What is a Pedagogy of Hope and Love in Times Like These?

• In Event: Innovation Education: New Strategies for Social Transformation and Community Empowerment

Abstract

According to Assata Shakur, “if you are deaf, dumb, and blind to what’s happening in the world, you’re under no obligation to do anything. But if you know what’s happening and you don’t do anything but sit on your ass, then you’re nothing but a punk.” Shakur’s conclusions are harsh, but reflect the level of seriousness with which we should be confronting the crisis in urban public schools. When applied to an analysis of the persistent, low quality education provided to urban public school students, her conclusions suggest the need for two coordinated remedies. First, the field of urban education must be better informed about the grave impact of unequal social conditions on students before they even step foot in the classroom. Secondly, educators must receive significantly better teacher training and support to develop pedagogical strategies that can effectively respond to these conditions in the classroom.

To date, the failure of increased material resources to produce commensurate academic growth should not be misinterpreted to mean that material resources are unimportant. In point of fact, a number of studies (Ferguson & Ladd, 1996; Greenwald, Hedges, & Laine, 1996) have disproved economist Eric Hanushek’s (2001) statement that the “accumulated research simply says that there is no clear systematic relationship between resources and student outcomes”. The place where resource models for urban school improvement have missed the mark has been in the way they have outlined the purpose of these resources and the measurement of their impact. As suggested by Rothstein (2004) the failure of these efforts can largely be traced to the fact that the resources they produced have not been used to directly address the context of urban life and poverty.

This paper presents findings from a four-year critical participatory action research project (Author, 2006; Smith, 2006) in an urban high school social science classroom in East Oakland, California. The project implemented and evaluated the impact of classroom pedagogy that prepared urban youth to critically analyze and act upon historical and present day inequitable conditions in communities of color. The paper provides analysis of pedagogical strategies that resulted in notably higher levels of engagement, critical literacy development, and overall academic production. Drawing from the theoretical framework of critical pedagogy (Freire, 1970) and analysis of field notes, student achievement data, surveys, video of classroom practice, and interviews with students and parents, the paper illuminates the challenges and successes of critical pedagogy in the urban classroom. The paper concludes with strategies for cultivating critical pedagogy in teacher credential and teacher development programs. This final section pays special attention to developing the skills of critical pedagogy in the current professional climate of standards-based instruction, high stakes testing, and scripted curriculum.

Author

• Jeffrey M.R. Duncan-Andrade, San Francisco State University