18071434 Personal Critical Reflection Jarod Leis

A significant amount of responsibility is on the shoulders of both pre-service educators like

myself and current teachers in providing an enriched learning experience for students.
Concentrating on social justice perspectives within the classroom is important in providing a
balanced and equitable environment for students to learn. Implementing pedagogical
theories are important in enhancing students learning and two theories in particular that I
am focusing on are post colonialism and panopticism. My own teaching practice would
endeavor to address the issues of equity and diversity through multiple factors ranging from
setting the appropriate environment and to creating engaging content material.

Social justice perspectives within my own teaching practice is crucial in providing an

equitable and equal learning experience for all students. Ferfolja et.al. (2015) mention that
teachers before entering the classroom have to be prepared to be flexible and also to
continue in engaging in ongoing dialogue throughout the lesson in order to consistently
address social justice factors that may arise. Being prepared before entering the classroom
and also having the ability to adjust teaching practices throughout the lesson is due to
educational inequalities that may be present throughout the classroom. Factors such as a
student’s academic achievement, attendance, engagement and participation of
extracurricular activities have been linked to race, class, ethnicity, gender and sexual
orientation (Dover, 2009). These inequalities exist within any given classroom and whilst it
may not be initially noticeable it still remains the responsibility of the educator to provide
an equal and equitable education for all students and to ensure their wellbeing is
maintained. The inclusion of social justice practices within schools has its opposition with
people arguing that the concept has political overtones and is ill suited to the goals of
education (Wasley, 2006). Whilst opposition exists my views still remain that the inclusion
and my ability to implement social justice perspectives within my own teaching practice is
highly important. Six core principles created by Marilyn Cochran-Smith (2004) guide my own
teaching practices that incorporate social justice throughout K-12. These principles are:
“Assume all students have high expectations, acknowledge existing knowledge and
interests, bridge gaps and teach skills, work with the wider community, diverse forms of
assessment and to teach about the inequalities that exist within schools and society”
(Cochran-Smith, 2004, p.66-78). These principles not only address learning imbalances that

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may exist within the diverse environment of the classroom but they also endeavor to treat
all students as equals to that of their neighbor.

Post colonialism is experienced in Australia through power imbalances and divisions.

Ferfolja et.al (2015) highlight that the divisions these power imbalances are centered on are
ethnic, racial, linguistic and religious identities and a significant unequal power relation is
with Indigenous people. Addressing this within the classroom has significant ties with social
justice perspectives in endeavoring to create an equal and equitable classroom
environment. Appropriately teaching postcolonial theory is important in Australian
classrooms due to a key factor. This factor is making sure as an educator that appropriate
terminology and perspective is given which takes into account Aboriginal heritage and how
colonization has shaped historical and economic situations within Australia. A case study
undertaken by Mashford-Pringle & Nardozi (2013) highlights that in Canada the knowledge
of Aboriginal socio-political history has for long been excluded or at least partly excluded
from public education before the introduction of the Deepening Knowledge project. This
scenario is similar to that throughout the history of Australian education (Hooley, 2011).
Mashford-Pringle & Nardozi (2013) make a crucial observation that there are clear
differences between Western knowledge and Aboriginal knowledge. Within my teaching
practice it will be my responsibility to combine both the secular and neutral views from the
west with flexibility and adaptiveness from traditional Aboriginal education. Incorporating
both of these styles is crucial in providing a balance within the classroom.

The second pedagogical theory that would significantly enhance learning and teaching
within the classroom is Panopticism. Panopticon stems from the thinking of French
philosopher Michel Foucault and he viewed it as a symbol of surveillance within a society
and that can be used to control human behavior through subtle forces (Foucault, 1985).
Extracting data would be the main use of surveillance however numerous other ways exist.
A scenario in which this could occur is as an educator you are teaching a new set of
students. As they are new and you are unsure of their behavior and you observe how often
students are on task or off task. A case study where a similar technique was used was
undertaken by Robbins Fee (2012) and she noted that the use of a remote desktop was a
significant practice. Robbins Fee (2012) was able to observe the work her students were

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doing remotely and could provide support and direction in a personal manner. This was
crucial as students in her class were predominately shy and lacked confidence in presenting
work to the teacher and the class. Panopticon and surveillance used in the appropriate
manner can function as a useful tool within a classroom to further enhance learning.

Through incorporating social justice attitudes, pedagogical theories and my own beliefs I will
endeavor to address issues of equity and diversity throughout my teaching practice.
Tackling equity and diversity is also heavily incorporated within including social justice
perspectives. As an educator it is my responsibility to create an environment for the
students so that they are willing to learn. As with many things there is no set way to achieve
perfection for each individual persons needs and desires. Closing the gap however is
possible. Baeten et. Al (2013) state that self-determination theory and classrooms learning
environment are intrinsically linked. Baeten et. Al (2013) further state that autonomy,
competence and relatedness are key factors in achieving a learning environment that
encourages autonomous motivation. The term environment can also be extended to
incorporate learning material. For example, engagement would not be met if the content
was set at a level that challenges all students of different abilities. Bennett (2014)
questioned a sample of gifted and talented students and found that content which was
standard throughout the classroom was not challenging. The children also felt bored and
unmotivated with the work being easy. This disengagement exists with not just gifted and
talented students but also students who are on the opposite end and are struggling with
learning content. This type of situation can be minimized with implementing a flexible
lesson plan for each class. The lesson plan when content is being distributed should envision
to have separate learning material to cater for learning imbalances that may be present
within the classroom.

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Reference list

Baeton, M., Dochy, F & Struyven, K. (2013). The effects of different learning
environments on students’ motivation for learning and their achievement, British Journal of
Educational Psychology, 83 (1), 484-501. doi: :10.1111/j.2044-8279.2012.02076.x

Bennett, V. (2014). Engaging and challenging gifted and talented students, Teaching
Geography, 39 (1), 30-31. https://search-proquest-
com.ezproxy.uws.edu.au/docview/1679735711?accountid=36155

Cochran-Smith, M. (2004). Walking the Road: Race, Diversity, and Social Justice in
Teacher Education. New York: Teachers College Press.

Dover, GD. (2009). Teaching for social justice and K-12 student outcomes: A
conceptual framework and research review. Equity & Excellence in Education, 42 (4), 506-
524. doi: 10.1080/10665680903196339

Ferfolja, T., Diaz, CJ., & Ullman, J. (2015). Understanding Sociological theory for
educational practices. Australia: Cambridge University Press.

Foucault, M. (1985). The Birth of the Prison. Harmondsworth, England: Penguin.

Hooley, N. (2011 November 18). The nation’s shame: A racist education system
which excludes Indigenous children. The Conversation. Retrieved from
https://theconversation.com/the-nations-shame-a-racist-education-system-which-excludes-
indigenous-children-3913

Mashford-Pringle, A & Nardozi, AG. (2013). Aboriginal knowledge infusion in Initial

teacher education at the Ontario Institute for studies in education at the University of
Toronto. The International Indigenous Policy Journal, 4 (4), 1-18. https://search-proquest-
com.ezproxy.uws.edu.au/docview/1465075284?accountid=36155

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Robbins Fee, T. (2012). Computer surveillance in the classroom; or, how I learned to
stop worrying and love the Panopticon. Pedagogy, 12 (2), 377-381. doi:10.1215/15314200-
1503631

Wasley, P. (2006, June 16). Accreditor of Education Schools drops controversial social
justice language. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from
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ey&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA146915114&it=r&asid=5235c65047b1a9acade5496317588d2f