When I think of being a teacher in the future I consider the different approaches I will take to ensure my students gain the highest possible education. After reading two articles focused on Social Justice It was brought to my attention that maybe taking this type of approach will affect not only the type of education my students will receive but also how they will continue to learn in school.
Teaching for social justice will allow students to become engaged in discussions that will really require them to take thoughtful approaches. Students will be learning about issues outside of the strict text material which is great in preparing them for the outside world. In order for this type of approach to be successful there are specific guidelines one should follow in order to ensure a successful learning experience. If a teacher tries to teach social justice without any framework or goal then I don’t think it will be as successful as it could be.
Herbert Kohl gives many suggestions in his article about social justice that I found to be very unique but made a lot of sense. The one that I really enjoyed exploring was when he discussed teaching with your conscious. This meaning that if you don’t believe a certain text or rule don’t just follow it because you think you have to. Try to relate to it or disagree in a way that won’t discourage your students. A great example would be if your reading information out of a text with your students and you let them know that a part of the text is wrong, what do you think is going to happen to those students? They’re going to either lose faith in you or the education being thrown at them. You need to make sure your teaching your students within your comfort zone of the information being taught but not so much bluntly disagreeing with the information. This is greatly related to finding a school to teach at that holds similar beliefs as you and that you are compatible with so you will enjoy teaching the given information.
The main point that I believed in while reading about social justice is valuing differences. Everyone comes from a different background and family that some might not be familiar with and if we all became familiar with each difference then it might positively have an effect on our society. I wondered what type of curriculum would a social justice classroom contain and if this would truly be beneficial in the long run. I think that in order for questions like these to be answered they must first be put to the test. In order to see if this type of classroom is for the best is should be tried out and given a chance. I believe that if more people taught for social justice then there could be a meaningful change in the classroom, school, and society.
http://www.rethinkingschools.org/archive/15_02/Just152.shtml
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teaching_for_social_justice
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