In our closing blog on Teaching for Social Justice this semester, we have put together some thoughts as a class.

We will discuss our thoughts on the following essential questions:

1. What does it mean to teach for social justice?

2. What does teaching for social justice look like as a teacher?

3. What does teaching for social justice mean for students?

From a teacher’s perspective, we need to strive for equity in the classroom. Teachers should always approach their teaching and their dealings with students in an equitable manner by not making assumptions about students’ backgrounds despite demographic knowledge of the particular district/ school they are teaching in.  Teaching for social justice takes critical literacy a step further in the classroom and asks students to consider action steps towards a more just society.  Students must be taught to question the status quo and think critically. They must become aware of acts of injustice and ask themselves how they can address and confront some of these issues.  A social justice classroom asks: What can we do to pursue equitable endeavors in the classroom and in the community?  Social justice isn’t just about awareness; it is also about activism.  It’s about putting hopes for a more just society into action.  Teachers can identify what causes are important to them but also recognize that the causes of their students may differ from the issues that affect the teacher.

Each content area teacher needs to incorporate social justice topics into his/her discussions.  Teachers must decide how they will use the content of their disciplines to address social justice issues throughout the year, not just on one special day set aside to celebrate diversity and difference.  Social justice teaching is not just for English and social studies teachers; math, science, and foreign language teachers must engage in social justice teaching practices as well.   To look at social justice in a mandatory way, teachers could imagine a common core standard that would require them to include social justice topics in lessons, much like the reading of nonfiction texts is required. 

In a social justice classroom, the teacher has to serve as an agent of change and as a role model for students to emulate.  Teachers must create a class atmosphere where students’ prejudices can be identified, evaluated, and deconstructed in a respectful manner.  Teachers can have an open forum in the classroom but must define dialogue ground rules at the start of a class/course to make sure that everyone’s dignity is maintained and respected while at the same time allowing students to talk about their beliefs and preconceived notions about subjective ideas.  It is also important as a teacher to know your own biases so that you may confront them before entering the classroom. Teaching acceptance and appreciation for one another is above all most important and preserves the moral, ethical codes inside and outside of the classroom. 

Using Biology to teach Social justice

Hi Guys....Like Jennifer, my video is a few weeks late, no thanks to hurricane Sandy. enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MujRjegW7uk&feature=youtu.be

Social Justice Practices in the English Classroom

Hey Guys!  I'm sorry that this is several weeks late...no power, technology problems (I'm not that great at it), and then the transcript notes of the video not posting so you at least could read what I was recording through video...(deep sigh).....

Well, here FINALLY is my video blog!  Uploaded and everything (I hope it works!).  I have the video and the link included here in case one thing or another doesn't work.

Check it out when you have the time! (JS)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxvxTi1kJ1g&feature=plcp

The Daily fight for Social Justice Video Blog (RT)

To what extent will the use of technology in the classroom influence student achievement?

Topic: To what extent will the use of technology in the classroom influence student achievement?

Research Survey: Interview (Questionnaire) Literature Review

Technology is considered to be the driving force of the 21^st century. It has played and continues to play a major role in human development and existence. From hi-tech gadgets, the internet, smart phones and tablets, technology is basically part of our lives.

In schools, technology has helped both teachers and students to discover a part of them that was hidden, it has helped to change the way we teach and learn. Technology has influenced schools in ways that have created a domino effect on the society. The advent of the internet, smart boards, virtual manipulative, simulations and models has created a vast array of choices and opportunities for both teachers and students to choose and work with.

Technology is only effective when it achieves its specific goal. In other words, all the technology in the world may not produce any positive change if it is not used effectively to solve the required problem. That is where the human factor comes in. In this research, I have tried to ask the questions, find the facts and dissect in a analytic way the way technology would work effectively for our schools. There is an ongoing argument by stake holders and United states, congress on why there has not been a drastic improvement in education despite all the billion of dollars that was invested in technology since the 1990’s. It is a question worth asking and which requires an answer.

Contrary to the notion that pumping money into technology is the way to compete with other countries in Asia and Europe, who already have a well organized system of education that partners well with technology to yield maximum results. The reality is that, irrespective of the funds that have been pumped into developing technological applications for student learning, the factors that will ultimately result in the partnership between Education and technology to create a functional system for the future have not been identified or dealt with.  This is the purpose of this research: To identify how, why, if and which factors have or will influence student achievement provided there is better strategic solutions that will enhance good technology/education partnership.

Five Sources

1. Critical Issue: Technology: A catalyst for teaching and learning in the classroom. Gilbert Valdez, Ph D., director of North Central Regional Technology in Education Consortium. www.ncrel.org

2. Critical Issue: Using technology to improve student achievement

  Katherine McMillan Culp, Education Development Center. Inc, 2005. Www. ncrel.org  

3. Technology in Education: Apple Education, Engines for Education,  Cornell theory center, www. ncrel.org.

4. 8 ways technology is improving Education: Sarah Kessler, 2010, Mashable. www.mashable.com

5.  The case for social media in schools: www.Mashable.com

Teaching English as a Second Language and Social Justice

I find teaching English to speakers of other languages exciting because I understand the importance of what I am introuducing to these students. It is not only just a superficial language that is being taught to these young students, but the culture that comes along with it. Every word in every language, and especially every phrase in every language carries with it a special, cultural meaning that can only be fully 100% understood when it is placed within a context of that culture, or learned from within that culture. For example, "raining cats and dogs" is a phrase that would hardly be understood by people learning English as a second language. Of course, other languages have phrases that mean the same thing, which is something along the lines of "It's raining really hard.", and they too may or may not be idiomatic in nature. Often times these idiomatic phrases are anecdotal phrases that are funny, or rhyme, or are simply a metaphor that became permanent. The thing about them is, that they must be taught as a whole idea, within a context, much like individual words.
In relating these ideas to promoting Social Justice, I find it to be very easy to introduce topics which are relevant to Social Justice while teaching English as a Second Language. The field offers an unlimited number of topics. As long as it contains the target language than it is relevant to the subject. As a teacher of ESL, I must always include literacy and content area standards simulatenously, given that I am teaching a lesson in something other than English. For example, a history lesson taught to English Language Learners must contain Social Studies and Literacy standards. This I believe, provides me with an excellent opportunity to greatly vary my approach to these students, so that they may learn a new language while being taught content and culture.
The article that I am handing out on the Novemeber 7th class is a great example of this. The article itself is derived from a ESL lesson, but it contains interesting information on cultural understanding and geopolitics. Promoting cultural understanding, which is key to understanding a foreign language, is just one of many ways to promote social justice within an ESL classroom. (AI)

Student Motivation

My social justice research goal is to qualitatively measure what factors into students’ motivation to perform well academically in disadvantaged or impoverished neighborhoods.  My rationale behind this is thinking about all of the factors that economically disadvantaged students must think about in a given day as compared to their peers in affluent school districts, there may be different motivating factors for these students that are not being addressed by all of their teachers.  When a teenager must consider whether he/she will have a bed to sleep in or a stairwell at night, or if his/her family will have enough food to eat that week, or safety concerns in a neighborhood plagued with gang violence, that adolescent may not see the relevance in scoring highly on a biology exam.  For the student whose largest stressor is whether he/she will be awarded a new iphone from their parents for earning a good report card, that student’s biology exam is more significant to his/her life.  My goal is to discover specific aspects of a course/teacher that will motivate a student in a high needs district that may be different than factors for students with higher socioeconomic statuses. (CC)