Actions Speak Louder than Words: Community Activism as Curriculum

by Oyler; Celia

• ISBN13: 9780415881616
• ISBN10: 0415881617
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2011-08-15
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

How do educators engage students in community action projects without telling them what to think, how to think, or what to do? Is it possible to integrate social justice organizing into the curriculum without imposing one#xE2;#xAC;"s political views on students? In Actions Speak Louder than Words, longtime activist and teacher educator Celia Oyler delves into such questions through firsthand accounts of social action projects. By moving beyond charity work or volunteerism, she shows how community activism projects offer fertile ground for practicing democratic engagement as part of classroom work. Actions Speak Louder than Wordsis a systematic, qualitative study offering in-depth and detailed portraits of teachers who design social action projects as part of the regular classroom curriculum. Each case forms a chapter organized as a narrative that includes excerpts from classroom dialogues, and interviews with students, teachers, and parents describing their social action projects with sufficient detail to give educators guidance for designing such projects for their own classrooms. The final chapter examines power, pedagogy, and learning outcomes across the cases, providing specific guidance to educators wishing to take up such projects and offering instructional and procedural advice as well as cautions. A fresh new example of taking up the challenge to teach toward equity and social justice, Actions Speak Louder than Wordsis an invaluable resource for educators who are passionate about the possibility of integrating activism and advocacy into curriculum as a means to engage in strong democracy.

Table of Contents

Series Editor Introduction	p. xi
Acknowledgments	p. xiii
Introduction: Teaching with Social Action, Activism, and Advocacy Projects	p. 1
What Is Social Action?	p. 3
The Politics of Action	p. 4
Democracy, Civic Agency, and Social Action	p. 6
The Research Project	p. 7
The Cases	p. 9
Curriculum for Civic Agency: Rebecca Jim and Tar Creek	p. 12
The Tar Creek Superfund Site	p. 13
Meeting Rebecca Jim	p. 15
Integrating Social Advocacy and Action into Curriculum	p. 17
Educational Outreach	p. 17
A Sense of Efficacy	p. 18
Learning Outcomes	p. 19
Controversy and Criticism	p. 20
Finding Receptive Public Spaces	p. 23
A Curriculum of Protest: Joe Szwaja at Nova High School	p. 25
A School for Activism	p. 26
Permission to Protest	p. 28
Meeting Joe Szwaja	p. 30
The Globalization Curriculum Project	p. 30
Genres for Social Action Pedagogy	p. 33
Teachers' Political Commitments and Classroom Pedagogy	p. 35
Advocating for the Commons: Lance Powell and Hunters Point	p. 39
Meeting Lance Powell	p. 40
Defending the Academic High School	p. 42
Writing a Statement for Public Testimony	p. 43
Presenting the Statements	p. 49
The Mock Meeting	p. 52
Assessing Student Learning	p. 52
Advanced Placement Environment Science: Trail-Blazing, Project-Based Curriculum	p. 55
Protecting the Commons	p. 56
Passion and Point of View	p. 58
A Big Win	p. 61
Culturally Relevant Pedagogy and Action for the Community: Derrlyn Tom at Mission High School	p. 63
Meeting Derrlyn Tom	p. 64
Culturally Relevant Pedagogy	p. 65
A Class in Action	p. 66
Indications of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy	p. 68
A Curriculum of Community	p. 69
Working with Community-Based Organizations	p. 69
Field Trips	p. 71
Community Projects	p. 73
Community Interviews	p. 76
The Bay Project	p. 78
Educational Outreach About the Bay	p. 79
Power Plant March: Youth on Fire Celebration	p. 79
Connecting Student Agency and Collective Responsibility	p. 81
Community and Critical Consciousness	p. 83
"It's Better to Know What's Really Going On"	p. 85
Emergent and Integrated Curriculum: Brian Schultz at Byrd Academy	p. 87
The Dilapidated School	p. 88
Meeting Brian Schultz	p. 89
Student Decision-Making	p. 90
Supportive Group Process	p. 91
Project Citizen	p. 92
Taking Action	p. 93
Preparing Public Testimony	p. 95
Integrated Emergent Individualized Curriculum	p. 96
Individualized Learning	p. 96
Integrated Curriculum and Flexible Scheduling	p. 97
Emphasis on Focus	p. 99
Wins Along the Way	p. 100
Closing the School	p. 102
Entering the Fray	p. 103
Education for Action: Eric Rofes at Humboldt State University	p. 106
How Eric Rofes Teaches	p. 108
Emphasis on Structure	p. 108
Use of Small Groups	p. 110
Discussion on Coalition Building	p. 112
Portfolio Reflections	p. 114
The Projects	p. 115
Focus/Goals	p. 115
The Issue	p. 116
INTERLUDE: Eric Rofes as Reflective Facilitator of Power and Authority for Social Change	p. 118
Food Not Lawns	p. 119
Alive with the Struggle	p. 121
Skills Building	p. 121
Movement Building	p. 122
Accepting Non-Perfection	p. 122
Collective Organizing for Social Change	p. 123
Postscript	p. 123
Becoming an Activist Teacher: Barbara Regenspan at SUNY Binghamton	p. 125
Social Action as Curriculum: The Course	p. 126
Visiting Class	p. 127
Invitation to an Encounter	p. 128
Discussion of Privilege and Power	p. 128
The Social Action Projects	p. 130
Peace Chorus	p. 130
International Child-to-Child Communication	p. 131
Protecting Wetlands	p. 131
Parenting-Assistance Calendar and Soldier-Care Bags	p. 132
Newcomers' Photography Project	p. 135
Becoming a Teacher-Activist	p. 135
Toxic Waste	p. 136
Kids' Leadership Retreat	p. 136
Books for Kids	p. 137
Gently Nudging Toward Expansion	p. 137
Conclusion: Planning Social Action Projects	p. 142
What All the Projects Had in Common	p. 143
Teaching with the Project Method	p. 143
Learning Organizing Skills	p. 144
Learning through Teachers' Caring	p. 146
Teachers as Learners and Risk Takers	p. 146
A Framework for Social Action Projects in the Classroom	p. 147
Tips from the Teachers	p. 152
Challenges of Doing Social Action Projects in Schools	p. 155
Current Emphasis on Testing	p. 153
Under-Resourced Conditions	p. 154
Demands on Teacher Time	p. 155
Dependency on Teachers' Critical Consciousness	p. 156
What is Acceptable to Pursue	p. 157
The Role of Social Imagination and the Common Good	p. 159
Afterword: Where Are They Now?	p. 162
Rebbecca Jim	p. 162
Joe Swaja	p. 163
Lance Powell	p. 165
Derrlyn Tom	p. 168
Brian Schultz	p. 169
Eric Rofes	p. 171
Barbara Regenspan	p. 171
Appendix: Notes on Methodology and Methods	p. 175
Data Collection	p. 176
Teacher Interviews	p. 176
Other interviews	p. 177
Semi-Structured Interview Protocols	p. 177
Group Interviews with Students	p. 178
Classroom Observations	p. 178
Field Notes and Analytic Memos	p. 178
Back Home after Data Collections	p. 179
Verbatim Transcriptions	p. 179
Data Management	p. 179
Data Analysis	p. 179
Transcriptions in Text	p. 180
Transcription Notation	p. 181
Names, Pseudonyms, and Editing the Public Record	p. 181
Notes	p. 183
References	p. 185
Index	p. 191
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