TSJ Models
Edu 430/530 Professionalism and Social Justice
TSJ Models
Models that link Teaching for Social Justice to pedagogical practice and curriculum
development.
Developed by Pat Russo and Anne Fairbrother
In the SUNY Oswego School of Education, we define Teaching for Social Justice as both a
principle and a goal. Adams, Bell, & Griffin (1997) provide a more in depth discussion of the
nature of this goal to guide our work:
We believe that social justice education is both a process and a goal. The goal of social justice
education is full and equal participation of all groups in a society that is mutually shaped to meet
their needs. Social justice includes a vision of society in which the distribution of resources is
equitable and all members are physically and psychologically safe and secure. We envision a
society in which individuals are both self-determining (able to develop their full capacities) and
interdependent (capable of interacting democratically with others). Social justice involves social
actors who have a sense of their own agency as well as a sense of social responsibility toward
and with others and the society as a whole. (p. 3)
We recognize that Teaching for Social Justice is an essential component of our programs to
prepare candidates to help all students learn, grow, and flourish. Our goal is that candidates will
become advocates for all children, proactively resisting/addressing injustice within and beyond
the classroom.
Pedagogical Practice
The best statements and examples of Teaching for Social Justice are provided in a number of
books published by the Rethinking Schools organization (www.rethinkingschools.org). In one
volume, the editors (Bigelow et al, 1994) define Teaching for Social Justice in the following
way:
…a common social and pedagogical vision unites this collection. This vision is characterized by
several interlocking components that together comprise what we call a social justice
classroom…we argue that curriculum and classroom practice must be:
 Grounded in the lives of our students
 Critical
 Multicultural, anti-racist, pro-justice
 Participatory, experiential
 Hopeful, joyful, kind, visionary
 Activist
 Academically rigorous
 Culturally sensitive (pp. 4-5)
In the next section, we share information about seven models that exemplify Teaching for Social Justice
practice that we have compiled as a result of reviewing a number of resources. For each model we
provide a brief description, some lesson descriptions, and several resources.
We realize that this source book is to be used by student teachers who are placed in grades 1-12. Because
of this, we have tried to provide samples of lesson descriptions that cross all grade levels and all content
TSJ Models
areas. However, we expect student teachers to use the best of their creativity to extrapolate ideas from
these examples that are would work for their unique classroom setting.
Teaching for Social Justice Model 1. Difference-Injustice-Justice: This model, derived from
Derman-Sparks & the A.B.C. Task Force (1989), has three key components:
 Recognize and value difference;
 identify and name injustice;
 talk about and plan to address injustice
Although the anti-bias curriculum plans were developed for use with early childhood programs,
their strategies can be used at any level pre-K through 12 (and beyond). This model is one of the
most basic frameworks for thinking about TSJ. In nearly all models, there is some attention to
helping students recognize and value differences of race/ethnicity, gender, (dis)ability, class,
sexuality, family structure, religion, and/or language. Also, all the models draw attention to
helping students identify and name examples of injustice that occur around difference. Nearly
always, when we help students to identify injustice, they want to do something about the
injustice they now see. Thus, the third part of this basic approach is to help students talk about
and/or plan to address the injustice they have uncovered.
How does this play out in the classroom? Because this model is such a basic framework, the
model shows up in many different classrooms, in many different ways. You will see this in the
range of examples we provide in the following section.
Begin at this point: Imagine lessons in which you address all three of these things:
differenceinjusticejustice
Avoid the myth that by talking about difference (or injustice) that the talk will only encourage
poor attitudes. Instead think about helping kids to develop language for the things they see
around them.
Avoid your tendency to stop conversation by telling the kids about how alike we all are. We are
alike in many ways, but injustice tends to grow from how we perceive differences, so focus on
the injustice, rather than avoiding it. When students embrace a climate of valuing difference, of
seeing how difference strengthens and deepens what a group can do, then injustice will diminish.
Avoid thinking that the only difference to be discussed is the difference within your classroom.
Do not single out the one Latino boy, or the one girl with two moms, or the one kid with a
physical disability. Instead talk about difference between the people that show up in your
curriculum. Find literature that addresses differences, and use that to start conversations. Use
word problems in math lessons that address injustice. Talk about injustice around issues in social
studies lessons. Find issues relating to social justice as you teach science concepts.
The following lesson descriptions provide some examples of this model.
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Derman Sparks and the ABC Task Force (1989). Chapter 8, “Learning To Resist
Stereotyping and Discriminatory Behavior.” Pp. 69-76.
Sleeter & Grant (2007). Turning On Learning. Folk and Fairy Tales Lesson Pp. 206-209.
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Rethinking Our Classrooms, Volume 1, “Tapping Into Feelings of Fairness” pp. 44-48
Teaching for Social Justice Model 2. Critical Lens: Develop a critical lens for viewing the
world (Banks & McGee Banks, 1997) that includes recognizing patterns of privilege and/or
disadvantage; identifying and unpacking stereotypes; and noticing how social attitudes result in
the valuing or devaluing of people from particular social groups.
Teaching for social justice is teaching that arouses students, engages them in a quest to identify
obstacles to their full humanity, to their freedom, and then to drive, to move against those
obstacles. And so the fundamental message of the teacher for social justice is: You can change
the world. (Ayers, 1998, p. xvii)
When we use the term “critical lens” here, we are not talking about what is often referred to as “critical
thinking” in schools. In “critical thinking” we usually focus on increasing students’ reading
comprehension by helping them understand cause/effect relationships, or sequencing of events, or maybe
even character development. When we use the term “critical lens” in terms of teaching for social justice
we are talking about helping students see the world with an eye that is sensitized to noticing injustice in
its many forms.
Once you begin noticing injustice in the world, you tend to see it all around you: on television, at
the movies, in store displays, in interactions between people at the mall, in the workplace, and
even in your own family. By helping students attend to evidence of injustice around issues of
race, class, gender, sexuality, (dis)ability, religion, or language, you will sharpen the lens they
use to view their world.
However, if you try to simply tell students that this or that example is evidence of injustice, they
will likely reject your suggestions. Instead, to help students develop a critical lens, you should
work to present them with information (or help them to collect information) that they can use to
draw their own conclusions about social injustice. Then you can help them learn skills for
analyzing what they are seeing, and for addressing the issues of injustice they raise.
The following lesson descriptions provide some examples of this model.
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Sleeter & Grant, Turning On Learning: Stereotypes Lesson, pp. 106-109
Reading, Writing and Rising Up, “Unlearning the Myths That Bind Us: Critiquing
Cartoons and Society,” pp. 40-47 and 50-51.
Rethinking Mathematics, “Ten Chairs of Inequality,” pp. 135-137
Rethinking Our Classroms Vol 2, “Teaching Math Across the Curriculum,” pp. 84-88
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Teaching for Social Justice Model 3. Simulations of Exclusion: Develop an understanding of
the impact of exclusionary practices through simulations; and then move beyond feelings of
empathy (or sympathy) toward an analysis of injustice.
Caution: This model should only be used with careful thought about your students’ strengths
and needs, and with careful planning.
This model begins with a classroom simulation that is designed so that some of the students are
purposely left out of some classroom activity, denied classroom privileges, or denied the use of
their sight, hearing, hands, or mobility. During the simulation, the teacher often makes the
situation more frustrating by doing or saying things that further handicaps the excluded students.
After 10 minutes, or an hour, or sometimes more than an hour, the simulation stops and the class
discusses the experience, usually with the students who were excluded talking about how it felt
to be left out.
The best known example of this kind of exercise was developed by then teacher, Jane Elliott,
following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1968. This lesson is known as the
“Blue Eyes, Brown Eyes Experiment” (see www.janeelliott.org).
However, to use this model from a teaching for social justice stance, the teacher needs to take the
discussion further than simply talking about how it feels to be left out.
Following the simulation, it is important to discuss the event and the feelings that this simulation
elicited. The teacher should be sure to examine feelings of being left out, but also the feelings
(and thoughts) of the students who were included, privileged, or allowed to be able-bodied. This
is a key point of departure into discussions of injustice. For another discussion of this topic see
the document “Teaching About People With Disabilities and Social Justice,” in the Hot Button
Issues section later in this packet.
These are some things we know about exclusion in our society today:
 there are always people who are included or excluded (because of issues of race, class,
gender, sexuality, (dis)ability, religion, language, and other characteristics)
 people who are privileged (included) often do not realize that exclusion is going on for
others
 when people who are excluded complain, others often do not understand the basis of their
claim
 sometimes people who are excluded do not even realize it is happening to them
 sometimes people think their privileges are deserved and only a result of their hard work
(even though this isn’t always the case)
 sometimes people assume others deserve to be left (excluded) out because of their lack of
effort (they fail to see the structure that routinely excludes people automatically)—in
teaching for social justice terms we call this: discrimination or oppression
 injustice exists as a result of the confusing assumptions and attitudes about exclusion and
inclusion
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in order to understand and challenge such injustice, we try to help students identify
situations where people have been left out (excluded) even though they deserve to be
included
Later in this packet, in the section titled “What Does It Mean to Teach For Social Justice,” there
are many examples of inclusion (privilege) and exclusion (discrimination or oppression)
provided in the sections on race, class, gender, sexuality, and (dis)ability.
When teachers use this model in their classroom lessons, after talking about feelings of being left
out, it is important to move the discussion to issues of fairness when inclusion or exclusion
occurs.
Note: A simulation is not the same as a role playing exercise. In a simulation students do not
pretend to be someone else, or pretend to know what someone else is thinking. In a simulation,
the students act like themselves within an artificial situation that the teacher sets up.
Caution: Because this model calls for a simulation where some students are actually left out, and
expected to feel bad, if this activity isn’t done carefully the students may become needlessly
upset. There are many strategies you can use to help prepare the students for the activity, or to
prepare an activity that minimizes this risk. Also, these types of activities should never be used
before a very comfortable, trusting, and caring relationship has been developed between the
teacher and the students.
The following lesson descriptions provide some examples of this model.
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Rethinking Our Classrooms, Vol 2 “A Lesson On the Japanese-American Internment,”
pp. 73-74
Rethinking Our Classrooms, Vol 1, “The Organic Goodie Simulation,” ppl 88-90
Wink, J (1997). section of Chapter 5, pp. 101-103. in Critical Pedagogy: Notes From the
Real World. Boston: Pearson (Allyn and Bacon).
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Teaching for Social Justice Model 4. Critical Studies of Cultural Groups: Teach about cultural
groups (within the US or beyond) in a way that includes multiple perspectives, issues of power
and privilege, dominance or subordination, privilege or exclusion, advantage or disadvantage.
Here the term critical refers to considering issues of oppression or injustice within the lessons.
Use the wonderful features of the World Wide Web to explore a fuller picture of any cultural
group (historic or current). Your approach should be sure to:
 Include multiple perspectives of events or circumstances
 Use primary documents that represent the authentic voice of the cultural group
 Provide information about discrimination, oppression, or exploitation of the cultural
group
 Make links between historical and current experiences of a cultural group
 Share more comprehensive (and truthful) information about holidays, heroes’ experiences
 Situate the experiences and struggles of one cultural group within the larger story of
struggles for social justice, independence, and/or human rights
Notice: This approach lends itself quite well to the use of Documents Based Questioning (DBQ)
activities that are currently used in the K-12 curriculum.
Avoid teaching about the following:
 "heroes and holidays" (Banks, 1999; Lee et al, 1998), where you only present one
perspective, or a misrepresentation of particular heros or holidays (see hot button issue
document later in this packet)
 "tourist curriculum" (Derman-Sparks, 1989), where you view a society as if you were
tourist, only looking for entertaining experiences
 "exotic" examples of cultures, where you only focus on traditional, or mythic, or
idealized stories of a particular cultural group’s history or current existence
The following lesson descriptions provide some examples of this model.
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Rethinking Columbus, “Discovering Columbus: Re-reading the Past,” pp. 17-22
Turning on Learning, Lesson Plan: Back Home During World War II (Before) to
Japanese Americans—U. S. Citizens (After) and Why the Changes. Pp. 154-156
Rethinking Our Classrooms, Volume 2, “Unsung Hereos” pp. 34-36.
Rethinking Our Classrooms, Volume 2, “Teaching About Unsung Heroes,” pp. 37-41
Rethinking Our Classrooms, Volume 2, “Discovering the Truth About Helen Keller,” pp.
42-44.
Rethinking Our Classrooms, Volume 1, “The Politics of Children’s Literature: What’s
Wrong With the Rosa Parks Myth?” pp. 137-140.
Turning On Learning. Mong History, pp. 44-49.
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Teaching for Social Justice Model 5. Critical Culturally Relevant Teaching. Use culturally
responsive (Gay, 2000), culturally relevant (Ladson-Billings, 1994), and student centered
pedagogical practices. This model and the next model (Authentic Learning) both call on teachers
to include the lived experiences of their students within the lessons. In this model, we focus on
understanding the general cultural experiences and backgrounds of the students in the teacher’s
classroom. In the next model, we will focus on teachers attending to the unique (according to
time and place) day to day experiences students bring into the classroom.
Darling-Hammond and others (2002) remind us of the important link between students and their
social cultural experiences:
A critical task in becoming an effective teacher of diverse students is coming to understand
individual young people in nonstereotypical ways while acknowledging and comprehending the
ways in which culture and context influence their lives and learning. (p. 209)
Banks and McGee Banks (1995) refer to this model as "equity pedagogy:"
We define equity pedagogy as teaching strategies and classroom environments that help students
from diverse racial, ethnic, cultural groups attain the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to
function effectively within, and help create and perpetuate, a just, humane, and democratic
society. (p. 152)
Teachers who successfully implement equity pedagogy draw upon a sophisticated knowledge
base. They can enlist a broad range of pedagogical skills and have a keen understanding of their
cultural experiences, values, and attitudes toward people who are culturally, racially, and
ethnically different from themselves. (p. 156)
Most recently, Darling-Hammond and Bransford (2005) state the importance of this model for
supporting student learning:
When teachers develop a "socio-cultural consciousness," they understand that individuals'
worldviews are not universal but are greatly influenced by their life experiences, gender, race,
ethnicity, and social-class background (Banks, 1998; Villegas and Lucas, 2002a). This kind of
awareness helps them to better understand how their interactions with their students are
influenced by their social and cultural location and helps them develop attitudes and
expectations—as well as knowledge of how to incorporate the cultures and experiences of their
students into their teaching—that support learning. In addition to constructing culturally
responsive curriculum and teaching, teachers need to be prepared for learning differences and
disabilities that are prevalent in the inclusive classroom. (p. 36)
We understand culturally relevant teaching to mean doing the following in your curriculum and your
pedagogical practice:
 Using the lived experiences of your students as members of distinct cultural groups (make
connections to students’ home lives and families, especially in terms of traditions, values, ways of
communicating)
 Acknowledging the cultural distinctions among your students (and valuing them)
 Recognizing the historical and current characteristics of cultural groups that your students
represent (helping your students learn about this)
 Understanding that your students have different material wealth, and accommodating instruction,
assignments (especially homework), and classroom activities to account for this
 Accepting, valuing, and understanding different language patterns of your students (while you
teach curriculum to help your students achieve academically)
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These strategies are necessary for Teaching for Social Justice, but they are not sufficient for a teacher who
wants to teach for social justice. In order to in TSJ in this approach, teachers must also attend to the
following:
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Situate the experiences of your students within the larger school community, local community,
state, region, national community, and global community
Make use of the strategies in TSJ Model 1 (above), DifferencesInjusticeJustice (address
issues of injustice within this approach)
Remember, in most middle class, European American, able-bodied classrooms, we have traditionally
taught in a culturally relevant way. The curriculum materials, the classroom activities and discussions,
and the teacher’s language patterns all reflected European American, middle class experiences. Even if all
(or most) of your students reflect this description, you can teach in a culturally relevant way by helping
your students understand how their experiences are situated within the current (and historical) context of
US culture.
Keep in mind:
 Only 75% of Americans are European American
 Only 60% of Americans are middle class (or richer)
 Only 85% of Americans are able-bodied
 Only 50% of Americans are men
 Only 80% of Americans are heterosexual
Also keep in mind that when we talk about cultural differences, there are usually examples of
discrimination or oppression around issues of:
 Race (and/or ethnicity)
 gender
 class status
 sexuality (and/or family structure)
 (dis)ability
 language
 religion
Culturally relevant teaching that occurs within a TSJ framework includes attention to cultural differences
as well as the injustice that occurs around difference.
The following lesson descriptions provide some examples of this model.
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Turning On Learning, Lesson, Word Usage (Before, After, and Why the Changes), pp.
41-44.
Turning On Learning, Lesson, Story Writing (Before), Story Quilt (After), Why the
Changes, pp. 133-136
Rethinking Our Classrooms, Vol 1, “Teaching for Social Justice: One Teacher’s Journey”
pp. 30-33
Reading, Writing, and Rising Up, “Reading, Writing, and Righteous Anger: Teaching
About Language and Society. Pp. 105-114.
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Teaching for Social Justice Model 6. Authentic learning. Critically ground abstract, historical,
or literary content in the real-world, present day experiences and/or interests of the students
(Bigelow et al, 1994). Adams and others (1997) claim, "Our approach to social justice education
begins with people's lived experience and works to foster a critical perspective and action
directed toward social change." (p. 14)
This model and the previous model (Culturally Relevant Teaching) both call on teachers to
include the lived experiences of their students within the lessons. In this model, we focus on the
specific day-to-day experiences, or the unique interests of the students in the teacher’s
classroom.
This approach can be depicted through the following story. Fifth grade classroom, small town
school, the students file into the classroom after lunch, talking, laughing, getting out materials for
the next activity. Suddenly one student notices something happening outside. He alerts the others
who quickly line up against the windows to see a man across the field shouting at and hitting his
little dog. The man throws the dog down and attempts to kick it, and then throws stones at the
cowering dog. The children are quite upset at what they are witnessing. Questions rise from the
din: What’s he doing? Shouldn’t we stop him? Shouldn’t we call someone? The teacher arrives
to the window and in an attempt to calm down the atmosphere begins to close the blinds, and tell
the kids to take their seats, assuring them that someone will take care of this. The kids
reluctantly take their seats and the classroom goes on with business as usual.
This story is an example of a teacher who avoids using authentic learning and/or TSJ. This
teacher has avoided linking the experiences the students to the curriculum. The teacher also
avoided an opportunity to help the students address an issue that they obviously saw as an
injustice.
We understand authentic learning in a TSJ context to mean doing the following in your curriculum and
your pedagogical practice:
 Link the current lived experiences and/or individual interests of your students to your curriculum
 Acknowledge the distinctions among your students (and value them)
 Situate the experiences (and/or interests) of your students within the larger school community,
local community, state, region, national community, and global community
 Make use of the strategies in TSJ Model 1 (above), DifferencesInjusticeJustice (address
issues of injustice within this approach)
The following lesson descriptions provide some examples of this model.
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Reading, Writing, and Rising Up. “Where I’m From: Inviting Students’ Lives Into the
Classroom.” Pp. 18-22.
Rethinking Our Classrooms, Vol 1, “My Mom’s Job is Important,” pp. 70-71
Rethinking Our Classrooms, Vol 1, “ Math and Media: Bias Busters,” p. 84
Rethinking Mathematics, “Deconstructing Barbie,” pp. 122-123 (** try doing the same
with GI Joe).
Turning On Learning, Lesson, City Government, Before, After and Why the Changes,
pp. 293-296.
Turning on Learning, Lesson, Toys (Before, After, and Why the Changes), pp. 80-83
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Teaching for Social Justice Model 7. Anti-Oppression Work. Directly address issues of
racism, sexism, classism, heterosexism, able-ism, and other structures of oppression. The book
Teaching for Diversity and Social Justice: A Sourcebook (Adams, Bell, Griffin, 1997) has been
our best guide for understanding this Teaching for Social Justice model. Its Editors state:
Social justice education includes both an interdisciplinary subject matter that analyzes multiple
forms of oppression (such as racism and sexism), and a set of interactive, experiential
pedagogical principles that help students understand the meaning of social difference and
oppression in their personal lives and the social system. (p. xv)
We use the term 'oppression' rather than discrimination, bias, prejudice, or bigotry to emphasize
the pervasive nature of social inequality woven throughout social institutions as well as imbedded
within individual consciousness. Oppression fuses institutional and systemic discrimination,
personal bias, bigotry, and social prejudice in a complex web of relationships and structures that
saturate most aspects of life in our society. (p. 4)
This model reflects efforts of teachers who infuse a vision of working for social justice across several
lessons and/or units (and/or weeks or months) of the year’s curriculum. In this approach, teachers might
begin the year (or month, etc) talking about the human struggle for justice, or the on-going development
of just and democratic communities, or the trail of everyday heroes throughout a community’s history, or
any other of a number of themes that would allow for discussions of injustice to be included within the
school year.
Teach about struggles for justice, democracy, freedom, civil rights, and/or activism (or others)
across several groups or issues. For example:
 anti-racism work that compares the efforts of African-Americans, Latinos, Chicanos,
Asians, Native Americans, Puerto Ricans etc);
 civil rights struggles that compares the efforts of Blacks, People with Disabilities,
Women, Gays and Lesbians, Poor People
 immigration issues that compares northern Europeans, southern Europeans, Latin
Americans, Asians
 resistance to oppression that compares struggles of exploited or colonized countries;
sweatshop workers, unionized employees, Native Americans, US slaves and other
subjugated groups (Mexicans, Chinese, Japanese, women)
 the tensions between a process of assimilation (and/or normalization) and a process of
maintenance of cultural identity that are reflected in our history, economy, politics,
literature, music, art, math, science, and technology, and/or popular culture
The following lesson descriptions provide some examples of this model:
 Turning On Learning: Lesson, African American Literature, Before, After, and Why the
Changes: pp. 320-324
 Turning On Learning: Lesson, Rate and Line Graph (Before, After, and Why the
Changes), p. 289-293.
 Turning On Learning: American Indians in Our State (Before), American Indians and
Institutional Racism (After), and Why the Changes. Pp. pp. 140-145
 Rethinking Our Classrooms, Vol 1, “Taking the Offensive Against Toys,” p. 96
 Reading, Writing, and Rising Up, “What Happened to the Golden Door?: How My
Students Taught Me About Immigration,” pp. 144-155.