Beyond the Deficit Model: Exploring Factors Influencing Classroom Pedagogical Change

• In Event: Roundtable Group 2
  In Refereed Roundtable Session: Critical Pedagogy and Empowerment: A Journey of Civic Awareness, Teacher Activism, and Deconstructing Neoliberalism

Proposal

Pedagogy is a complex interplay of moral, ethical, cultural, political, and technical factors that shape classroom practice. While global education reform efforts have sought to transition from traditional teacher-centered approaches to learner-centered pedagogies, the expected transformations have not materialized despite substantial investments in teacher training and resources.

The prevailing deficit model, attributing the lack of pedagogical shifts to teachers' insufficient commitment, technical knowledge, or resources, falls short of acknowledging the complexities involved. This paper argues that transforming teaching practices is deeply intertwined with the broader political, cultural, institutional, and social factors that constitute the educational ecosystem.

By focusing solely on the technical aspects of classroom practice, we overlook that pedagogy is not a value-free activity. The larger educational ecosystem's policies, values, histories, and worldviews influence a teacher's classroom practice. In this regard, the absence of pedagogical change can be seen as a form of protest rather than just a deficiency in resources, knowledge, or commitment. This paper explores how the purposes of education, values, policies, and broader institutional and social processes govern decisions about pedagogical change in the classroom.

Drawing on socio-cultural literature on pedagogies and the insights of the Center for Universal Education's recent project, Strengthening Pedagogical Approaches for Relevant Knowledge and Skills (SPARKS), we delve into the complexities of navigating observable and non-observable elements of classroom practice. This includes interactions with students, curriculum design, assessment strategies, and underlying theories and ideologies about teaching and learning.

The paper emphasizes the need for dialogue regarding the fundamental purposes of education, collaborative research, understanding the colonial history of modern schooling, and acknowledging education as an ecosystem that encompasses more than just schools. By doing so, we can foster real transformative change within educational systems.

Recognizing that the lack of pedagogical change in the classroom is a powerful form of protest, this paper urges us to move away from a deficit model and understand the social, cultural, religious, economic, and political factors that shape teachers' decisions and behavior in the classroom.

Author

• Ghulam Omar Qargha, The Brookings Institution