Access to What? English, Texts, and Social Justice Pedagogy

Abstract

Drawing from Buckingham's media education framework, this article uses content analysis to review one of the most recent and far‐reaching disciplinary constructions of English in the United States, the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, in light of its engagement with larger social practices involved in text production, representation, and audience meaning making. This analysis demonstrates that the Common Core's Anchor Standards miss significant opportunities to connect texts and literacies to broader social, economic, and political contexts of text content, production, and reception—contexts that can provide a disciplinary foundation for social justice pedagogy in English language arts.

Aiming for Authenticity: Successes and Struggles of an Attempt to Increase Authenticity in Writing

“…Social justice education incorporates topics related to social injustices in the world and involves students taking action to address injustices (Adams, ; Chapman, Hobbel, & Alvarado, ; Morrell, ). Brauer () argued that social justice education strongly aligns with major professional organizations’ position statements (e.g., National Council of Teachers of English, ) and increased calls for critical media education (Morrell, ). Further, Brauer emphasized that social justice education not only increases engagement and achievement but also helps students negotiate the world they inhabit.…”

“Emotions are what will draw people in”: A study of critical affective literacy through digital storytelling

“…This affective approach to social justice learning propels students to engage in acts of advocacy for the marginalized individuals and communities they have come to understand. Through this process, students can be more proactive in addressing social injustices and advocating for change (Brauer, 2018; Nieto & Bode, 2017). By incorporating critical affective literacy into college writing classrooms, teachers may also encourage students to critically reflect on their emotional experiences and ways to communicate their feelings more effectively using different modes and media.…”

“…Nieto and Bode (2017) define social justice education as confronting, challenging, and addressing “misconceptions, untruths, and stereotypes that lead to structural inequality and discrimination based on race, social class, gender, and other social and human differences” (p. 11). Teachers and educators are uniquely positioned to incorporate social justice pedagogy into their classrooms, encouraging students to raise questions about social equity and power and advocate for a change of thinking about social justice issues (Brauer, 2018). Specifically, Young (2020) encourages educators and scholars to acknowledge racial violence within writing instruction and to view African American expression as a legitimate form of academic art in composition teaching.…”

Improvisational Teaching as Being With: Cultivating a Relational Presence Toward Justice‐Oriented Literacies

“…We do not position issues of justice as a topic to pursue but rather as pedagogy to awaken consciousness to equity and power through texts and text interpretation. Teachers often approach themes of equity or justice primarily as subjects scaffolded by reading and writing rather than as an integral part of reading and writing (Brauer, 2018). In this article, we feature how Daryl's and Misha's literacy instruction centers the local and global justice-oriented activist texts (e.g., photos, other media), equity, and power and how attuning to their own and students' responses to these texts can provoke social justice stances through improvisational teaching.…”