, B., Galvin, T., Fitzgerald., M. (2025). Cultivating self-awareness in teacher education: Engaging in collaborative self-study through a Community of Practice. Paper presented at the ISATT/S-STEPP Conference 2025 Glasgow, Scotland, July 2-4th 2025.