Transforming Teaching and Learning Through Social Movement in the Global South

• In Event: Promoting Inclusion, Equity, and Diversity Through System Change: Global Efforts Toward Education 2030

Abstract

Purpose

This paper outlines a theory of action to transform teaching and learning at scale, drawing from a comparative analysis of three movements of widespread pedagogical transformation from the Global South with demonstrated success in improving educational opportunities and outcomes for children and youth in historically marginalized communities: the Learning Community Project (LCP) in Mexico, Escuela Nueva (EN) in Colombia, and Activity Based Learning (ABL) in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

Perspective

The theory of action is to change the grammar of schooling (Tyack & Cuban, 1995) from standardized to culturally diverse, inclusive and critical forms through a process of widespread cultural change. This occurs when counter-hegemonic values and practices developed by a critical community are taken up by movements that spread these in three arenas: pedagogical, social, and political (Identifying Reference, 2019; Rochon, 1998). Social movements have historically served as the most prominent vehicles for widespread cultural transformation. Their logic of operation contains important keys to change the grammar of schooling at scale.

Methods and Data Sources

Three in-depth case studies were created to capture the history and development of LCP, EN, and ABL from their origins to 2015. The case studies drew from rich data sources consisting of interviews and focus groups with 176 actors, classroom observations in 27 schools, and over 850 documents. The cases were reviewed with the explicit intention of identifying core principles of action, as well as key shortcomings, shared in common among the three cases.

Findings

Eight principles of action to change the grammar of schooling at scale were identified (Table 1). The first five represent the principles of action shared in common among LCP, EN, and ABL, and are the result of examining what these efforts have done and accomplished so far. The bottom three principles of action represent an attempt to articulate how some of the key shortcoming of these three initiatives could be addressed moving forward.

Table 1. Principles of Action to Change the Grammar of Schooling at Scale

Looking Back
1. Turn 'disadvantage' into possibility
2. Establish a simple, compelling and actionable vision of effective pedagogy
3. Change the pedagogical core from the inside out
4. Create multiple opportunities to observe, practice, and refine the new pedagogies
5. Leverage institutional power and change its logic

Moving Forward
6. Establish processes of continuous improvement
7. Mind the pace of expansion
8. Establish a new institutional culture

Scholarly significance

Fundamentally changing the grammar of schooling at scale to more diverse, inclusive and critical forms remains one of the most important challenges of educational systems around the world (Cuban, 1984; Elmore, 1996; Sarason, 1982). The paper contributes a practice-based theory and key principles of action to change the grammar of schooling across entire educational systems.

This presentation draws attention to successful cases of widespread pedagogical change in the Global South, a region often overlooked by education research, and yet with a lot to offer when it comes to reinventing schooling inclusively and internationally. It contributes to a much-needed Global North-Global South conversation on the future of inclusive learning and schooling.

Authors

• Santiago Rincon-Gallardo, Michael Fullan Enterprises

• Tricia Niesz, Kent State University