Ethan Sais DSJL ASSESSMENT TASK 2 REFLECTION 17974628

It is imperative that teachers recognise and address issues of social justice in their teaching

practice. As teachers we have the power to influence, guide and inspire our students, this effects not

only their experiences and actions throughout their adolescence but also aids in shaping their

identities and decisions in adulthood. Teachers have an extremely vital and significant role in

shaping society. Bardsley (2007) argues that the inequalities of those from lower socio-economic

backgrounds are exacerbated by our increasingly globalised society and its roots in neo-liberal

ideologies.

Thus it is tremendously important that the content and the practice we use are grounded in

our understanding of social justice theory and diverse perspectives, particularly those of who are the

most vulnerable within our society. Bardsley (2007) highlights that low socio-economic status and

low educational outcomes are intrinsically linked. Furthermore, the social justice issues experienced

by students tend to correlate with their social class and access to education (Bardsley, 2007). These

include gender; family and cultural background; and sexuality. It is also important to recognise the

curricular and classroom silences that are so prevalent within the education system, thus the use of

social justice education will aid in breaking these silences (Ferfolja, 2015). Ferfolja (2015) argues that

this is predominantly relevant to social justice issues surrounding sexuality and gender identity,

which is often in a state of constant contention due to the fear of political, parental, and community

backlash.

It is also important to keep in mind that there are various governing bodies that have

established policies and criteria that address social justice issues in schooling, these include the list

of general capabilities and cross-curriculum priorities set out in the Australian curriculum as well as

the Australian professional standards for teachers [APST]. Which emphasise the need to address

social justice issues in the classroom by “knowing students and how they learn” and to “create and

maintain supportive and safe learning environments” (AITSL, 2014). Lampert, Burnett and Morse

(2015) suggest that in order for teachers to reach these goals we must first interrogate our own

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narratives and histories which are shaped by our life experiences and understandings. I would argue

that the most important reason for the use of social justice education in my teaching practice is that

it provides students, particularly those from diverse and vulnerable backgrounds with the

opportunity to recognise the inequities that impact their school, community, and society, so that

they have the tools required to combat these setbacks and build up the resilience required to handle

future setbacks (Welton, Harris, La Londe & Moyer, 2015).

In the group component of this assessment my group created ‘Primetime’, a game that

would address the inequities suffered by indigenous people through pedagogical strategies that

insist on critical and higher order thinking as well as strategies that inspire students to think about

these issues intrinsically, thus applying them not only for the significance they have in history but

also for the significance these perspectives have in not only shaping their life experiences and

outcomes but also in understanding the experiences of others. According to Aslup and Miller (2014)

it is clear how significant a social justice disposition is to a teacher’s approach in educating their

students. They suggest that teachers need to be reflective, aware of the diversity in their classrooms,

and be dedicated to their students learning regardless of perceived limitations (Aslup & Miller,

2014).

Ferfolja, Jones Diaz and Ullman (2015) highlight the role of critical pedagogy, that they

suggest is concerned with the “knowledge-power nexus” (2015, p.13) that dominates the

educational system. This nexus highlights the prevailing narratives which are constructed through

the discourses centred on the experiences and knowledge valued and sustained by the white;

western; monocultural; monolingual; and heteronormative patriarchy (Ferfolja, et.al., 2015). This

authoritative knowledge is held by the teachers; and approved by the state and neo-liberal

capitalistic ideologies that are entrenched within it. which inform their teaching practice; the

content they teach; and how they teach it. Critical pedagogy sets out to address these inequitable

power relations, by critiquing and deconstructing the dominant oppressive narratives and practices.

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This relates emphatically with Critical race theory [CRT] which is incumbent on the fact that

racism is embedded in our social and political structures at an institutional level. Therefore, it is

impossible for schools and classrooms to address these topics easily without understanding how

ideologies like race are socially constructed, as well as how this impacts on our society and how we

interact within it (Shay, 2015). Critical race theory offers a strong framework that allows us to

investigate how race, ethnicity and racism subjugate students that are the other to the dominant

white culture. (Shay, 2015). Therefore, teachers can introduce tenants of CRT to voice the “subtle

and covert systemic racism” that persists unnoticed in our modern societies (Shay, 2015). In order to

use a critical race theory framework in my teaching practices I must investigate and challenge the

centrality and intersectionality of race and racism; I must instil an enduring commitment to social

justice; recognise my experiential knowledge; challenge the persistent and dominant ideologies; and

work interdisciplinary perspectives into my teaching practice (shay, 2015).

On the other hand, Post-colonial theory is extremely relevant to our Australian context and

will certainly have an impact on my teaching. Post-colonial theory highlights the negotiation of

power and how it operates in a society grappling with the ghosts of its colonial past. These ghosts

are the divisions of ethnicity, religious identity, race and language. This is very significant when

discussing the disadvantage of indigenous Australians (Ferfolja et.al., 2015). This is because the

consequences of colonisation are still lived through our dominant “social, political, linguistic,

economic, and historical…” reality (Ferfolja et.al, 2015). Therefore, we cannot escape the knowledge

of our past indiscretions of slavery, migration, and oppression of indigenous communities. This will

affect how I as a teacher address issues of race, ethnicity, sexuality and socio-economic status in my

classroom. Instead of addressing these issues as a tokenistic- once a year obligation. I would

interweave these discussions and understandings throughout my lessons. As a history and English

teacher, I am presented with ample opportunity to address the legacies of oppression that persist in

our modern world.

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It is evident that the need for social justice education is immense. This is because students

within the Australian school system are subject to many educational disadvantages, some of which

start from before they even attend school. As a future educator I must recognise this fact and

implement lessons that are not only grounded in sociological theory but also provide students with

the opportunity to complete tasks and lessons that broaden and awaken their understandings of

social justice issues that not only affect them but also those that impact on other people.

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References

Aslup, J., & Miller, S.J. (2014). Reclaiming English Education: Rooting Social Justice in Dispositions.
English Education, 46, 195-215. Retrieved May 2017

Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership. (2014). Australian Professional Standards for
Teaching. Retrieved May 2017, from http://www.aitsl.edu.au/australian-professional-
standards-for-teachers

Bardsley, D.K. (2007). Education for all in a global era? The social justice of Australian secondary
school education in a risk society. Journal of Education Policy, 22(5), 493-508.
doi:10.1080/02680930701541691

Ferfolja, T. (2015). Sexual diversities, policy approaches and the construction of the subject. In T. J.
Ferfolja, Understanding Sociological Theory for Educational Practices (pp. 58-74). Cambridge
University Press.

Ferfolja, T., Jones Diaz, C., & Ullman, J. (2015). The unseen half. In T. J. Ferfolja, Understanding
Sociological Theory for Educational Practices (pp. 1-20). Cambridge University Press.

Lampert, J., Burnett, B., & Morse, K. (2015). Destabilising privilege: Disrupting deficit thinking in
white pre-service teachers on field experience in culturally diverse, high-poverty schools. In
T. J. Ferfolja, Understanding Sociological Theory for Educational Practices (pp. 76-92).
Cambridge University Press.

Shay, M. (2015). The Perceptions that Shape us: Strengthening Indigenous young people's cultural
identity in flexi school settings. In T. J. Ferfolja, Understanding Sociological Theoory for
Educational Practices (pp. 93-109). Cambridge University Press.

Welton, A.D., Harris, T.O., La Londe, P.G., & Moyer, R.T. (2015). Social Justice Education in a Diverse
Classroom: Examining High School Discussions about Race, Power, and Privilege. Equity and
Excellence in Education, 48(4), 549-570. doi:10.1080/10665684.2015.1083839

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