Life in Schools: An Introduction to Critical Pedagogy in the Foundations of Education by Peter McLaren

Werner, Walter

doi:10.29173/pandp15105

Cited by 45 publications

(62 citation statements)

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“…There is no hint that people ought to be taught to question the structures that oppress them and others like them systematically (Freire, 1970). We would suggest that a curriculum that addresses class as a significant conceptual lens through which to view people's lives, their society, and the texts they read is essential to the responsible education of all people in a social world divided by class, and it might be especially motivating and liberating to those oppressed by such a system (Bomer & Bomer, 2001;Edelsky, 1999;Fecho & Allen, 2003;Finn, 1999;Hicks, 2002;Macedo, 1994;McLaren, 1989;Shor & Pari, 1999;Swenson, 2003;Yagelski, 2000).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Miseducating Teachers about the Poor: A Critical Analysis of Ruby Payne's Claims about Poverty

Bomer

Dworin

May

et al. 2008

Teachers College Record: The Voice of Scholarship in Education

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Background/Context This is the first research study to examine the content basis of Payne's in-service teacher education program, A Framework for Understanding Poverty, though others who have reviewed the book have agreed with our analysis. The study took place within a policy context in which the federal government, with the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act (2002), created a new category of students (economically disadvantaged) whose test scores would be monitored by officials in the U. S. Department of Education. This law ensures that the improvement of poor children's test scores becomes a major concern of every public school in the country. These federal requirements have fueled the demand for professional development programs such as that offered by Ruby Payne and her Aha! Process, Inc. Purpose This article reports on an examination of the content of Ruby Payne's professional development offerings, as represented in A Framework for Understanding Poverty. Given the immense popularity of the program, an assessment of its representations of poor people is warranted and significant. We analyzed the relationship between Payne's claims and the existing research about low-income individuals and families. This study of Payne's work provides administrators and teachers with an evaluation of the reliability of Payne's claims. It also provides scholars in education, anthropology, sociology, and related fields with a description and critique of one of the more common conversations that is engaging teachers about the nature of the lives of many of their students, and the struggle to identify directions in which to improve schooling for the most vulnerable students in the education system. Research Design This is a qualitative research study whose data were derived from an analysis of A Framework for Understanding Poverty. Conclusions/Recommendations Our critical analysis of Payne's characterizations of people living in poverty indicates that her work represents a classic example of what has been identified as deficit thinking. We found that her truth claims, offered without any supporting evidence, are contradicted by anthropological, sociological and other research on poverty. We have demonstrated through our analysis that teachers may be misinformed by Payne's claims. As a consequence of low teacher expectations, poor students are more likely to be in lower tracks or lower ability groups and their educational experience more often dominated by rote drill and practice.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Miseducating Teachers about the Poor: A Critical Analysis of Ruby Payne's Claims about Poverty

Bomer

Dworin

May

et al. 2008

Teachers College Record: The Voice of Scholarship in Education

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Interlocking structures of domination, power, privilege, and oppression "have, since the origin of public education, used schooling to reinforce dominator values," cultural theorist bell hooks argued (2003, p. 1). Further, critical pedagogue Peter McLaren (1994) stated that "the political space that education occupies de-emphasizes the struggle for teacher and student empowerment" (p. 1). As articulated by McLaren, educational programs are "designed to create individuals who operate in the interests of the state.…”

Section: Career Leadership and Educational And Philosophymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Schools in Cooper's era, as one 19th century educator observed, did not allow for "room in the school culture for individuality, ideas, independence, originality, study, and investigation" (Giroux & McLaren, 1996, p. 301). McLaren (1994) points out that too often in the public school setting teachers are stripped of their decision-making potential; this was because the school boards viewed teaching as "nearly synonymous with executing pre-fashioned methodologies and delivering prepackaged curricula" (p. 1).…”

Section: Career Leadership and Educational And Philosophymentioning

confidence: 99%

The Educational Leadership of Anna Julia Haywood Cooper

Johnson¹

2017

Advancing Women in Leadership Journal

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Anna Julia Haywood Cooper (1859-1964) was one of the most influential African-American educators ofthe late 19th and early 20th centuries. Heralded as a community activist, author, and scholar, Cooperdedicated her entire life to the education and empowerment of African-American youth and adults. Hercommitment and passionate belief in the power of education as a vehicle to social, economic, and politicalfreedom was a driving force in her life. As a classroom teacher, high school principal, and college president,Cooper initiated and implemented pioneering educational reforms, which reflected her distinctive vision ofeducation for Blacks, females, and working-class people. Cooper's vision of education challenged thedominant discourse concerning how African-Americans, females, and working-class adults should beeducated by offering alternative ways of educating these disenfranchised groups. Indeed, her ideals ofeducation were framed by her social location as a Black woman in an era when few Blacks and few womenwere educated, and when most were disenfranchised.

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“…The need for a more diverse teaching force is dire; however, proportional representation is not a sufficient goal. In addition to increasing diversity, all teachers need to be prepared to work with youth and communities to transform schools, from oppressive institutions that reproduce race and class-based stratification (Bowles & Gintis, 1976;McLaren, 2007), to liberating spaces that foster the development of critical consciousness.…”

Section: Teacher Education and Commitment To Social Justicementioning

confidence: 99%

En La Lucha: The Struggles and Triumphs of Latino/a Preservice Teachers

Irizarry

2011

Teachers College Record: The Voice of Scholarship in Education

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Background/Context Several studies have argued that the academic struggles of Latino/a students are connected, at least in part, to the dearth of Latino/a teachers and other school personnel who may be better equipped to meet the needs of this group. Others have suggested that there are significant academic benefits to having a more diverse teaching force. Despite significant population growth among Latinos/as in the United States, the teaching force remains overwhelmingly White, as Latino/a students continue to be underrepresented in institutions of higher education and, more specifically, within teacher education programs. Purpose/Objective/Focus of the Study Given the failure of teacher preparation programs to attract and retain more Latino/a students, and the implications that the shortage of qualified teachers has on Latino/a and other K–12 students, it is vital to learn from the challenges and successes of Latino/a preservice teachers to improve the ways in which teachers of diverse backgrounds are attracted into the field and prepared for this work. This article reports the findings of an ethnographic study in which a cohort of Latino/a preservice teachers was followed from the teachers’ recruitment into college, through their undergraduate years and, for most, their eventual transition into the teaching profession. Setting All the participants were undergraduate students enrolled in the teacher education program at a Predominantly White Institution (PWI) of higher education in the northeastern United States. Participants A cohort of 5 Latino/a preservice teachers recruited to the institution as part of a minority teacher recruitment program participated in the study. Research Design This article draws from data collected ethnographically, using phenome-nological interviews, observations, field notes, and student work products to document barriers that students encountered while navigating their preservice teacher education program. The author critically examines how this cohort of Latino/a undergraduates experienced systematic silencing, the result of the acts of individual agents and institutional practices and policies that manifested in overt and subtle forms of subordination. Findings The study reveals how subordination serves to marginalize students of color by hindering their full, active participation in teacher preparation programs through the silencing of their voices. Using critical race theory (CRT) and Latino/a critical race theory (LatCrit) as analytic lenses, the author describes multiple sites within the institution of higher education where students experienced silencing. Conclusions/Recommendations The article concludes with a discussion of implications, framed around the central tenets of CRT and LatCrit, for improving the recruitment and retention of Latino/a college students in teacher education, particularly as an important means for enhancing the educational experiences and outcomes for Latinos/as in K–12 schools.

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Life in Schools: An Introduction to Critical Pedagogy in the Foundations of Education by Peter McLaren

Cited by 45 publications

References 0 publications

Miseducating Teachers about the Poor: A Critical Analysis of Ruby Payne's Claims about Poverty

Miseducating Teachers about the Poor: A Critical Analysis of Ruby Payne's Claims about Poverty

The Educational Leadership of Anna Julia Haywood Cooper

En La Lucha: The Struggles and Triumphs of Latino/a Preservice Teachers

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