ID: 100082230 Jonathan Fritsch

EDUC 4169 Education Change and Society

Journal (Part B)

Week 2: Privilege and oppression

How is the concept of privilege relevant to the educational context? As a beginning teacher,
how might you be able to work to disrupt patterns of privilege and oppression?

Prior to reading McIntosh (2012), I have been unaware of my day to day privileges, let alone
to procure those privileges that come with being a White male. I see myself as a white male
who is nice, kind, caring and who comes from a family that have worked hard to obtain their
wealth (Allen & Rossatto 2009); not someone of privilege. Ironically, I have the privilege of
being unaware of my White male privilege and one of my privileges is that I see myself as an
individual, ‘just a person,’ part of the human race. Kendall (2012, p. 1), express ‘most of us
are clear, however, that people whose skin is not white are members of a race.’ Even though I
don’t see myself someone of privilege, disadvantaged people, ethnic groups, Aboriginal
people, or culturally and linguistically diverse cultures see me that way. ‘White male
privilege is more an institutional set of benefits granted to those of us whom by race resemble
the people who dominate the powerful positions in our institutions’ (Kendall 2012, p.1). After
much reflection I have become to accept the fact that we are the oppressors relative to most
humans. One could say we are “oppressor educators.” Allen and Rossatto (2009, p. 166),
advocate that ‘this does not make us bad people, and the intention is not to build stereotypes.
Rather, it locates us in a hierarchical system of oppression and reminds us that regardless of
good intentions we need to work at learning how to play an effective and positive role in
ending oppression given our privileged statuses.’

To my awakened understanding of privilege, this concept does exist in the educational

context. One of the most relevant privileges that come to mind in the educational context is in
the form of privilege dialect, also known as educated speech and or Standard English dialect
(Woolfolk & Margetts 2016). Over time these dialects have become socially and
educationally elevated. Standard English dialect and or educated speech are promoted in
education because some of the most powerful aspects of society use Standard English dialect
and or educated speech. Due to this, schools will devalue students who don’t speak Standard
English dialect. Students who don’t speak Standard English dialect are predominantly by

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disadvantaged people, ethnic groups, Aboriginal people, or culturally and linguistically

diverse cultures. If these minority groups do not know standard forms they are unable to
properly navigate the educational system and achieve academic and professional success
(Woolfolk & Margetts 2016).

This provokes a good starting point to working towards disrupting patterns of privilege and
oppression in and out of the classroom. Lampert et al. (2015) explores privilege and the
critical importance for teachers to develop reflexivity. According to Lampert at al. (2015), if
teachers’ are unwilling to critically reflect, they risk missing the affects of student
disadvantages, in turn, having low expectations of students from low socioeconomic or those
who English is an additional language, Indigenous, refugees and migrant backgrounds. A
teacher should engage with students’ of these representations and respond incrementally to
diversity. Allowing more collaboratively, to where students and teachers work together to
reconstruct curriculum to include everyone. Allen & Rossatto (2009) suggests when we work
with people, it moves towards social change, eliminating the power differential between the
teacher and student, which can lessen the imbalance of power between status and position.
Allen and Rossatto (2009), also suggest that the oppressed (i.e. low socioeconomic etc.) ‘are
more likely than the oppressor to learn that they are a particular, not a universal, being
because their interactions with the oppressor and their technologies of surveillance, such as
the media which tells them that they are not ‘normal’’ (p. 170). As a future teacher in the
classroom it is important to create a safe and supporting inclusive learning environment for
students from all backgrounds, to interact with one another, which is a central process of
learning who we are as human beings through these relationships.

References

 Allen, RL & Rossatto, CA 2009, 'Does Critical Pedagogy Work with Privileged
Students?', Teacher Education Quarterly, vol. 36, no. 1, pp. 163-180.
 Cook, S 2011, ‘Good intentions toward diversity aren’t enough’, Women in Higher
Education, vol. 20, no. 5, pp. 20-21.
 Hankivsky, O 2014, Intersectionality 101, The Institute for Intersectionality Research
and Policy, Canada.
 Kendall, F, 2002, ‘Understanding White Privilege’, pp. 1 - 11

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 Lampert, J, Burnett, B & Morse, K 2015, ‘Destabilising privilege’, in T Ferfolja et al.

(eds), Understanding socological theory for educational practices, Cambridge
University Press, Port Melbourne, pp. 76-92.
 Malin, M 1997, ‘Mrs Eyers is no ogre: a micro-study in the exercise of power’, in G
Cowlishaw & B Morris (eds), Race matters: indigenous Australians and ‘our’ society,
Aboriginal Studies Press, Canberra, ACT pp. 139-158 & 279.
 McIntosh, P 2012, ‘White privilege: unpacking the invisible knapsack’, in P Rothberg
(ed.), White privilege: essential readings on the other side of racism, Worth
Publishers, New York, pp. 121 – 125.
 Srinivasan, P and Cruz, M 2014, ‘Children colouring: speaking 'colour difference'
with diversity dolls’ Pedagogy, Culture and Society, vol. 23, no. 1, pp. 21-43.
 Woolfolk A, & Margetts K, 2016, ‘Educational psychology’, 4th Ed Australasian
edition, Pearson Education, Frenchs Forest, NSW.

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Week 3: Critical pedagogy and social justice

Equity pedagogy actively involves students in a process of knowledge construction and
production (Banks & Banks 1995). How can you tailor your teaching instruction to move
beyond transmitting information and towards having students constructing their own
knowledge?

Similarly to my last reflection, about an oppressive society in which the oppressed and the
oppressors are divided (Aliakbari & Faraji 2011, p. 78), Freire (1970) patterns epitomize this
structure. ‘Teachers know everything and students know nothing. Teachers chose the content
and students follow it. Teachers deposit the knowledge in students and never ask them to
question the knowledge’ (citied in Aliakbari & Faraji 2011, p. 78). Freire (1994) refers to the
concept, the ‘banking model’, a metaphorically term to describe the traditional view of
education and the teacher-student contradiction. Conversely, Wink (2011), challenges the
traditional view of education, diminishing this divide between the teacher and student in the
classroom. This paradigm shift, hopes to empower students and transcend them to becoming
effective agents for social change in our society (Freire 1970). Critical pedagogy, ‘challenges
the idea of instruction as a transition of facts and image of the teacher as citadel of knowledge
and student as a passive receipt of knowledge’ (Banks & Banks 1995, citied in Christensen &
Aldridge 2013, p.153). Cultural relevant and social justices teaching fall under critical
pedagogy (Wink 2011), and allow teaching instructions to ‘move beyond transmitting
information and towards having students constructing their own knowledge’ (Unisa 2017).

Cultural relevant teaching relies on the teacher being critically conscious of students,
including to those significantly who differ culturally as learners. In the classroom, a teacher
who embarks on a cultural relevant teaching philosophy, builds upon and acknowledges the
diversity of students’ and brings their experiences into the classroom space. My position as a
future teacher, in the classroom is to embrace another’s’ cultural mores and use their
knowledge and experiences to extending their abilities. I have unconsciously implemented
reciprocal teaching and problem solving approaches in my recent professional experience, the
recommended instructional practices discussed in Kar (2010). In English, I allowed my
students’ to engage in cross-cultural activities, with a reflective writing piece on family
history. According to Freire (1970) this helps students’ ‘critically reflect on the way they
exist in the world, to come to see the world not as a static reality, but as reality in process, in

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transformation’ (citied in Aliakbari & Faraji 2011, p.78). Also in HASS, I gave my student’s
the opportunity to investigate real open-ended problems and develop solutions to challenging
situations. For example the students explored Australia’s various connections with other
countries and places throughout the world. From my observation in the classroom, when the
lesson was culturally responsive and addressed problems that touched upon cultural and
linguistic issues for the purpose of improving the students’ daily lives, it elicited more
discussion and encouraged different perspectives for consideration, towards having students
construct their own knowledge (Wink 2011).

Social justice teaching also bases a strong emphasis on the fluid relationships between
teachers and students, that is, ‘teachers are learners and learners are teachers’ (Feire 1970
citied in Aliakbari & Faraji 2011, p. 81). It’s the idea that both teachers and students learn
from each other, allowing students to build on the teacher’s knowledge to generate new
understandings through inquiry and social interactions. For example, I like to use whole-class
instructional conversations, and/or inquiry projects. These approaches tend to the student, so
they are actively involved in their own learning, which moves them from being dependent
learners, to being self-directed and independent learners and take control over their thinking
and self-regulatory behaviour.

References

 Aliakbari, M & Faraji E, 2011, Basic Principles of Critical Pedagogy, Humanities,

Historical and Social Sciences, IACSIT Press, Singapore, vol.17, no. 2, pp. 77-85.
 Banks, James A. and Michelle Tucker. “Multiculturalism’s Five Dimensions.” NEA
Today Online. Used with permission.
 Christensen, LM and Aldridge, J 2013, ‘What is critical pedagogy’ in Critical
pedagogy for early childhood and elementary educators, Springer, New York, Chapter
2 pp 5 – 10.
 Delpit, L 1988, ‘The silenced dialogue: power and pedagogy in educating other
people’s children’, Harvard Educational Review, vol. 53, no. 3, pp.280 – 298.
 Freire, P., 1970, ‘Pedagogy of the Oppressed,’ Continuum Publishing.
 Freire, P., Shor, I. 1987, ‘A pedagogy for Liberation: Dialogues on Transforming
Education,’ Boston: Bergin & Garvey.

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 Kar A, 2010, ‘Overview of Social Justice and Cultural Relevant Pedagogy,’

Mathematics with Technology.
 Surgenor P, 2010, Teaching toolkit, how students learn 3, UCD Teaching and
Learning Resources.
 Wink, J 2011, ‘What in the world is critical pedagogy’ in Critical Pedagogy: Notes
from the real world, 4th edn, Pearson, New Jersey.

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Week 12: Diversity - Gender and sexuality

How do you think expectations of you, and your experience of being a beginning teacher,
might vary depending on your gender and/or sexuality? Refer to course concepts and
literature to support your argument.

My expectations of being a male primary school teacher, in a profession that is traditionally a

female prescribed role, will vary greatly compared to females. In the teaching profession,
males and females are often expected into performing some aspects of normalised
constructions of the socialisation of gender roles, ‘a result of how society expects us to think
and behave based on what sex we are’ (Barken 2011, p. 389). For males, this ideal is
contained within a ideology of the ‘imaginary male teacher’, what schools expect from a
male, in terms of their ready-made’ hegemonically masculine qualities which include: the
ability to control unruly students through an authoritarian manner of discipline; a subject
preference, a commitment to sport and mathematics and the maintenance of an emotional
distance from work and relationships (Mills 2008). In comparison for females, this ideal is
contained within an ideology of the ‘imaginary female teacher’, what schools expect from a
female, in terms of their read-made femininity qualities which include: being supportive, and
relationship oriented, making them more ‘caring’ and to a subject preference, of language
and English. Tait (2013) and Mills (2008) provides some examples of how these gender
constructs and social norms have shaped the differentiated activities males and females take
on in schools, which mirror some areas to my recent professional experience. Tait (2008)
discusses subject preferences that males and females are assumed and expected to teach. For
males, these are known as ‘hard’ subjects, which are directly appropriate to models of
masculinity, such subjects being maths and physical education. Conversely, for females, there
are subjects, which are known as ‘soft’ these are tied to stereotypical models of femininity,
such subjects being English and humanities. On my pre service experience, the subject
preferences I was asked to teach was mathematics and economics, whereas all the English
and art lessons were given to my female colleague. Also, I was encouraged by mentor teacher
to take the students out for sport, whereas my female colleague was invited to help the girls
prepare for the school choir. Mills (2008) discusses the shared expectations about how male
and females ought to act and behave in the classroom. For example, males have been
stereotyped as being a saviour who will act as a disciplinarian with unruly students, in
particular boys, whereas females have been stereotyped as being more soft spoken and more

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relationship orientated and thus more able to connect on a deeper level with the students. On
my pre-service experience, my mentor teacher, acknowledge my deep powerful voice and to
use it as a way to get and keep students attention, whereas my female colleague, was
acknowledge for her feminine modes of communicating, which would enable all students to
participate comfortably.

‘These traits discussed might sound like stereotypes of females and males in today’s society,
and to some extent they are, but differences between males and females in attitudes and
behaviour do in fact exist’ (Aulette et al., citied in Barken 2011, p. 391). For example, on
placement I was however more inclined and happy to teach art and read stories to the
students. I was also much more calm and caring, than this strong authoritative figure that
would come down on unruly students. Conversely, some of these gender stereotypes and
expectations that have been socially constructed affect me as a beginning teacher. You can
feel pressured, that you have to live up to these social expectations and pressures of meeting
the ideals contained with the ‘imaginary male teacher’ (Mills 2008). When different attitudes
and behaviours are expected based on your gender, it gives the distorted perception of gender
roles to students. For a future teacher it is important to confront the prevailing social ways of
acting. Making a conscious effort to prevent any biased teaching behaviours in the classroom
setting and inspire students to question gender stereotypes, which enables them to explore
different experiences and make informed choices about their future and broaden their
opportunities.

References

 Chapman, A 2012, ‘Gender bias in education’, Critical Multicultural Pavilion, viewed

6 November 2017 <http://www.edchange.org/multicultural/papers/genderbias.html>
 Barken, S 2011, 'Sociology: understanding and changing the social world', Sociology:
understanding and changing the social world. pp. 1-848.
 Tait, G 2013, ‘Gender’, in Making Sense of Mass Education, Cambridge University
Press, Port Melbourne.
 Reay, D 2002, ‘Shaun’s Story: troubling discourses of white working-class
masculinities’, Gender and Education, vol. 14, no. 3, pp. 221-234.
 Mills, 2008, ‘Being the right kind of male teacher: the disciplining john,’ Pedagogy,
Cultural and Society, vol. 16, no 1, pp. 71-84.

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Final Thoughts and Feelings

This exercise has allowed me to critically reflect and consider ways in which current social,
cultural and political issues and events influence professional and personal identity
development for teachers and ‘uncover the hegemonic assumptions and ideologies embedded
in practice’ (Brookfield 2000, citied in Mckay 2013, p. 32). Providing a deeper understanding
of contemporary educational contexts, to in which has enhanced my abilities to challenge the
traditional models of practice and define my growth towards greater effectiveness as a
teacher. I have come to learn, teachers’ roles are not static, and because of this they are
constantly transforming themselves to change through discursive practice and cultural norms.
What I learned is much of our teaching is shaped by our own learning experiences and socio
cultural factors, and this contributes to the transformation of our perceptions and influence
classroom practice. What I have learned is that learning to teach relies heavily upon
developing a teaching identity which empowers you to make professional judgements about
teaching by reconciling forms of accountability from different contexts. Conversely, I have
learned as teacher, it is important to be aware of your own identity formation, beliefs and the
impact your position has on student’s own identities. For future practice I hope to create an
environment which openly shares identities, to foster stronger relationships between teachers
and students, so I can respond and interact with my students leading to engagement and
learning together.

More importunately this exercise has provided the opportunity to be consciously aware of the
current era of increased diversity and social complexity in the classroom context and to re-
think my teaching practice that relates to a diverse range of learners. In a classroom context,
this new awakening has influenced my previous understandings of what pedagogy involves.
From experience I have been faced with the challenges of catering for diverse learners and
cultural differences, and being able to respond to the challenges is not easy. But previously I
may have failed to take into account the richness of a student’s background. In the modern
realm of teaching and learning, students are becoming more active participants in the learning
process. I have learned that teachers’ need to be critically aware of their students’ and the
vast experiences they bring into the learning community of the classroom. Particularly in
Australia, with its increasingly diverse population, the needs of students from low
socioeconomic backgrounds or those who English is an additional language; Indigenous,
refugees and migrant backgrounds are at risk of being excluded. The education of these
groups needs careful deliberation so they too, may gain maximum benefit from their school

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experience. This has been awakened by many readings, but most in particularly in Wink
(2011), which challenges any form of social oppression and the related custom of beliefs, in
particular to social justice issues that have existed in the classroom. This has opened my eyes
to trends and issues in education, and how power dynamics shaped society and maintained
systemic inequalities. Drawing on critical pedagogy enables questioning of the dominant
ideology of the school to recognise any injustices that occur in schools, especially with
regards to school and classroom practices that can limit students (Mckay 2013, p. 23) from
low socioeconomic backgrounds or those who English is an additional language; Indigenous,
refugees and migrant backgrounds. In my future practice, I aim to create learning structures
that build opportunities for all students to critique their experience in a collegial way

Word Count: 2453

References

 Mckay L, 2013, Transforming Perceptions and Responses to Student Difference: The

Journey of Seven Beginning Teachers, Office of Education Research Faculty of
Education Queensland University of Technology.
 Wink, J 2011, ‘What in the world is critical pedagogy’ in Critical Pedagogy: Notes
from the real world, 4th edn, Pearson, New Jersey.

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