Active learning : social justice education and participatory action research / Dana E. Wright.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Wright, Dana E., author.

Series:

Teaching/learning social justice

Teaching/learning social justice series

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Active learning.

Action research.

Social justice--Study and teaching.

Social justice.

Physical Description:

xii, 209 pages ; 23 cm.

Place of Publication:

New York, NY : Routledge, 2015.

Summary:

While many educators acknowledge the challenges of a curriculum shaped by test preparation, implementing meaningful new teaching strategies can be difficult. Active Learning presents an examination of innovative, interactive teaching strategies that were successful in engaging urban students who struggled with classroom learning. Drawing on rich ethnographic data, the book proposes participatory action research (PAR) as a viable approach to teaching and learning that supports the development of multiple literacies in writing, reading, research and oral communication. As Wright argues, in connecting learning to authentic purposes and real-world consequences, participatory action research can serve as a model for meaningful urban school reform. After an introduction to the history and demographics of the working-class West Coast neighborhood in which the described PAR project took place, the book discusses the "pedagogy of praxis" method and the project's successful development of student voice, sociopolitical analysis capacities, leadership skills, empowerment and agency. Topics addressed include an analysis and discussion of the youth-driven PAR process, the reactions of student researchers, and the challenges for adults in maintaining youth-adult partnerships. A thought-provoking response to current educational challenges, Active Learning offers both timely implications for educational reform and recommendations to improve school policies and practices. Book jacket.

Contents:

1 Introduction 1

Overview of the Central Youth United Participatory Action Research Project 4

Researcher Location and Research Commitments 5

Research Methods and the Study Context 6

Overview of the Book 8

Organization of the Book 11

2 Participatory Action Research (PAR) With Youth as Pedagogy Introduction 14

What Is Active Learning? 15

The Youth Discourses: Systems of Reasoning That Frame Young People 15

Adultism 18

The Role of Asset-Based Pedagogies in Building Sociopolitical Consciousness 20

The Contexts of Schooling and Learning 21

What Is Participatory Action Research With Youth? 22

PAR With Youth as a Teaching and Learning Approach 25

PAR as a Pedagogical Approach in the Central Youth United Project 26

3 The Context of Central Youth United and Participant Profiles 27

Introduction 27

Profile of the Central Neighborhood 27

Background of the Central Youth United Project 30

Overview of the Central Youth United Project 32

Central Youth United Student Researcher Profiles 36

Profiles of Organizations Affiliated With the CYU Project 41

4 A Pedagogy of Praxis: Connecting Reflection and Action 45

Introduction 45

Participatory Action Research as a Structured Teaching Approach 48

CYU's Purpose and Goals, and Motivations for Joining the Project 49

A Community-Building Curriculum to Promote Collaborative Inquiry 54

A Gradual Process to Bolster Marginalized Students' Voice 59

A Pedagogy That Supports Youth Participation and Active Learning 60

Structured Activities to Elicit Youth Voice, Experiences and Perspectives 62

Teaching Strategies to Guide and Build Knowledge Producers 65

Conclusion: A Pedagogy of Praxis Approach 68

5 Situated Learning: Change Agents in a Meaningful Purpose 70

Introduction 70

Youth Input and Decision-Making: Contributing Ideas and Experiences 70

Relational Leadership: A Dialogical Process in Communities of Practice 72

Group Accountability Within Relational Leadership 73

Inspiring Teamwork and Engagement in Others Through Relational Leadership 74

Peer Mentorship as a Component of Relational Leadership Development 76

Emergent Leadership Roles: Situated Learning 79

A Sense of Ownership 82

Adult Role in Increasing Project Ownership 83

Developing Agency, Commitment and Accountability 86

Features of Youth-Led Work and Challenges 88

Challenges in Supporting a Youth-Led Process 89

Conclusion: Situated Learning and Building Agency 90

6 Promoting Sociopolitical Analysis Skills 96

Introduction 96

A Dialogic Approach That Taps Funds of Knowledge to Actively Construct Ideas 99

Developing Sociopolitical Analysis Skills 101

The Role of Vulnerability in Understanding Shared Challenges 115

Conclusion: The Development of Sociopolitical Analysis 116

7 Empowering Youth as Experts and Knowledge Producers Introduction 119

Successful Interventions by Instructors to Resolve Interpersonal Conflicts 120

Increasing Voice and Empowerment to Build Agency 124

Impact of the PAR Presentation and Next Steps 130

Discussion 131

8 Tensions and Dilemmas in Sustaining Collaborative Work 134

Introduction 134

Catalyzing Events Impacting Group Dynamics 135

The Importance of Reflective Space in Group Processes 138

The Importance of Critical Care Approaches in Teaching Students of Color 140

Tensions in Partnerships Between Student Researchers and Instructors 140

Impacts of Jason's Disengagement on Group Dynamics 142

Lessons Learned About Instructors' Roles and Interventions 145

Teaching Codes of Power to Navigate Environments 149

Sacrificing the Whole for One: The Need for Boundaries 151

The Construction of Four Context-Free "Bad Boys" 156

Discussion 158

Adults' Support of Participatory Action Research Projects With Youth 168

9 Conclusion 170

Summary of Key Points 170

Youth-Adult Partnerships: "Power With" 178

Dilemmas and Challenges the PAR Project Faced 179

Transferability of Study Findings 180

Recommendations for Teaching and Schools: PAR as Pedagogy 180

Recommendations for Practice: Participatory Action Research 188

Implications for Policy and Planning 189

Implications for Future Research 191

Discussion 191.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781138821705

1138821705

9781138821712

1138821713

OCLC:

894105645