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Essay Question: Discuss how educators can teach for social justice. Considering
Reconciliation pedagogy

Sarah Attwood
2087014
Friday, 19 October 2012, 03:00 Pm
2000 words

This essay discusses how educators can Teach for Social Justice, and then considers Reconciliation
Pedagogy and how it can be incorporated it into classrooms. The starting point when teaching for social
justice is to recognise and be aware of oppression and injustice in our world. We live in a me-first, got-
to-have-it-now, money-driven world overloaded with economic inequality and social injustices. What
happens in our classrooms both shapes and is shaped by the social currents which define what we are and
where we are heading as a society, yet little attention has been focussed on the teaching of diversity,
equality and justice in our schools. The Australian Curriculum is committed to make learning relevant to
the lives of all students, addressing the contemporary issues they face, with special attention focused on
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures.
Trust and transformation are critical in achieving reconciliation in Australia, which in turn requires students
to be educated about the aims of Reconciliation. This will involve raising their awareness and knowledge of
Indigenous history, together with developing a deeper awareness of Indigenous cultural heritage and
knowledge, and of racialisation and its impact on race relations in Australia, and a commitment to close
the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people.
This essay will discuss how education is central to creating a fairer society. Trust and transformation on
both sides is critical if reconciliation is to be achieved; and educators can play a vital role in addressing
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these issues, and in helping to change and break-down the barriers and the shackles which arise out of
Whiteness theories.
What is social justice? It is a socio-political ideology that emphasizes the equality of all people and that
because of bias, and policy, some will not be fairly treated. Social justice is a set of ideas created so such
things do not happen. The term and modern concept of "social justice" was coined by the Jesuit Luigi
Taparelli in 1840. John A. Ryan, a moral theologian expanded on the idea and was instrumental in initiating
the concept of a living wage. Social justice as a secular concept, distinct from religious teachings, emerged
mainly in the late twentieth century influenced largely by Political philosopher John Rawls. He draws from
insights of philosophers such as Bentham, Mill, John Locke, and Kant. Rawls first stated in A Theory of
Justice that, "Each person possesses an inviolability founded on justice that even the welfare of society as a
whole cannot override. For this reason justice denies that the loss of freedom for some is made right by a
greater good shared by others"(John. R. p 34). This point is essential to keep in mind when taking on the
role as educator and teaching for social justice.
The Australian Human Rights Commission states that Social justice is about making sure that every
Australian Indigenous and non-Indigenous has choices about how they live and the means to make
those choices. It also means recognising the distinctive rights that Indigenous Australians hold as the
original peoples of this land (Australian Human Rights Commission). Thus, when teachers teach for social
justice they are working to end the cycle of oppression; this will involve the identification of oppression in
its various forms, and the taking of actions in the classroom designed to interrupt these cycles of
oppression. Consequently, the first requirement is for teachers to expand their own knowledge, both
personal and professional, about the oppression and marginalisation of different groups.
Educators must begin with the assumption that children both can - and want to - learn and grow, and a
teachers responsibilities in facilitating change should not be under-estimated. They have a significant role
in disrupting the cycles of oppression, and they should assist students to gain an Intercultural
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understanding, so that they become responsible local and global citizens, equipped through their
education for living and working together in an interconnected world (ACARA).
Herbert Kohl argues that teachers may be inclined to teach against their conscience, limit
their methodology, and focus heavily on being good teachers without placing similar emphasis on being
good citizens. Overcoming these inclinations is the crux of what he and many other educators call "teaching
for social justice"(Kohl, H. Rethinking Schools). In fact, if teachers do not take on this responsibility to teach
for social justice, how will the children and so society - ever change? It is not enough then, to just teach
well and create a social justice classroom, separate from the larger community. Burants says of teachers,
You have to be a community activist, a good parent, a decent person and an active community member as
well (Burant.T *et al.+ p 37).
For teachers, attention to social justice issues includes understandings of fairness and equity with regard
to gender, race, class, disability, sexual orientation; most importantly, to be active participants in
recognizing, naming, and combating inequality in schools and local and global society. We need to
recognise what oppression looks like, how it occurs and who is involved. Then we need to identify and
challenge the reasons underlying oppression and investigate strategies to counter them. Finally, we need
to take action in the classroom to interrupt the cycles of oppression. Therefore it is essential that teachers
expand their personal and professional knowledge base about issues of oppression and marginalized
groups.
An essential factor in recognizing oppression is understanding that there is injustice in our world. Some
groups of people are consistently privileged, being made to feel recognised, accepted, included and
empowered; in contrast, others are consistently disadvantaged, being made to feel ignored and de-valued,
allowed little voice, having fewer choices or opportunities, and being ridiculed and/or harassed. Noel
Pearson, a lawyer and activist states writes in this book Radical Hope that it has ever been the case that
individual students from disadvantaged backgrounds overcome social and economic disadvantages and
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succeed. The problem we are dealing with here is a social one. The onus falls on those who believe in the
classical ideal to show that education reform can produce broad-based transformation among
disadvantaged students, and not just the raising up of a few (Pearson. N. 2011. p23). It is therefore
imperative that educational social justice curriculum strive to incorporate the lives of all people in our
society, especially those marginalized, subjugated and dominated.
It is not enough to simply receive an education; students have a right to feel engaged with their learning.
This belief is central and vital if we are to improve educational outcomes for both our Indigenous and non-
indigenous children in Australia. Whilst it is imperative that children have a robust education, it is even
more beneficial to the students if it encompasses their individual learning style and cultural background.
By engaging Indigenous and non-Indigenous students in the classroom, school and their learning, teachers
may improve educational outcomes for their students. Indigenous leaders have emphasised that
education needs to be exciting and culturally engaging to encourage parental and community interest
(Pearson, 2004).
For teachers who want to construct equitable, meaningful, and lively educational experiences for children,
they have to concern themselves with issues beyond the classroom walls. As Wayne Au, an Assistant
Professor in the Education Program at the University of Washington states: Schools have crucial
obligations not only to individual students and families, but to our society as a whole (Wayne Au.
Rethinking our classrooms).
Once teachers can recognise what oppression looks like, they must then challenge what oppression means.
They will need to become good researches and listeners, to connect with their local communities, and to
engage with and learn from their students. As African-American educator Lisa Delpit has written, "When
teachers are teaching children who are different from themselves, they must call upon parents in a
collaborative fashion if they are to learn who their students really are" (Delpit). Understanding of, and
discussions on, social justice are best captured through individuals who can bear witness to the realities of
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injustice in their own lives. This means that teachers have to start conversations, build relationships and
embrace the cultural diversity not only of their school community, but also of the communities they seek
to serve.
The recognition of oppression and its many forms needs to lead to action in the classroom. This will require
the teacher to create a curriculum that encourages students to be critical observers of their own world and
to value difference, so they can recognise and question injustice, develop empathy with those involved,
and ultimately take action themselves. A social justice classroom should equip all the children with critical
thinking; they will need not only to change perceptions and thoughts that exist in the world, but also to
manoeuvre within the one that exists within themselves. This action taken in the classroom does not only
involve curricula, because teachers also need to act in subtler ways; for example, by slight modifications in
the wording of issues discussed in class. In addition, their personal, social, and professional lives need to
reflect their desire for social justice.

Improvements in the relationships of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders with other Australians will need
more people to talk about the issues involved, and to come up with innovative ways of creating positive
change. Reconciliation Pedagogy is concerned with developing a deep awareness of Indigenous cultural
heritage and knowledge, racialization and its impact on race relations in Australia, and a commitment to
closing the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in Australia (Dr Belinda MacGill).
Similarly, The Australian Curriculum acknowledges the need for students to become more informed and
active citizens by encouraging them in thinking critically about and analysing Australias peoples and
history.
Engagement of indigenous students, their families and communities in school is essential to improve
educational outcomes, since education, trust and transformation are critical in achieving reconciliation.
However, indigenous leaders have long emphasised that education needs to be exciting and culturally
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engaging to encourage parental and community interest (Pearson, 2004). So teachers need to be
culturally sensitive, and to utilise Inclusive pedagogy in their teaching. It is important to realise that
although some Issues of oppression have historically been silenced, ODonoghue emphasises that one
cannot engage in reconciliation pedagogy without engaging in key areas that recognise a history of
oppression and dispossession, and a history of systematic racism (Lowitja ODonoghue, 2004).
The acknowledgment of a history of oppression and dispossession, and of systematic racism, is central to
the reconciliation process. Educators must illuminate the appropriate connections between past events
and circumstances and the present day, in order to make learning more meaningful for students and to
help them make sense of key ideas. The past has a power to teach present-day children about unsung
heroes, and can be used to show them how to discover the truth, and how to look for fiction posing as
truth.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, what happens in our classrooms both shapes and is shaped by the social currents which
define what we are and where we are heading as a society. The starting point when teaching for social
justice is to recognise and be aware of oppression and injustice in our world. This essay has demonstrates
how educators can Teach for Social Justice by incorporating Reconciliation Pedagogy into classrooms
across Australia. The starting point when teaching for social justice is to recognise and be aware of
oppression and injustice in our world. Education is central to the making of a fairer society.


Social justice. 2012. Social justice. [ONLINE] Available
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