Narratives of Bystanding and Upstanding: Applying a Bystander Framework in Higher Education

Preservice teachers come to higher education with rich, storied knowledge about schools, schooling, and students based on their previous experiences as K-12 students. They then add to this knowledge through their teacher preparation coursework and field-based practicums. This study used a bystander framework and narrative inquiry to explore how previous bystander experiences involving the marginalization or bullying of an emergent bilingual student shaped a group of 108 preservice teachers’ developing storied knowledge about bystanding, upstanding, and issues of social justice in schools. This chapter details both the prominent plot patterns from preservice teacher bystander narratives, and how these narratives were used as pedagogy in the higher education classroom.