TY - JOUR
T1 - Good and just teaching
T2 - The case for social justice in teacher education
AU - Smith, Marilyn Cochran
AU - Shakman, Karen
AU - Jong, Cindy
AU - Terreli, Dianna G.
AU - Barnatt, Joan
AU - Mcquillan, Patrick
PY - 2009/5
Y1 - 2009/5
N2 - A particularly controversial aspect of teacher preparation is the increasing number of teacher preparation programs that emphasize "social justice" as part of the curriculum. This article examines how students in a program with a social justice agenda understood the concept and how their understandings played out in practice. Using interviews and observations, we show that teacher candidates focused on ensuring pupils' learning rather than merely boosting their self-esteem or spreading political ideologies, as critics of the social justice agenda suggest. In classrooms, candidates concentrated on teaching content and skills but also had a critical perspective, built on pupils' cultural resources, and attempted to reach every pupil. We argue that teaching for social justice, or what we title "good and just teaching," reflects an essential purpose of teaching in a democratic society in which the teacher is an advocate for students whose work supports larger efforts for social change.
AB - A particularly controversial aspect of teacher preparation is the increasing number of teacher preparation programs that emphasize "social justice" as part of the curriculum. This article examines how students in a program with a social justice agenda understood the concept and how their understandings played out in practice. Using interviews and observations, we show that teacher candidates focused on ensuring pupils' learning rather than merely boosting their self-esteem or spreading political ideologies, as critics of the social justice agenda suggest. In classrooms, candidates concentrated on teaching content and skills but also had a critical perspective, built on pupils' cultural resources, and attempted to reach every pupil. We argue that teaching for social justice, or what we title "good and just teaching," reflects an essential purpose of teaching in a democratic society in which the teacher is an advocate for students whose work supports larger efforts for social change.
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U2 - 10.1086/597493
DO - 10.1086/597493
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:66749138309
SN - 0195-6744
VL - 115
SP - 347
EP - 377
JO - American Journal of Education
JF - American Journal of Education
IS - 3
ER -