EDU 430/530 Professionalism and Social Justice
Why Should I Teach for Social Justice? And How Do I Find the Time and the Materials?
Anne Fairbrother
People ask why they should teach for social justice? There is so much to teach already, and they
don’t really know what it means or how to do it. Then there are common myths about why not to
do it, why it won’t work. This piece addresses all these concerns.
Why Should I Teach for Social Justice?
1. Students respond well to meaningful and relevant content.
You can situate math computations in social justice issues; you can unearth the social justice
issues that make science living and relevant; you can easily look at history, finding issues of
social justice throughout, and then make it real as you bring it into today’s world; you can
vitalize literature with social justice themes – they are there, waiting to be explored!
Student teachers have told us after they try lessons that include issues of social justice,
that these lessons that get students thinking about real world issues, infused as they are with
ambiguity, controversy, and people’s diverse experiences are the lessons that most engage and
challenge students. Research shows us, and many of us have experienced, that engaged students
learn more, and learn more easily. Horace Mann said that “A teacher who is attempting to teach
without inspiring the pupil with a desire to learn is hammering on cold iron.” Teaching for social
justice situates all learning in students’ lives and the world(s) they live in.
2. Students who are engaged in understanding and learning – the curriculum, themselves,
and their world - are successful students.
Students need to know how to understand the complexities of the world, while also feeling that
they can make a difference where they see injustice and inequities. Issues of social justice that
relate to race, ethnicity, class, gender, sexuality, (dis)abilities, religion, language are real world –
and real classroom - stuff. Too often students complain that what they do in school isn’t “real,”
that it has no relevance to their lives. Infusing issues of social justice into the curriculum gets
students making connections between school and their lives, their world today. Challenge
students to do meaningful work - they will be engaged, aware, and successful students. Expect
nothing less of them. Students often say that school is boring and that teachers don’t care. Well,
disconnected learning can be boring and ignoring what the student brings to your classroom –
experiences, concerns, interests, fears and hopes – is deeply uncaring. Teaching for social justice
makes it real.
3. Young people, citizens in a democracy, need to be prepared to deal with social justice
issues.
In a democracy, life is not simple, but it is alright to have different ideas, to express our diversity
of backgrounds and concerns. We should be preparing young people to be active citizens in this
democracy, to address issues of societal injustice and strive to improve life for everyone. We
have to teach the skills of developing the critical lens to see what is happening, of dealing with
the complex and ambiguous nature of our society and its problems, while developing the
confidence and preparedness to stand up for justice, for what is right. This is at the heart of
teaching for social justice.
AF 2006
How Can I Teach for Social Justice?
As the lesson plans and lesson ideas that fill this course pack show, there are ways to infuse
teaching for social justice into all content areas, all grade levels. It should not be an add-on, but
rather infused through your teaching, your stance as a teacher, their stance as young learners of
life. It is high school teachers who most often ask how they can have the time to fit in “social
justice” with all the constraints of the curriculum. But you can teach the content, the academic
and critical thinking, while teaching for social justice! Preparing students for the high school
English and Social Studies Regents (just looking at these two areas here) can include addressing
issues of social justice throughout the courses – in fact, the nature of the thinking called for, says
that such courses should include such a focus.
English Language Arts. The Regents exams test students’ abilities to read and make meaning
of texts.
 The most recent Regents (June 2006) asked students in Session One to read an essay
on acid rain and derive their understanding, make connections, and draw conclusions.
Students can work with engaging, relevant essays on social justice issues to develop
such literacy skills. For example: discussions of gender stereotypes and inequities;
issues of racism through history and in local communities; divergent arguments over
immigration, migrant labor; issues of gay marriage, English only ordinances,
(dis)ability rights. These can be explored in literature, in historical contexts, as
current events. From such informed readings students can make connections to their
lives, develop informed opinions, argue their ideas, create plans of action.
 In Session Two, June 2006, students are asked to address a “big idea” about identity,
ethics, character… and to talk about two books in illustration of their opinion.
Students can read multicultural works and do the same kind of thinking and analysis
as they can with canonical texts, and they can find social justice issues in many of the
novels traditionally taught in high schools. The prompt in this Exam was from Dr.
Martin Luther King, easily raising social justice issues! Students who have thought
about these issues throughout the year will be the best prepared to address them:
“The ultimate measure of a man [sic] is not where he stands in moments of
comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and
controversy.” (MLK Jr., Strength to Love, 1963)
Social Studies. The Regents Examinations test students’ ability to look deeply at events and
synthesize information and interpretations.
 The Thematic Essay requirement prompt (Part II) in the June 2006 Examination was:
“Major historical events are often referred to as turning points because they have led
to important political, social, and economic changes.” The students are asked to
identify and describe two major events in U. S. history that were important turning
points and look at the political, social, and economic changes that resulted. Students
who have looked at U. S. History through the lens of social justice have explored the
tensions, conflicts, triumphs and frustrations for people through U. S. history, and are
well prepared to address this topic. Civil Rights Issues is one of the suggested topics
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given. We want our students to talk about these things and the Regents Examinations
call for such developed thinking.
In Part III of the June 2006 exam, The Document-Based Question (DBQ) prompt asks
students to synthesize the role of mass media in the U.S. since 1900, giving them
relevant primary documents that look at socio-historical events that involved mass
media. Using primary documents allows for voices of oppression and marginalization
to be heard and allows students to look at history from multiple perspectives. All
good preparation for rich informed interpretations of moments in U. S. history.
Myths About Teaching
1. “Students in the lower tracks aren’t interested in doing school work.” They will if they
perceive it as relevant and if they are challenged. Indeed, research shows, and many of us
have experienced, that students disengage because what they are being asked to do is not
interesting or relevant to their lives. No student likes being bored – remember that!
Students are often in lower tracks because they aren’t engaged in school. When students
are asked what isn’t boring, they tell us it is being challenged, being asked to think, find
out for themselves, being engaged in real-world issues and materials. They will engage if
you make it real.
2. “I don’t have time in Honors and Regents classes to teach for social justice.” The
Regents exams require critical thinking: the ability to look at times of change in history
from multiple perspectives; the aptitude to analyze literature (multicultural literature can
be taught, specific texts are not prescribed by the Regents) and deal with the big ideas;
science and math concepts are better understood if contextualized, and students learn
more quickly and do better on the tests if they understand and care about the material.
Social Justice issues permeate and inform history and literature, bring science from the
lab into the world, and give a reason for knowing and doing math.
3. “There are no materials for me to use.” In this packet you will find an abundance of
resources from books to web links to lesson plans. We have included lessons and ideas
for lessons, resources, places to start your own exploration for materials and ideas. It will
take work and time, but you will transform your teaching and the experiences of your
students as a result.
So, how can you NOT include social justice in your teaching?
AF 2006