EDUC 2301: Introduction to Special Populations Advocacy Chapter 15 A Changing Society

Teacher as Advocate Teachers engaging in critical pedagogy implement curricula that encourage students to develop critical consciousness, think critically, pose questions, and become socially and politically active. The goal of critical pedagogy is to help students experience education as something they do instead of as something done to them. ©2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Why are teachers advocates? Failure to advocate for equality within classrooms and schools not only negatively affects those oppressed by the isms but it also disadvantages all students, all individuals, and the enlightened production of knowledge worldwide as it diminishes the significance of inclusion and pluralism and therefore supports the continuance of suppression of knowledge informed by diverse experiences and perspectives. Educators cannot simply take a passive stance. ©2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Schools Resistance to Social Justice Education Advocacy, by definition, necessitates change. Schools, like all organizational systems, are known for their tendencies to resist any change, particularly significant change, in the ways they operate. Change is viewed as a threat not just to the organization's stability but to its very identity. ©2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Reasons for School Resistance Such change would requires schools to redefine their processes, structures, and ways of doing things. Social justice education involves seeking change, especially significant change that would reassign rewards and status because social justice advocacy is designed to elevate and include minority groups that are devalued and excluded, a change in the way power in the system is distributed. Raising social justice issues leads individuals to question their worldviews—unsettling both unconscious and deeply held beliefs about society, self, and social relations. ©2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Becoming a Social Justice Ally An ally is an individual who purposefully and proactively works to help secure social justice and equality for oppressed groups of individuals in society. Becoming an ally involves a development process progressing through four basic stages. Awareness Knowledge/Education Skill Development Action ©2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Classroom Advocacy Strategies Clearly define their objectives and strategies to target reduction of prejudice, discrimination, and oppression. Review not only school curricula but also all formal and informal structures and processes that work to maintain the status quo. Examine their learning environments, content, and instructional strategies to be sure that each reflects support for pluralism. ©2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

For Reflection and Discussion 1. What are qualities that allies share? 2. What does critical pedagogy involve? 3. How is it that teachers can act as advocates for oppressed groups and still have time to teach necessary content in their classes? Explain. ©2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.