Necessary Components of Effective Education for Social Change

The more people participate in the process of their own education,

the more the people participate in the process of defining what kind

of production to produce, and for what and why, the more the people

participate in the development of their selves. (Horton and Freire, 1990, p.145)

Introduction

Education plays a vital role in the development of an active citizenry of a country.  A well-educated population is able to take charge of the many issues facing society, including social problems and political decisions, rather than sitting by the sidelines and allowing someone else to do the deciding for them. Ira Shor (1992) writes that education affects students, in that “it can either develop or stifle their inclination to ask why and to learn” (p.12).  Education has the power to help produce thousands of factory-ready automatons, or it can produce students who examine the world with a critical eye and the intention of changing it for the better. 

What components of an educational system are necessary to bring about the desired effects of social change?  It is the opinion of this writer that in order for education to be successful as an agent of social change, it must include a focus on democratic education, solution-focused critical pedagogy, popular and community-based education, and multicultural education.  When these four components are included in a country’s educational program, the system will be effective in creating positive social change.

Defining Social Change

            What is education for social change?  Peter McLaren defines it as “the process through which students learn to critically appropriate knowledge existing outside their immediate experience in order to broaden their understanding of  themselves, the world, and the possibilities for transforming the taken-for-granted assumptions about the way we live”(as cited in Shor, 1992, p.16).  Social change can, obviously, be positive or negative.  Hitler’s rise to power initiated stark social change in Germany which was extremely detrimental to society.  Yet social change can also be immensely positive, such as the protests and boycotts which led to the abandonment of the Apartheid system in South Africa. As a teacher, it is not one’s place to decide what kind of social change must occur when we educate our students.  Clearly, one hopes that the social change produced is positive.  Yet it is the goal of education simply to produce the opportunity for a student to look at the world through eyes and a mind that do not merely accept the status quo, but rather see the world as a place that can be changed by its citizens.

 In deciding what material to incorporate or leave out, which authors to read, and which papers to write, the teacher tends to make decisions based on his or her own value system, resulting in each moment of education becoming a political act.  If a biology teacher is a Creationist, he or she may bring up the possibility of the world being created by God, whereas a teacher who believes in the strict separation of church and state will most likely not discuss God.  Therefore, two different classes of students receive different lessons on evolution, simply because of the beliefs and actions of their educators. 

Additionally, it is vitally important for educators to recognize that they possess biases, and to work to ensure that these biases do not affect their teaching.  Educators who are actively working to promote social change are less likely to adhere to traditionally ‘conservative’ views and more likely to be open-minded and accepting of different viewpoints.  Yet educators of all types are still able to affect how their students perceive the world, and, whether the educator is conservative or liberal-minded, it is important that they allow students to decide their beliefs for themselves, rather than force opinions onto the students.  There is no single truth, and there are always many sides to each story.  Educators have a duty to present the many versions of everything they teach.   Education is a political act.   Thus, when one is an educator and has particular ideas about the meaning of positive social change, it is imperative that the educator provide the opportunity for students to define social change for themselves, using the teacher’s definition, as well as many others.  Ira Shor (1992) writes that “knowledge is power only for those who can use it to change their conditions” (p.5).  Thus, it is vitally important that students gain the requisite skills to use their learning to change the world they live in.

Democratic Education

Paulo Freire writes that a democratic school is one which has a stated desire to:

“engender certain democratic dispositions, such as the disposition to

listen to others… and to respect them; a disposition toward tolerance,

toward deference to the decisions made by the majority that nevertheless

does not deny to anyone who differs in opinion the right to express

his or her disagreement; the disposition to question, criticize, and

debate…” (Freire, 1998, p.66).

            Democratic ideals allow a society and country to function effectively in a way that gives a voice to the population and prevents the consolidation of power.  It is difficult to identify a country which has fully incorporated the concept of democracy into the governing process, yet schools provide a place to identify and discuss the values inherent in democracy in a way that allows for experimentation and discussion of the efficacy of democratic values.

            Paraphrasing the ideas of John Dewey, Tony Knight and Art Pearl (2000) identify seven attributes of democracy that may be applied to the process of education.  These include “1) the determination of important knowledge, 2) the nature of educational authority, 3) the ordering and inclusiveness of membership, 4) the definition and availability of rights, 5) the nature of participation in decisions that affect one’s life, 6) equality, 7) an optimal learning environment made available to all students”(p.198). 

            The authorities of the school, whether they are teachers, principals, or counselors must lead in a manner that relates to the needs and wishes of the students, and takes into account their expressed goals for their own education.  It is important that each and every student feels capable of being successful.   Write Knight and Pearl (2000), “A classroom is democratic to the extent to which it welcomes all students as equally valued members of a problem-solving community” (p. 198). When students feel that they are welcomed into their learning environment, and when they feel that they truly have a say in the progress of their own education, they are more likely to remain engaged and interested, and less likely to tune out.

            Knight and Pearl (2000) define four rights which must be guaranteed in a democratic classroom: 1) the right of expression, 2) the right of privacy, 3) the right to a special kind of due process (presumption of innocence…,) 4) the right of movement” (p.211).  These rights are inalienable, and are guaranteed to all students.  It is vital that students understand that everyone in the school has certain guaranteed rights, which are taken into account whenever decisions are made.  Class content, disciplinary measures, and student involvement must consider the guaranteed rights as a factor in making choices.

Citizenship skills also must be developed in school.  As the voter turnout rate in the United States continues to decrease, particularly among young voters, one sees the need for a continuing focus on citizenship within the classroom.  For no country can be truly democratic if the citizenry does not participate in the decision-making process.  Thus, students must learn how to advocate for their needs and desires within the classroom context.  Yet they must also learn how to listen to differing opinions and incorporate the needs and desires of others into the final outcome.   Clearly, these skills are transferable to larger context of society, which is why education is so important in the trajectory of preparing students to be productive citizens. (Knight and Pearl, 2000, p.214)

            Thomas Englund (2000) discusses in his journal article the need for a deliberative democracy, one where “individuals bring different perspectives to an on-going communication” (p.306).  Englund (2000) quotes John Dewey, who writes about the “efficacy  of education as a constructive agency of improving society,… it represents not only a development of children and youth but  also of the future society of which they will be the constituents”(as cited in Englund, p.307).  Dewey’s point is invaluable.  Schooling prepares students to be members of the society to which they belong and constructs that society through the children. Knight and Pearl (2000) note the importance of democratic education being “sufficiently persuasive and coherent to mobilize a large enough constituency to influence the political process” (p.200).   If students are taught about and enact the principles of equality, justice, and equal representation while in school, it is likely that they will continue to focus on these principles after they have finished their schooling.  Thus, the ideals of democracy are perpetuated.  And, as students enter into the greater society, it is also possible that they will pass on the ideas of democracy to others in the community, expanding the concept of democracy beyond the student body.

             Amy Gutman defines political education as

“the cultivation of virtues, knowledge, and skills necessary for

political participation…Political education prepares citizens to

participate in consciously reproducing their society and conscious

 social reproduction is the ideal not only of democratic education,

 but also of democratic politics” (as cited in Englund, 2000, p.311).

Political education in a school focusing on democratic education may do more than simply reproduce the society.  It can actually be a place for experimentation and utilization of differing themes and values, which can, in fact, lead to the production of values and beliefs that are an improvement over those currently existing in the larger society.  Yet, how does one decide which beliefs and values are the ‘best’ ones?  This judgment is entirely based on personal perception and interaction with society.  Once again, the inherently political act of teaching leads many teachers to define certain values as being better than others.  A truly effective teacher must provide the opportunity for the students to examine multiple viewpoints and beliefs and decide for themselves which way of seeing the world and participating in society best fits their personal view of the world. By showing both the positive and negative consequences of societal participation,

As a way of preparing students for their future roles as participants in society, schools have the vital role of “develop[ing] their students’ capacities  to understand different perspectives, communicate their understandings to other people, and engage in the give and take of moral argument with a view to making mutually acceptable decisions”(Englund, 2000, p.311).  If schools are successful in instilling these values in their students, then it is likely that the students will then be more apt to actively participate in society.

            Says Freire, “The more the people become themselves, the better the democracy” (Horton and Freire, 1990, p.145).  When students are given the chance to define for themselves what they believe and what is important, and when they know that certain rights cannot be taken away from them, the democratic classroom becomes a place where students become the educated, informed, and participating members of society that we need them to be. As Henry Giroux writes, we must be teaching students to “fight for a quality of life in which all human beings benefit” (qtd. in Shor, 1992, p.16).

Solution-focused Critical Pedagogy

            In many classrooms around the world, students sit at desks, memorizing and repeating facts and bits of information.  Historically, pupils have been considered “empty vessels,” which must be filled with knowledge, a system referred to by Paulo Freire as the ‘banking’ system (Freire, 1970, ch.2).  Students are rarely asked to express their own opinions, and they infrequently examine multiple sides of an argument.  It is this type of education that produces adults able to unquestioningly follow the commands of authority.  They accept the world as it is. “Students learn that education is done to them, not something they do” (Shor, 1992, p.117).  When these students become adult members of society, they lack the skills necessary to observe reality and decide whether or not they agree with what is going it.  This leads to a lack of political participation, a lack of outrage at human rights violations or corporate thievery, and an acquiescence to whatever those in power deem to be ‘best’ for society.

            Yet, there is another way to educate. Critical pedagogy, a term coined by Paulo Freire, an innovative educator from Brazil, allows students and teachers to explore concepts, ideas, beliefs, and facts with a curious eye and a mind which has not yet accepted schooling as the ultimate truth.  Freire’s main method of investigating the world was through ‘dialogue,’ in which a group of students would discuss a topic as it related personally to their lives.  This dialogue, which differs immensely from the ‘banking’ system provides ample opportunity for students to be involved in their education, rather than passively and unthinkingly absorbing information.  Shor writes that “when educators offer problem-posing, democratic dialogue in the classroom, they challenge socialization into the myths, values, and relations of the dominant culture” (Shor, 1992 p.117).  Thus, Critical pedagogy is vital to the goal of instilling an inclination towards social change in the minds of one’s students. 

            “Critical literacy encourages students to challenge taken-for-granted meanings and ‘truth’ about a way of thinking, reading, and writing the world” (Koh, 2002, p.259) Students are more heavily invested in their learning if it is personally relevant to their lives and incorporates their own experiences.  Aaron Koh (2002), who investigated the use of critical pedagogy in Singapore writes that a course of study incorporates critical pedagogy when “students investi[gate] a socially important task about themselves and, more importantly, because their own views were included and represented rather than being imposed by a dominant group” (p.261).  For example, indigenous students in the United States are likely to feel as though the study of ‘Westward Expansion’ in their history class in no way takes into account the experiences of many indigenous groups, who were killed, forcibly relocated, and lost much of their culture.  When a history teacher engages students in dialogue, using a loaded term such as ‘genocide’ when referring to the actions of the European settlers, and asking students to relate this word to their families’ personal histories, it is likely that these students will feel as though history is relating to them personally, and the knowledge is thus more likely to be retained.    

When students are given the opportunity to explore ideas previously thought to be concrete and immutable, they will delve into deeper questions of power, relationships, and government.  It is here that democratic education begins to intersect with critical pedagogy.  For, one must examine government, laws, rights, and responsibilities critically if one is to be able to develop a democratic society in the classroom.  “Educators also need to affirm and critically interrogate the knowledge and experiences that students bring with them to the classroom; in addition, critical educators need to offer students the opportunity to engage in a deeper understanding of the importance of democratic culture while developing classroom relations that prioritize the importance of cooperation, sharing, and social justice” (Giroux, 1991, p.307).  An effective critical classroom is also a democratic classroom.  Students who have had the opportunity to critically examine the tenets of democracy and decide for themselves what they believe to be valid and what can then be applied practically to the creating of a democratic classroom will have a much fuller understanding of why the class creates the rules and expectations of respect that it uses in day to day practice.  A critical class is unlikely to accept an authoritarian dictator as a teacher, just as critical members of society are more likely to rebel against laws and judicial decisions that violate what is thought of as just conduct.

Critical pedagogy also provides a zone of intersection for social, environmental, political, and personal issues.  David Gruenewald writes that “people must be challenged to reflect on their own concrete situationality in a way that explores the complex interrelationships between cultural and ecological environments” (as cited in McLaren and Houston, 2005, p.30).  When one begins to examine the strength with which traditional education has a hold on one’s ideas and ways of thinking about society, one also realizes the disjoint between society and the environment.  It is when a class begins to deconstruct the reality which has been forced upon the citizens of a society that the students and the teacher begin to fully appreciate the complex connections between different sectors of society and the environment.  The linking of topics previously thought to be unrelated is part of the magic of critical education.  Students in a critical classroom will study economics with an eye to the links between profit, business and labor practices, environmental regulations, human rights, and globalization, rather than simply examining textbook models.  They will have the opportunity to explore the impact current economic practices have on their personal lives, and will be able to see how the government of the country is contributing to the way the current economy operates.  Thus, topics in school and in the greater world become linked, rather than segregated into different subjects, as is the current trend.  One begins to realize that the action of activists in Latin America can affect the approval of a trade treaty between that region of the globe and other regions.  This leads to recognition that one’s personal decision to walk to school rather than to drive affects the health of the greater ecosystem.  The world does not seem as big and imposing and instead becomes a place which can be understood by examining links across the globe, in one’s country, in one’s city or town, and within one’s classroom.

Yet critical pedagogy is frequently lacking a vital component.  While it is excellent at spotting the inconsistencies, failings, and contradictions of traditional knowledge and societal life, it frequently lacks a way of discussing how to improve the situation.  Write Knight and Pearl (2000), critical pedagogy “deconstructs educational practice; deconstruction is necessary, but only if followed by reconstruction” (p.197).  If critical pedagogy offers no hope or solution, it can be self-defeating, in that it may leave students aware of the unfairness of the current state of society, but unable to do anything about it.  Therefore, it is imperative that educators take the time, not only to deconstruct the current state of education and society, but also allow time for the students to create an alternative way of doing things, providing them with the necessary support and information to allow them the freedom to explore options.  This component of critical education is the component during which social change occurs.  Students learn to be active in advocating for change.  They learn that sitting passively will not make a difference in areas they feel to be wrong and unjust, and that they must personally work to create the change they desire.

Community-based Education

            Accompanying democratic and critical education, community-based education is a vital component in effective education for social change.  Community-based education is a very broad term, designed to include everything from adult education, to literacy programs, to free schools, to place-based education.  When one learns in the setting of one’s own community, it becomes much easier to relate one’s own experiences to the material being covered in the classroom.  The context of the community is one which is familiar to the student, and this familiar context can then be expanded to incorporate new knowledge and relate it to the greater global community.  In this way, it then is less of a stretch to apply newly-gained knowledge to the effort of changing present societal conditions in one’s own community.

            Adult education can include things as varied as trade classes and basic lessons on how to read.  Merriam and Caffarella describe how “education provides an avenue for people to view themselves and their world differently” (as cited  in Kollins and Hansman, 2005, p.3).  Social change begins to become a reality when adult students examine the world they have become accustomed to through a different lens and take action against injustice.  Transformational learning, a term coined by J. Mezirow, applies to adult education, in that “learners become aware of their abilities to participate in the creation of knowledge, [and] their perceptions of themselves and their worlds change” (as cited in Kollins and Hansman, 2005, p.5). 

Frequently, adults who lack fundamental literacy skills, base knowledge, or other components thought to be ‘required’ of an educated person are disenfranchised from the decision-making process in society.  Being unable to read usually makes it impossible to vote, thereby disallowing a person from participating in a democratic society.  Lacking knowledge of history and current societal goings-on prevents one from offering up ideas to improve, say, the public transportation system, or the current welfare system.  When adults are given the opportunity to gain this knowledge in a way that is personally relevant, they become able to participate.

Free schools are another way to involve the community in its own education.  In a community, one may find teachers, lawyers, mechanics, artists, clerical workers, and an array of other people trained in all different manners of things.  The clerk at the supermarket may be an expert in watch repair in his spare time, and the accountant next door might be a skilled Spanish speaker.  When the opportunity arises to provide space for the amalgamation and sharing of this wide array of skills, the entire community is richer for it.  The space that is provided for the sharing and learning knowledge from other members of a community is a free school.  It can exist in a college classroom after hours, in a church basement, in the nearby coffee shop, or in someone’s living room.  The ‘teachers’ do not teach for profit, and anyone who has a skill or experience that they would like to share is welcome to do so.  The students do not have to pay exorbitant fees to attend classes, and thus the accessibility of the free school is much greater than that of an elite school.  Anyone can teach and anyone can learn. 

            Thus, free schools must play an intrinsic role in community-based education, as well as in education for social change.  It is frequently less intimidating to learn material from someone who is perceived to be your peer, rather than someone to whom the role of ‘teacher’ or ‘master of the material’ has been assigned.  As much as educators may try to deconstruct the power structure that has existed in education, it continues to be intimidating for someone who has traditionally operated outside the educational system to enter it with the intent of fully participating.  Therefore, a school composed of neighbors, friends, and colleagues can ostensibly seem much more welcoming.  Nan Elsasser and Vera John-Steiner (1987) explain that “it is very difficult to sustain dialogues with people who are not members of one’s own social and economic community” (p.47).  Consequently, it is much more effective to engage in discussion and learning experiences with those who have similar life experiences.

In all community-based education, it is important to incorporate critical and democratic practices into the process of education.  For, in allowing every student and teacher to have a voice, and in giving students space to deconstruct traditional power and class hierarchies as they learn, one leaves open the opportunity for social change.  Paulo Freire writes that “students, as they are increasingly posed with problems relating to themselves in the world and with the world, will feel increasingly challenged and obliged to respond to that challenge”(Freire, 1970, p.68).  It is evident that community-based education plays a very important role in the effort to effect social change.

Multicultural Education

            Multicultural pedagogy can be utilized as a tool in resisting and changing the dominant social paradigm of prejudice and discrimination.  Merely by recognizing the differences that are inherently part of United States society, multicultural education moves in the direction of social change. Christine E. Sleeter (1996) writes in Multicultural Education as Social Activism that “[multicultural education] represents resistance to white supremacy and also to patriarchy” (p.10). She goes on to propose that

“the field of multicultural education must develop in ways that are

consonant with its original mission: to challenge oppression and to use

schooling as much as possible to help shape a future America that

 is more equal, democratic and just, and that does not demand

conformity to one cultural norm” (Sleeter, 1996, p.15).

            The United States is a country which tends to portray itself as “colorblind,” meaning that everyone is supposedly treated equally.  Spending a single day in the U.S. quickly shatters this illusion, and also brings up the point that, perhaps, people must be treated fairly, or equitably, based on their needs, rather then equally, based on what their needs are assumed to be.  Perhaps the United States should focus on being ‘culture fair’ rather than ‘color blind,’ recognizing and respecting the uniqueness inherent in each member of society rather than pretending that everyone is the same.   Said James A. Banks, “Citizens in a diverse democratic society should be able to maintain attachments to their cultural communities as well as participate effectively in the shared national culture” (Banks, 2003).  Students must learn to be aware of and accept the multitude of cultures in the United States while also learning to share space with those from different cultures. They must then work to achieve one cohesive national identity as well as a global identity, which respects the differences inherently present within the country and the world. 

Multicultural education works to recognize and appreciate the differences present in the student body of the United Sates.  From language differences to learning style variations, from gender differences to different living situations, the population of the United States is immensely diverse, and must be recognized as such.  For upon recognition of the variety of people present in society, educators and students can begin to work to end the commonplace discrimination and domination present in everyday society, thus bringing about positive social change.

It is important to take into account the wide variety of life experiences going on outside the classroom when planning lessons.  Delpit (1995) explains that students who “may be gifted in real-life settings are often at a loss when asked to exhibit knowledge solely through decontextualized paper-and-pencil exercises” (p.173).  Thus, teachers must have some knowledge of what sort of lives their students are living outside of class.  When these situations are incorporated into the in-class context, students will be much more likely to grasp material.

Multicultural education must not simply be something that occurs for the month of February, as part of “Black History Month.”  Rather, it must be a fundamental part of every component of education, including curriculum, assessment, school structure, administration guidelines, hiring practices and interactions among student and between staff and students.  The process of education must be fundamentally restructured to include the experiences of more than the dominant sector of society.  Sleeter (1996) writes that multicultural education can be “thought of as collective action aimed towards institutional change” (p.230).  This mindset is necessary if educators are to be effective in helping their students to see the possibility of a better world.  Teachers can help students to “act politically, to advocate both individually and collectively for themselves and for other marginalized people” (Sleeter, 1996, p.240). 

By recognizing, accepting, and encouraging the differences of students, educators empower them.  Writes Delpit (1995),

If we are to successfully educate all of our children, we must work

to remove the blinders built of stereotypes, monocultural

instructional methodologies, ignorance, social distance, biased

research, and racism (p.182).

            Multicultural education must take as much of a leading role in the classroom as democratic and critical pedagogies.  It must be incorporated into every lesson, every day.  Community-based education provides an excellent opportunity for the application of multicultural education theory in practice.  Our country is not homogenous; it is a land of different histories, beliefs, views, languages, and experiences.  Giving credence to these differences is vitally important.

Conclusion

            Ira Shor (1992) writes that “any place truly different from the status quo is not close by or down a simple trail.  But the need to go there is evident” (p.263).  Education is an invaluable tool.  It empowers individuals, classes, communities, cultures, and society.  It can be used to change what had formerly been assumed to be a permanent condition. Yet the current form of education present in most public and private schools is a force that merely recreates the present society.  There is little or no focus on the inherent power of a society’s citizens to create the society they wish to see.  

If educators are to be effective in providing their students with opportunities to discover the knowledge necessary to effect change, then a concerted effort must be made to ensure that education includes democratic and critical pedagogies, multicultural education, and community-based education.  These educational strategies provide students with the opportunity and space to learn about themselves, their communities, country, and world.  When students have the occasion to determine for themselves what is going on and whether or not they agree with it, as well as the chance to ponder possible alternatives, and when these same students are given the circumstances to learn about and appreciate the existence of different cultures, these students gain the necessary tools to become powerful agents of social change.  They have examined and debated many different possibilities and perspectives of what society could become.  They have interacted and investigated many different ways of operating in the world, and they have had the chance to see the effects and impacts of these different strategies.  Importantly, students who have experienced effective education for social change have had teachers who showed them that they can make a difference and that society operates best when its members participate actively in its workings.  Educators who believe in education for social change work to ensure that their students have the tools to be effective advocates for change, know how to examine multiple viewpoints, and, most importantly, believe in themselves and their own powerfulness.  A student who gains these tools and skills is a student who will no longer be passive, and, thus, change will occur.

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