Crafting a third space: Integrative strategies for implementing critical citizenship education in a standards-based classroom

Abstract

In the transformative era of globalization, traditional conceptions of citizenship are challenged by a new idea of citizenship education in which students are empowered to get involved in civic actions designed to promote social justice. This single case study extends scholarship on critical citizenship education by illuminating the experience of a South Korean elementary teacher who effectively implemented the teaching of critical consciousness and social action skills in the standards-based social studies classroom by responding creatively to the mandated standards. The findings highlight three instructional strategies that the teacher created to deal with dilemmas recognized in the practice of critical citizenship education. Practical implications are provided to help teachers, teacher educators, and school leaders craft better opportunities for children to be engaged in critical citizens.

Carving out a hybrid space: a self-study of contextualizing teaching for social justice in South Korea

“…Once the prospective teachers constructed their own knowledge about the possibilities and limitations of the national curriculum system in South Korea, I instructed them on the notion of Third Space, with an exemplary case of one South Korean teacher who has crafted instructional strategies for implementing transformative curriculum planning within the current national curriculum system (Cho, 2018c). Through the real-life example of the teacher, the prospective teachers could see that the constraints of the national curriculum system become useful resources for social justice teaching in conjunction with teacher agency and the students' voices.…”

‘We have the right to stand up’: Elementary students’ conceptual understandings of civic virtue and engagement

“…Our conceptualization of CDL relies on integrating social studies and literacy education from a critical perspective (Giroux, 1980; Kincheloe, 2004; Macedo, 1993). Overlapping with critical conceptions of civic education (Cho, 2018; Westheimer and Kahne, 2004) as well as critical literacy (Endres, 2001; Freire, 1983; Freire and Macedo, 1987; Janks, 2000), we posit that social studies and literacy should be taught in integrative ways (Hinde, 2005) that promote elementary students’ awareness of injustices, past and present, as well as seeing their civic roles in contesting injustice for themselves and others. Teaching for CDL shares Freedman et al’s (2016) definitional goal for ethical civic actors who demonstratethoughtful, reasoned judgments about social and civic matters, are concerned about the rights and welfare of others, have the capacity to deliberate with others about issues affecting the common good, and believe that they can make a positive difference in relation to these matters.…”

“…Research on critical civic learning at the elementary level is limited but growing. Recent studies suggest that with appropriate teacher scaffolding, elementary students can understand injustice at both the individual and systemic levels (Cho, 2018) and develop their civic voice (Mitra and Serriere, 2012). Furthermore, when positioned as citizens who can make a difference in their communities, elementary students are capable of creating relevant ways to engage in civic life (Mayes et al, 2016).…”