Transformative Teaching Framework
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The transformative education framework emphasizes a community-centric approach that intersects human rights, sustainability, and imagination to encourage students to engage in social and ecological democracy. It critiques traditional pedagogical methods, advocating for diverse curricula that empower student voices, valid interpretations of knowledge, and community involvement through authentic learning experiences. The role of educators shifts to that of mediators, facilitating students' exploration of sociocultural contexts while encouraging critical thinking and thick description of complex issues.
Transformative Teaching Framework
- 1. TRANSFORMATIVE EDUCATION FRAMEWORK Kurt Love, Ph.D. Central Connecticut State University
- 2. WHAT IS A TRANSFORMATIVE EDUCATION? Transformative education exists at the nexus of: Human Rights Sustainability Imagination Transformative education is community-centric and focused on supporting students to enact social and ecological democracy
- 3. WHAT IS A TRANSFORMATIVE EDUCATION? Transformative education exists at the nexus of: Human Rights Humans have the right to survive free of oppression Sustainability Preserving ecology by not depleting resources beyond what is able to be replenished for future generations Imagination Use of creativity to explore curiosity and use of spirit to explore fulfillment Transformative education is community-centric and focused on supporting students to enact social and ecological democracy
- 4. What is Transformative Learning? Learning is a process of changing one’s relationships with her/his community, which consist of interconnections with nature and society.
- 5. Zoe Weil & “Solutionaries”
- 6. Thinking Convergent Thinking - All paths lead to a single destination. This is rooted in a belief that there is only one “Truth.” Traditional Liberal/Progressive scaf Truth Thought fold New Truth d Thought scaffol Thought Thought
- 7. Thinking Divergent Thinking - Explore many paths in authentic settings with questions that have no predetermined answer. Transformative New New Thought Thought Relationship Critical Communities Info Questioning New New Thought Thought Relationship
- 9. Divergent Thinking & Transformative Learning Divergent thinking contextualized in community provides students to not only learn “basic” skills, but also opportunities for democratic discourse, participation and contributions to the world in which they live.
- 11. We Teach “Reality” Are teachers allowed to teach about lesser known information?
- 12. What is Transformative Learning? Assumptions: • Information is diverse, culturally grounded, and a representation of a value system (knowledge/power relationship). • Learners are constantly investigating their own locations (positionalities) in relationship to culture, ideology, power structures, technology, and nature. • Learners are constantly investigating processes in community (via the content areas) that perpetuate hegemonic relationships
- 13. Power & Education Power-Over Power Power-With Domination Nature Ecological over nature, sustainability, social injustice, human-nature docile & connection, oppressed Education social justice, student students engaged in creating social Community and ecological justice
- 14. TRANSFORMATIVE PEDAGOGIES Critical pedagogy Red Pedagogy Feminist pedagogy Peace education Queer pedagogy Holistic education Ecojustice pedagogy Aesthetic education Indigenous education
- 15. TRANSFORMATIVE FRAMEWORK 1. Questioning power/knowledge relationships 2. Students voices are legitimized 3. “Thick description” 4. Community-based learning: relevant, authentic, and contemporary connections • Connecting with art, spirituality, emotions, and nature 5. Students-as-researchers 6. Teacher-as-mediator
- 16. QUESTIONING POWER STRUCTURES AND POWER/KNOWLEDGE RELATIONSHIPS Knowledge is created by the privileged dominant elites of a society and reflects the views and values of that group. This “knowledge” becomes part of the general consensus of reality Knowledge from the privileged dominant elites may have hidden messages present in the form of Eurocentrism, White privilege, racism, classism, patriarchy, anthropocentrism, androcentrism, scientism, corporatism, hyper-patriotism, consumerism, globalization, naturism, heterosexism, homophobia, etc. Questioning this relationship often means re-centering marginalized voices.
- 17. 3 Types of Curricula • Mainstream Curriculum - Curriculum that is explicit • Hidden Curriculum - Messages that are present but hidden (i.e. forms of oppression and privilege) • Null Curriculum - Messages that are silenced, omitted, or marginalized.
- 18. 3 Ways to Teach About Columbus • Mainstream Curriculum - Columbus was a strong, brave “explorer” that opened the doors for European colonization of the Americas. • Hidden Curriculum - Europeans are more advanced and sophisticated than the indigenous peoples of the Americas. Eurocentrism, patriarchy, technology over nature. • Null Curriculum - Columbus violently exploited and dominated the indigenous peoples of the Americas, which was part of a larger European mindset that allowed for genocide, enslavement, assimilation, colonization and in contemporary settings, globalization (or global Westernization).
- 19. STUDENT VOICES ARE LEGITIMIZED Students generate knowledge, which is seen as legitimate by the teacher. The student’s experiences, worldviews, value systems, and identities are legitimate lenses of analysis of the content. This applies especially to students of color, female students, GLBTQ students, working class or poor students, or any students that have socially and/or culturally oppressed identities.
- 20. “THICK DESCRIPTION” Superficial Mainstream These two Message might set up a Null binary Message These two Relationships generally show a complexity not Tensions binary “packaged” Deep info
- 21. “THICK DESCRIPTION” Avoid binaries (including the binary relationship between mainstream and null content) The “Who” matters: Students should be able to articulate knowledge and understandings from different social, cultural, and political frames. Include null content, relationships and tensions.
- 22. FAST FOOD RESTAURANTS Mainstream: Fun, tasty, family-oriented Null: Unhealthy Relationships & Tensions: Serves millions every day, especially those that have limited access to food Avoid binary-thinking here, but can use this deeper understanding to work for a “sustainable” change
- 23. AUTHENTIC CONTEXTS Authentic contexts are real world issues that are currently present. Teachers need to take time to research and understand these current topics, know and develop meaningful relationships in the community, and turn them into cognitively appropriate questions for students to explore and investigate.
- 24. COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT The classroom is extended beyond the traditional “four walls.” Students explore knowledge that is present in the community through connecting with cultural commons -- elders, artists, musicians, government officials, activists, community organizers, journalists, health care workers, researchers, family members, etc.
- 25. COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT IN THE CULTURAL COMMONS Oral histories Connecting with artists/ musicians Ethnographies Field trips Raising Awareness Meeting/petitioning gov’t Art Exhibits officials Activism Interviews Connecting with elders Observations Connecting with community Comedy Night leaders Slam Poetry Evening
- 26. COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT STAGE 1 Researching the Community Interviews Ethnography (family, friends, members of (cultural thick description) organizations, leaders, veterans, artists, scientists, lawyers) Participatory Research (reporting on their experiences) Observations (the mall, school, sporting event, school Demographic Research (census, state dance, playground, on the internet via dept websites) social network sites, environment) Literature Research Case Study (local newspapers, internet) (focus on one person, group, location, ecology) Field Trips as sites for all of these
- 27. COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT STAGE 2 Action in the Community Art Exhibits Theatre of the Oppressed (Art show, public art, instillations, eco- (Forum theater, rainbow of desire, art, murals, street art, “guerrilla art”) image theater, legislative theater) Poetry Slams Reports & Publications (Writing to local newspaper, having a Critical Performances journalist present, BOE meetings, (Plays, musicals, choir pieces that community groups, WWW) rework and recontextualize texts or existing pieces) Documentary Film (Local issues, local attitudes, local Video Game projects, film festival) (Social or Eco-themed) Habitat for Humanity House
- 28. TEACHER'S ROLE = TEACHER-AS-MEDIATOR Teacher provides various sociocultural contexts for students to explore and research. The point here is not to stop at just the "facts" of the curriculum. The point is to really interrogate knowledge and curriculum through different sociocultural perspectives or frames and provide learning experiences where students provide thick description by investigating authentic questions.
- 29. HARTFORD TO WATERBURY Traditional: “How can you drive from Hartford to Waterbury?” Teacher gives directions and students meet at a predetermined destination. Students graded on their ability to follow directions and arrive at destination under a strict timetable
- 30. HARTFORD TO WATERBURY Liberal/Progressive: “How can you drive from Hartford to Waterbury?” Students can choose their own path to drive to predetermined destination. Students graded on their ability to describe their directions and arrive at destination under a flexible to strict timetable.
- 31. HARTFORD TO WATERBURY, NEW HAVEN TO BRIDGEPORT Transformative: “What are issues and challenges that different peoples experience with transportation from Hartford to Waterbury? To what extent do they differ from New Haven to Bridgeport?” Students investigate issues of social justice connected to transportation between Hartford and Waterbury as well as New Haven to Bridgeport. Students graded on their “thick descriptions” generated through their investigations. Timetable is flexible based on the needs of their studies.
- 32. STUDENT OUTCOMES: HARTFORD TO WATERBURY Traditional: Students describe directions from Hartford to Waterbury (by car) Liberal/Progressive: Students describe directions they want to take, but still result with the same directions as the goal (most likely by car) Transformative: Students analyze issues of accessibility and equity for people of different levels of socioeconomic backgrounds, and they also describe the directions (by car & mass transportation)
- 33. STUDENT'S ROLE = STUDENT-AS-RESEARCHER Students focus on understanding "authentic" issues in the world. They examine, explore, interpret, research, and study different sociocultural contexts, histories, and relationships. Statistics Ethnographies Surveys Artistic Interpretations Demographics Interviews Case Studies Biographies
- 34. STUDENT'S ROLE = STUDENT-AS-RESEARCHER Students are generally focused on answering authentic questions that connect back to these: 1. Who are we as a community? 2. What are we doing? 3. What do we want to do?
- 35. ART & AUTHENTICITY Art brings us immediately to the facts and skills that are in our curricula Art locates us in the issues of community
- 36. JUST THE “FACTS” Community Community: Who we are, Learning Art what we’re is doing, and engaged what we want because of to do Facts the Skills Art: context, Concepts Ways to not explore and interpret the relationships content and knowledge in community
- 37. VIDEO LINKS Zoe Weil & Solutionaries http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5HEV96dIuY Ken Robinson & Divergent Thinking http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U Messages in Water http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6q3QlqaLzyo