Education as Empowerment Teaching, Learning, and Schooling for Personal and Social Transformation

NCLB: Resurrecting the Common School

Creation of a Nationalized School System: Working Toward the Homogenized Dream Narrowly defined the mandate of public schools as academic achievement --> producing competitive workers for the global economy. Narrowly defined academic achievement. Narrowly defined American culture and language (monolingual, monocultural: the culture of power). Standardized curriculum, standardized assessment tools…standardized human beings.

School to Work: Structure and Authority Will your classroom be a space to challenge social injustice, inequality, and powerlessness…?

School to Work: External Rewards Or will you simply reproduce dominance and oppression?

School to Prison: What is the goal? Is the goal simply the continued operation of the system, in the classroom or the streets, with as little interruption as possible? Is this based on care or control?

The Boundaries are Blurring March 5, 2008

The Nature of Learning

Learning is a Cognitive Process Major Concepts Schema Dis/equilibrium Adaptation –Accommodation –Assimilation

Learning is a Physiological Process Neuronal Networks Dendritic Growth Myelination

Learning is a Sociocultural Process Major Concepts Inter/intramental dialectical relationship Internalization Zone of Proximal Development More Capable Peer Scaffolding

For Social Constructivists Learning Is… Active Experiential Social Relevant Contextualized Student-Centered A Landscape, Not a Line…

Learning is a Landscape The figure on the left is a linear model of development. What does it suggest about learning, learners, knowledge, and teaching? The figure on the right represents learning as a landscape. Somehow, everything seems more complicated… VS. AB

The Nature of the Learner Identity, Difference, and Power

Who are your students? What have their educational experiences been, inside and outside of school? Prior knowledge, skills, etc.? What are their identities, backgrounds, interests, needs, goals?

Roles and Responsibilities of the Teacher

Classroom as Workshop Teachers as facilitators, questioners, provocateurs, resource/tool providers. Students actively engaged in: Questioning & Inquiry Exploring Modeling Discussing Reflecting Experimenting Problem-Solving Collaborative Learning

Democracy in the Classroom Based on authentic relationships characterized by deep reciprocity. Involves students in meaningful decision- making processes. Creates and sustains dialogue. Shares power and accountability Views classroom as community.

Teaching for Social Justice

Examples of Inclusive and Empowering Practices Engage in a process of critical self-reflection, unpacking cultural biases and assumptions to actively mitigate your cultural encapsulation (that is, develop a praxis: the combined process of action and reflection). Consistently make and integrate curricular choices that honor and acknowledge all types of diversity. Unmask the hidden curriculum of power and privilege operating in schooling and society; healing and resistance to oppression can only begin when we lay bare these dynamics for scrutiny. Widen the dialogue on education: reach out to traditionally marginalized and excluded students, families, and teacher colleagues to learn more culturally responsive content and teaching practices.

Theory into Practice: Small Examples

Theory into Practice: The Peace Space Proactive Fosters Independent Conflict Resolution Skills Builds Empathy and Closer Bonds Through Dialogue Collaborative Process Opportunity to Model and Teach Conflict Resolution Strategies and Skills

Theory into Practice: Health is Wealth Table Avoids Arbitrary Exercise of Teacher Power/Control Promotes Student Awareness of Body/Self Cultivates Independent Ethical Decision-Making Self-Managed Space Balance Needs of Self with Awareness of Community Needs Provides Physical Nutrition, Healthy Habits Toward Eating, Opportunities for Diversity Education

Theory into Practice: Bake Sale Math Mathematize: It’s a Verb Mathematics Enables Students to Solve Real Problems Authentic Context Innumerable Opportunities for Interdisciplinary Study Mini-Lessons as the Need Arises throughout the Process

Dancing on the Ruins of the Common School Localization: Empowering Communities to Define and Meet Diverse Needs

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