Learning to Enact Social Justice Through Practice: The Case of Advocacy Practices

• In Event: 75.039 - Social Foundations for Teaching Practice

Abstract

Purpose
Researchers interested in mediating the problem of enactment (Kennedy, 1999) in teacher education have recently suggested that teachers need access to “core” or “high-leverage” practices that can be rehearsed and developed in the field and subsequently assessed and refined over time (e.g., Ball & Forzani, 2009, 2010, 2011; Grossman, Hammerness, & McDonald, 2009). Thus far this work has focused on core practices specific to content areas and has not yet integrated social justice teaching practices (McDonald, 2010; Zeichner, 2012). This paper argues that advocacy, which is frequently highlighted as a key role for social justice educators and an integral component of social justice teaching (Achinstein & Ogawa, 2011; Chubbuck, 2010; Cochran-Smith, 2010; Villegas & Lucas, 2002), is a promising place to begin the work of identifying specific social justice teaching practices and integrating them into foundations coursework. This paper describes a framework for conceptualizing and researching advocacy practices as a case of social justice teaching practices.

Theoretical Framework and Mode of Inquiry
This literature review and conceptual framework draws on conceptualizations of teaching practice (e.g., Lampert, 2010), core practices (e.g., Grossman et al., 2009), and theories of justice (e.g., Fraser & Honneth, 2003; Young, 1990) to define social justice teaching practices. In considering advocacy practices as a case of social justice teaching practices, this paper employs literature from other professional fields, such as social work and school counseling, that have conceptualized and described advocacy as a professional practice (e.g., Bemak & Chung, 2005; Hepworth, Rooney, Rooney, Strom-Gottfried, & Larsen, 2010). This cross-professional scholarship supports the creation of a framework for advocacy practices in teaching that have the potential to enact social justice goals in the classroom and beyond.

Findings
The cross-professional literature on advocacy suggests that the goals of advocacy practice are consistent with the goals of social justice teaching practice. This paper conceptualizes advocacy practice as it is enacted with and on behalf of individuals and groups in order to obtain services or resources; modify or influence policies or practices that adversely affect groups or communities; promote legislation or policies that will benefit individuals, groups, or communities (Hepworth et al., 2010); and facilitate students’ own social action (Davidson & Rapp, 1976).
Scholarly Significance
In order to better support students traditionally underserved by schools, educational researchers and teacher educators should consider how teachers enact social justice goals within and beyond the classroom through particular, teachable practices. The case of advocacy practices is a promising place to begin a research agenda that considers a broad array of teaching practices that support social justice goals and can be integrated into foundations coursework in teacher education.

Author

• Susannah Davis, University of Washington - Seattle