Box 8.1 Lead-in

As discussed widely in this book, many inequalities and forms of oppression observed in schools are deeply rooted in the power relations that exist within other institutional structures (e.g., health care, the economy, the criminal justice system) in society more widely. As Hawkins (2011) has rightly put it, “a stand-alone approach to ‘fixing’ schools” is unlikely to affect substantive change” (p. 103).

What are some challenges that await language educators who endorse social justice language education? What are some remaining concerns or questions that are not addressed in this book in relation to transforming language classrooms for social justice?

Introduction

Teaching for social justice is a difficult, emotional, perennial journey. It requires language educators not only to have the necessary knowledge, skills, and dispositions but also to have agency, advocacy, perseverance, and a positive outlook in the face of potential challenges, backlash, and criticism. This chapter, therefore, aims to introduce language educators to some of the challenges they might encounter while teaching for social justice and enable them to overcome these through the following strategies:

• • Countering ideological indoctrination with critical consciousness

• • Having difficult conversations with parents and other stakeholders

• • Acknowledging the existence of worldly concerns and pain in the lan-guage classroom

• • Problematizing ‘tolerance and empathy,’ ‘giving voice,’ and ‘empowering learners’

• • Altering safe spaces with brave, risky, and vulnerable communities

• • Bridging the digital divide across diverse populations, languages, and geographies

• • Redefining the meaning of allyship

• • Designing assessment for learning in social justice education

Countering ideological indoctrination with critical consciousness

Perhaps the most widely held concern among educators as well as other stakeholders including parents regarding social justice education is indoctrination – getting one's learners to think in a certain way or imposing one's own political agenda onto their learners. This concern derives from the assumption that schools and educational programs are ‘neutral’ entities that provide equal opportunities for all learners. However, as mentioned in Chapter 2, schools, through their selective tradition of school knowledge, hidden curriculum, and other socialization of practices, maintain the social, cultural, economic, and political order across society. The goal of transformative pedagogies such as critical pedagogy and social justice education, therefore, is to disrupt this reproductive function of schooling by cultivating learners’ critical consciousness.