Pedagogies for social justice : did Bernstein get it wrong?

Carolyn Williams; Steve Wilson

Pedagogies for social justice : did Bernstein get it wrong?

Carolyn Williams, Steve Wilson

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article

10 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

This paper explores the often-touted incompatibility between ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢"šÂ¬Ã‹Å“intellectual rigourÃƒÂ¢Ã¢"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢ and ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢"šÂ¬Ã‹Å“relevanceÃƒÂ¢Ã¢"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢ as this has manifested in Australian debates over QueenslandÃƒÂ¢Ã¢"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s New Basics and ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢"šÂ¬Ã‹Å“productive pedagogiesÃƒÂ¢Ã¢"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢, and associated initiatives such as the New South Wales Quality Teaching Framework. This debate can be located in longer-standing concerns about how best to meet the educational needs of students who experience social disadvantage. In particular, we focus on the way BernsteinÃƒÂ¢Ã¢"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s concept of ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢"šÂ¬Ã‹Å“verticalÃƒÂ¢Ã¢"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢ and ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢"šÂ¬Ã‹Å“horizontalÃƒÂ¢Ã¢"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢ discourse has been used by him and others to argue against attempting to make academic knowledge more ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢"šÂ¬Ã‹Å“relevantÃƒÂ¢Ã¢"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢ by introducing elements of students out of school lives into the classroom. Drawing on examples from the literature, we trouble BernsteinÃƒÂ¢Ã¢"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s contention that academic and ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢"šÂ¬Ã‹Å“everydayÃƒÂ¢Ã¢"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢ knowledge represent different, incompatible knowledge forms that cannot be successfully integrated. This troubling creates an opening for reconsidering the relationship between ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢"šÂ¬Ã‹Å“intellectual rigourÃƒÂ¢Ã¢"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢ and ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢"šÂ¬Ã‹Å“relevanceÃƒÂ¢Ã¢"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢. We argue that we can and should pursue the bringing together of ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢"šÂ¬Ã‹Å“intellectual rigourÃƒÂ¢Ã¢"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢ and ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢"šÂ¬Ã‹Å“relevanceÃƒÂ¢Ã¢"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢ as a means to engage better all students, but particularly those who experience social and educational disadvantage, and improve their learning outcomes. Accordingly, we call for challenging, at a theoretical, practical and policy level, the perception that learning cannot be made relevant without sacrificing intellectual rigour. We also call for more research on teachers already integrating ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢"šÂ¬Ã‹Å“intellectual rigourÃƒÂ¢Ã¢"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢ and ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢"šÂ¬Ã‹Å“relevanceÃƒÂ¢Ã¢"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢, and for teacher professional development and scaffolding to achieve this and to moderate multiple student perspectives and claims to ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢"šÂ¬Ã‹Å“relevanceÃƒÂ¢Ã¢"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢.

Original language	English
Number of pages	18
Journal	International Journal of Inclusive Education
Publication status	Published - 2010

Keywords

inclusive education
learning
students with social disabilities

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Cite this

@article{46e42c1c7dde4d7bbf96116d897fdfee,

title = "Pedagogies for social justice : did Bernstein get it wrong?",

abstract = "This paper explores the often-touted incompatibility between {\~A}ƒ{\^A}¢{\~A}¢{"}{\v s}{\^A}¬{\~A}‹{\AA}“intellectual rigour{\~A}ƒ{\^A}¢{\~A}¢{"}{\v s}{\^A}¬{\~A}¢{"}{\v z}{\^A}¢ and {\~A}ƒ{\^A}¢{\~A}¢{"}{\v s}{\^A}¬{\~A}‹{\AA}“relevance{\~A}ƒ{\^A}¢{\~A}¢{"}{\v s}{\^A}¬{\~A}¢{"}{\v z}{\^A}¢ as this has manifested in Australian debates over Queensland{\~A}ƒ{\^A}¢{\~A}¢{"}{\v s}{\^A}¬{\~A}¢{"}{\v z}{\^A}¢s New Basics and {\~A}ƒ{\^A}¢{\~A}¢{"}{\v s}{\^A}¬{\~A}‹{\AA}“productive pedagogies{\~A}ƒ{\^A}¢{\~A}¢{"}{\v s}{\^A}¬{\~A}¢{"}{\v z}{\^A}¢, and associated initiatives such as the New South Wales Quality Teaching Framework. This debate can be located in longer-standing concerns about how best to meet the educational needs of students who experience social disadvantage. In particular, we focus on the way Bernstein{\~A}ƒ{\^A}¢{\~A}¢{"}{\v s}{\^A}¬{\~A}¢{"}{\v z}{\^A}¢s concept of {\~A}ƒ{\^A}¢{\~A}¢{"}{\v s}{\^A}¬{\~A}‹{\AA}“vertical{\~A}ƒ{\^A}¢{\~A}¢{"}{\v s}{\^A}¬{\~A}¢{"}{\v z}{\^A}¢ and {\~A}ƒ{\^A}¢{\~A}¢{"}{\v s}{\^A}¬{\~A}‹{\AA}“horizontal{\~A}ƒ{\^A}¢{\~A}¢{"}{\v s}{\^A}¬{\~A}¢{"}{\v z}{\^A}¢ discourse has been used by him and others to argue against attempting to make academic knowledge more {\~A}ƒ{\^A}¢{\~A}¢{"}{\v s}{\^A}¬{\~A}‹{\AA}“relevant{\~A}ƒ{\^A}¢{\~A}¢{"}{\v s}{\^A}¬{\~A}¢{"}{\v z}{\^A}¢ by introducing elements of students out of school lives into the classroom. Drawing on examples from the literature, we trouble Bernstein{\~A}ƒ{\^A}¢{\~A}¢{"}{\v s}{\^A}¬{\~A}¢{"}{\v z}{\^A}¢s contention that academic and {\~A}ƒ{\^A}¢{\~A}¢{"}{\v s}{\^A}¬{\~A}‹{\AA}“everyday{\~A}ƒ{\^A}¢{\~A}¢{"}{\v s}{\^A}¬{\~A}¢{"}{\v z}{\^A}¢ knowledge represent different, incompatible knowledge forms that cannot be successfully integrated. This troubling creates an opening for reconsidering the relationship between {\~A}ƒ{\^A}¢{\~A}¢{"}{\v s}{\^A}¬{\~A}‹{\AA}“intellectual rigour{\~A}ƒ{\^A}¢{\~A}¢{"}{\v s}{\^A}¬{\~A}¢{"}{\v z}{\^A}¢ and {\~A}ƒ{\^A}¢{\~A}¢{"}{\v s}{\^A}¬{\~A}‹{\AA}“relevance{\~A}ƒ{\^A}¢{\~A}¢{"}{\v s}{\^A}¬{\~A}¢{"}{\v z}{\^A}¢. We argue that we can and should pursue the bringing together of {\~A}ƒ{\^A}¢{\~A}¢{"}{\v s}{\^A}¬{\~A}‹{\AA}“intellectual rigour{\~A}ƒ{\^A}¢{\~A}¢{"}{\v s}{\^A}¬{\~A}¢{"}{\v z}{\^A}¢ and {\~A}ƒ{\^A}¢{\~A}¢{"}{\v s}{\^A}¬{\~A}‹{\AA}“relevance{\~A}ƒ{\^A}¢{\~A}¢{"}{\v s}{\^A}¬{\~A}¢{"}{\v z}{\^A}¢ as a means to engage better all students, but particularly those who experience social and educational disadvantage, and improve their learning outcomes. Accordingly, we call for challenging, at a theoretical, practical and policy level, the perception that learning cannot be made relevant without sacrificing intellectual rigour. We also call for more research on teachers already integrating {\~A}ƒ{\^A}¢{\~A}¢{"}{\v s}{\^A}¬{\~A}‹{\AA}“intellectual rigour{\~A}ƒ{\^A}¢{\~A}¢{"}{\v s}{\^A}¬{\~A}¢{"}{\v z}{\^A}¢ and {\~A}ƒ{\^A}¢{\~A}¢{"}{\v s}{\^A}¬{\~A}‹{\AA}“relevance{\~A}ƒ{\^A}¢{\~A}¢{"}{\v s}{\^A}¬{\~A}¢{"}{\v z}{\^A}¢, and for teacher professional development and scaffolding to achieve this and to moderate multiple student perspectives and claims to {\~A}ƒ{\^A}¢{\~A}¢{"}{\v s}{\^A}¬{\~A}‹{\AA}“relevance{\~A}ƒ{\^A}¢{\~A}¢{"}{\v s}{\^A}¬{\~A}¢{"}{\v z}{\^A}¢.",

keywords = "inclusive education, learning, students with social disabilities",

author = "Carolyn Williams and Steve Wilson",

year = "2010",

language = "English",

journal = "International Journal of Inclusive Education",