I thought some of you might be interested in this article from the current issue of Education Week magazine. In it, several critics claim that "social justice teaching" -- an approach exemplified by many of the articles we've read, and one that I embrace -- is a harmful and even dangerous idea. The article mentions Bill Ayers, who has written a great deal about teaching for social justice, and quotes Bill Bigelow, one of the editors of Rethinking Schools (the source of several articles I've assigned). Give it a read and see what you think.
2 comments:
I do not think teaching social justice is dangerous. I think we should teach our students about multiple perspectives and about those from history we never hear about. I do not see anything wrong with it. I would teach the traditional history first and then bring in the multiple perspectives. That way the students can take away what they want and believe what they want, not what I'm telling them to believe. Also, this way the students are still learning the required curriculum.
I do not see anything wrong with the high school in Little Village. 95 % of the school's population is diverse so why not teach them social justice and things of value to them. Again, as long as the school is still teaching traditional history as well, then there should be reason they can't teach social justice in addition. I think some people are just scared. They don't want people to know the "truth" about our country and they think if we did we could pose to be dangerous. However, what's wrong with knowing the truth? It's important to see both sides so students can form their own opinions.
I agree with Audra that teaching social justice is not dangerous. I believe that teachers are just scared how others will act. I think it is important for students to understand how to think outside regular curriculum, and to ultimately understand issues that are happening in our society. “Social-justice teaching is ... about teaching kids to question whomever happens to hold the reins of power at a particular moment. It’s about seeing yourself not just as a consumer [of information], but as an actor-critic” in the world around you, said Bill Bigelow, the curriculum editor for Rethinking Schools. It is possible for teachers to provide lessons that incorporate social justice issues such as immigration, gay and lesbian issues, community, while building academic skills. The book Rethinking Our Classroom provides social justice issue lessons that can be effective in the classroom while still building academic skills.
Post a Comment