Social Inequality and Teaching: 5-Part Blog Series (original) (raw)
Related papers
Inequality as a social pedagogical question
International Journal of Social Pedagogy, 2019
In his book The Killing Fields of Inequality (2013/2014), sociologist Göran Therborn brought together empirical data, theoretical reflections and historical and political analysis in order to outline an analytical tool for understanding the complex phenomenon of inequality. In this article, it is asked whether Therborn's framework, rooted in the idea that social inequality is a social construction that may be transformed, could provide one possible analytical tool that could help professionals in the area of social pedagogy to better understand inequalities and ways to combat them. Following the orientation of critical social pedagogy, it is argued that, in order to better direct the planning and implementation of theoretical and practical work aiming at taking steps towards a more egalitarian future, it is necessary to see the connectedness of individual hardships with wider and deeper societal structures of inequality. The first part of the article offers a short historical analysis of inequality as a question of social pedagogy. The second part is dedicated to Therborn's theoretical framework of the different dimensions of inequality. It is introduced within a social pedagogical context. Different mechanisms leading to inequality are also outlined, together with their counterforces, or the mechanisms producing equality. Using Therborn’s framework as an analytical tool, a suggestion is formulated on how his theory could be applied as a general framework for work in the field of social pedagogy attempting to prevent and alleviate social exclusion and inequality in society. The article outlines a set of ‘social pedagogical tools for equality’, the use of which should be contextualised within a well-rooted conceptual understanding of inequality.
Not willing to or not able to? Teachers on their role in addressing social inequalities in education
2014
Sociologists of education are often divided into those who are interested in 'macro' and those interested in 'micro' theories. This paper is an attempt to show how it is difficult to explain what is taking place in schools by concentrating only on the micro (school) level. Explanation should be sought in school system, educational politics, etc. My paper presents the initial conclusions of my research on educational inequalities, which is being conducted at primary and middle schools in several towns and villages in Poland. It is not an article on educational inequalities per se; the purpose of this paper is much more limited. The aim of the project is to present the opinions of teachers with regard to the possibilities of schools to reduce inequalities. The statements made by teachers of various classes and schools, located in both small and big towns, will be compared. The particular feature of this research lies in its methodology. We used qualitative and not quantitative methods, the latter of which are the most popular in analyzing educational inequalities. We were interested in the mechanisms involved in the categorization of 'good' and 'bad' students. Our study is based on the observation of selected classes, interviews (IDI) with teachers, school principals and school counsellors. We also talked with representatives of local governments, who were responsible for education, and representatives of social care institutions, but this paper focuses only on the interviews conducted in the schools.
Online Submission, 2008
While much has been written on teaching equity and social justice issues in the higher education classroom from a faculty perspective, there exists scant literature on these issues from the perspective of graduate Teaching Assistants (TAs). In this paper, a TA of a research intensive university, using a variety of sources of evidence, analyzes his experiences teaching equity studies in the university context. Using an anti-colonial discursive framework he offers answers to the following questions: What are the paradoxes, contradictions and challenges of teaching equity and social justice issues as a TA in the university context? Some of the issues he raises are the inequitable curricula, engaging with student difference in an inclusive manner, privileging certain bodies in assignments and classroom discussions, and dealing with student diversity without marginalizing equity studies itself. He concludes with a discussion on the implications of the challenges in teaching equity studies in the higher education context.
Equity, Academic Rigour and a Sense of Entitlement: Voices from the "Chalkface
2012
When working with teacher education students one of our aims is to look at ‘race’ and racism, and the implications that ‘being white’ has for teachers’ practice. Hence we develop conversations around who we are as gendered and racialised subjects who occupy specific socio-economic positions. Our students find this disconcerting, however, as educators we find the journey equally challenging, even painful. When students personalize their discomfort by attacking us, it is not easy to simply shrug off hurtful comments. What we want to do in this paper, therefore, is to share the stories of our ‘tragedies and triumphs’ and present a number of impressionistic snapshots that illustrate the effects that teaching about social justice issues has on us as teachers. The issues mentioned in our title form the basis of our narratives: we are firmly committed to retaining our focus on equity as a guiding principle without sacrificing academic rigour, while at the same time addressing student resis...
Inequality and the American classroom
2019
Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of a mixed format, experiential course on changes in Honors students' attitudes about various issues of inequality. Methodology: Students enrolled in the course (N = 75), taught during the 2016 Presidential election, were asked about their opinions on a variety of inequality topics using a pre-test and post-test survey, with the post-test survey including questions on how perceptions of inequality had changed over the course of the semester. Findings and implications: Results indicate that some students became more self-aware of their position in society and were less sure that people in general, and they themselves in particular, would be responsible for their own hard work. Importantly, students were less likely to believe that people faced fair and equal opportunities in the labor market and their overall level of support for unions increased during the semester. Most students agreed that the outside speakers, a key ...
The scholarship of teaching and learning from a social justice perspective
We argue that there is a reciprocal relationship between all scholarly activities, most importantly between teaching, learning, research and professional learning. The article builds on the work of others who call for a social justice approach to inform the SoTL. It focuses on the implications for professional learning, as an aspect of the SoTL which has been neglected. The tripartite account of participatory parity as advanced by Nancy Fraser is shown to be a valuable frame to describe instances of social justice, as well as the kind of institutional arrangements that should be instituted to support participatory parity. Alongside this, the notion of a ‘pedagogy of discomfort’ is shown to be an effective, but challenging means to advance awareness of justice and injustice amongst academics. The article draws on examples from three action based research projects run by the authors.
This paper suggests that we may be suffering from a constrained educational and social imaginary in our current thinking about equality in education. The ‘common sense’ of our time, enshrined in both EU and Irish law, is that equality of opportunity is a reasonable and tenable principle for promoting equality in education and in society more generally. It is also widely believed that the educational system is itself meritocratic. Using empirical evidence from a range of international studies, this paper claims that equality of opportunity needs to be underpinned by the principle of equality of condition, especially equality of economic condition, if it is to be meaningful. As the principle of equality of opportunity is operationalized in education through the practice of meritocratic selection in schools and colleges, the paper demonstrates how meritocracy is an unrealizable myth in an economically unequal society.
Equality and resistance in higher education
International Studies in Sociology of Education, 1995
This paper is an account of how higher education can become a site of resistance in the pursuit of equality while also identifying the dangers and limitations involved in this process. The development of a new intellectual perspective, namely Equality Studies, is examined and its potential for the understanding of egalitarian practice is explored. The paper examines the reasons why sociology, in particular critical and neo-Marxist sociology, became inadequate as a way of understanding inequality and exploring egalitarian goals. It explores the limitations of the work of equality empiricists which has failed to move outside the liberal paradigm, and of critical theory and neo-Marxism which has not gone beyond critique to identify mechanisms and institutions to develop a new egalitarian order. Prom the author's perspective, the seeming inability of sociology to marry empirical and normative discourses was a key factor in contributing to the development of Equality Studies. The latter part of the paper outlines some of the central issues in Equality Studies and the positive influences on its development, both nationally and internationally. It argues for a new and more politically involved role for radical academics while recognising the very real constraints within which they now work.