Abstract
Teachers of all students, particularly English Learners (ELs), need to integrate social justice pedagogy into their lessons so that all learners are included in the learning process, thinking critically about curriculum and taking action in the face of injustice. There has been some research into teacher preparation programs focusing on how they integrate culturally responsive and social justice pedagogy into their curricula and whether there has been a positive impact on teachers’ self-awareness, social justice knowledge and classroom practices as a result (Ruffin, 2016; Thieman, 2016). However, these studies do not address lesson content. This document analysis study, framed theoretically with critical intercultural communication (Halualani & Nakayama, 2010), explored the integration of social justice principles into lesson plans developed by pre-service and in-service English as a second language (ESL) teachers who were pursuing a TESOL graduate degree (Initial License) at a university in the Northeast of the United States. The lesson plans were analyzed using a rubric aligned with the Social Justice Standards: The Teaching Tolerance Anti-Biases Framework. The exploration unveiled the need for more connections to students’ backgrounds, structured in-class dialogues, support for linguistic needs and modeling of intercultural practices.
Highlights
The concept of social justice has become increasingly common in education
How exactly can social justice be integrated into such domains of teaching as lesson planning, delivering instruction and assessing student learning? What does it entail and how are we preparing pre-service and in-service teachers in academic degree programs to design lesson plans and deliver instruction for social justice? Do they know what a lesson needs to include in order to be considered a lesson grounded in social justice principles? What are these principles? And how do they inform teaching? All of these questions need to be addressed in teacher education preparation
The current study reports findings from a document analysis of 50 lesson plans developed by preservice and in-service English as a second language (ESL) teachers who were pursuing a to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) graduate degree (Initial License) at a university in the Northeast of the United States at the time of the study
Summary
The concept of social justice has become increasingly common in education. More and more educational institutions, programs and organizations integrate social justice orientations into their missions and practices. What does it entail and how are we preparing pre-service and in-service teachers in academic degree programs to design lesson plans and deliver instruction for social justice? It is not sufficient to follow a prescribed curriculum; instead it is necessary to plan instruction to address social realities and dynamics within the teaching context and beyond (Ciechanowski, 2013). This entails integrating practices focusing on inclusion, respectful relationships, community building. Spitzman and Balconi and action against bias and injustice These social justice principles must be a solid component of instructional practices, activities, and routines. To define social justice principles, Social Justice Standards: The Teaching Tolerance Anti-Biases Framework (Teaching Tolerance, 2016) and related literature on social justice in education described in depth below were used for the analysis
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