Social Justice in the Classroom: It’s Not an Add On!

• In Event: Transformative Resistance: Learning to Teach for Social Justice and Equity

Abstract

This work examines how social justice is observed and discussed by preservice teachers placed in elementary school classrooms. The objectives for this study are to; 1) examine how social justice is being incorporated by the cooperating teachers and, 2) analyze pre-service teachers’ reflections on the observations. Sixty-three preservice teachers utilized a guided observation to identify elements of social justice teaching in their field placements. Results were analyzed using exploratory mixed methods. Our data suggests that our students’ cooperating teachers’ lessons do not link content to real world problems nor make meaningful connections between home and school. Students’ responses indicate a superficial “add-on” approach to social justice, implying the need for a more integrated social justice framework in Teacher Education programs.

Authors

• Tabitha Dell'Angelo, The College of New Jersey

• Louise S. Ammentorp, The College of New Jersey

• Mariah Alston, The College of New Jersey