What we hoped to understand
In this lesson study, we hoped to explore how to best develop socio-political consciousness, one of the three pillars of Gloria Ladson-Billings' Culturally Relevant Pedagogy, in a class of 10th-grade students through the use of Socratic Seminars. We believed that if we had students develop their own discussion norms and have adequate prep time to reflect on the discussion question, that all students would participate and grow in their understanding of the justness of our society's rules and laws.
Lesson Plan
Research Insights
My research was centered on understanding more about sociopolitical consciousness, how it is defined, developed and measured.
Definition
The concept of sociopolitical consciousness originated with Paulo Freire, who emphasized the importance of “learning to perceive social, political, and economic contradictions, and to take action against the oppressive elements of reality." Gloria Ladson-Billings, the creator of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy, rooted her own definition of sociopolitical consciousness in Freire, but operates under the updated definition of it being "the ability to take learning outside of the confines of the classroom using school knowledge and skills to identify, analyze, and solve real-world problems." This updated definition may be more accessible to the average teacher practitioner and allow them to feel more confident in attempting to engage in this process.
Definition
The concept of sociopolitical consciousness originated with Paulo Freire, who emphasized the importance of “learning to perceive social, political, and economic contradictions, and to take action against the oppressive elements of reality." Gloria Ladson-Billings, the creator of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy, rooted her own definition of sociopolitical consciousness in Freire, but operates under the updated definition of it being "the ability to take learning outside of the confines of the classroom using school knowledge and skills to identify, analyze, and solve real-world problems." This updated definition may be more accessible to the average teacher practitioner and allow them to feel more confident in attempting to engage in this process.
Development
Paulo Freire believed that sociopolitical consciousness is developed in a dialogue with students about the world and its contradictions. This remains the core of thought surrounding how to develop sociopolitical consciousness, although others add caveats or emphasis to this concept. Most especially, as Dr. Michelle Pledger would point out, is the idea of emotional safety in the classroom. Students will not feel comfortable discussing sensitive issues such as culture, economics, or politics until they feel safe.
Paulo Freire believed that sociopolitical consciousness is developed in a dialogue with students about the world and its contradictions. This remains the core of thought surrounding how to develop sociopolitical consciousness, although others add caveats or emphasis to this concept. Most especially, as Dr. Michelle Pledger would point out, is the idea of emotional safety in the classroom. Students will not feel comfortable discussing sensitive issues such as culture, economics, or politics until they feel safe.
Measurement
If we wish to better understand how to develop sociopolitical consciousness, it will be important to measure it in our students. There are some existing tools, like the Social Dominance Orientation scale and the Blame-Attribution measurement that share a common sentiment of measuring whether or not a person is considering a problem in a systemic or individualistic way. Methods for its measurement in the classroom have not been fully developed.
If we wish to better understand how to develop sociopolitical consciousness, it will be important to measure it in our students. There are some existing tools, like the Social Dominance Orientation scale and the Blame-Attribution measurement that share a common sentiment of measuring whether or not a person is considering a problem in a systemic or individualistic way. Methods for its measurement in the classroom have not been fully developed.
Data Collection
Individual vs Structural Blame Tracker
Arising out of our research into sociopolitical consciousness, we developed a data collection method that would help our team determine how well our discussion was pushing our students to develop sociopolitical consciousness within the realm of racism and the U.S. Justice System.
Arising out of our research into sociopolitical consciousness, we developed a data collection method that would help our team determine how well our discussion was pushing our students to develop sociopolitical consciousness within the realm of racism and the U.S. Justice System.
Two of us filled out this tracker during the discussion. The results can be found below.
Summary of results:
Overall, our data show that there was a lot more statements which tended to blame systemic forces rather than individual actors. Especially in regards to the U.S. justice system, including the prisons, sentencing laws, the connection to slavery, and even the U.S. Constitution, students overall seemed to have a systemic mindset about what needs to change. One area where the discussion tended towards more individual blame assertions was when the seminar shifted to the topic of racism. It seemed most students felt that racism is the result of how people are raised, of people who are judgemental and lack respect. No underlying potential systemic causes of racism were discussed.
Overall, our data show that there was a lot more statements which tended to blame systemic forces rather than individual actors. Especially in regards to the U.S. justice system, including the prisons, sentencing laws, the connection to slavery, and even the U.S. Constitution, students overall seemed to have a systemic mindset about what needs to change. One area where the discussion tended towards more individual blame assertions was when the seminar shifted to the topic of racism. It seemed most students felt that racism is the result of how people are raised, of people who are judgemental and lack respect. No underlying potential systemic causes of racism were discussed.
Pre and Post Writing Reflection
One other area of data collection was a pre and post seminar reflection we asked all students to complete. It was our hope that even if students did not participate directly in the seminar, we would be able to track their development of sociopolitical consciousness through their written reflections.
Below are three students responses to the prompt "13th starts off with a statistic: the US contains 5% of the world’s total population, but 25% of the world’s prison population. Who/what do you think is to blame? "
One other area of data collection was a pre and post seminar reflection we asked all students to complete. It was our hope that even if students did not participate directly in the seminar, we would be able to track their development of sociopolitical consciousness through their written reflections.
Below are three students responses to the prompt "13th starts off with a statistic: the US contains 5% of the world’s total population, but 25% of the world’s prison population. Who/what do you think is to blame? "
Before
|
After
|
Focus Student 1: "A bigger population maybe" |
Focus Student 1: "Our government officials because they have no done anything to change this or step up and I don’t feel like this is just as a whole society" |
Focus Student 2: "i think the jail has a big part of this because people dont want to go to jail and when people get out some want to get some type of revange" |
Focus Student 2: (left blank) |
Focus Student 3: (Left blank) |
Focus Student 3: "I don’t think there’s just one person to blame." |
Discussion:
It appears that for these focus students, one student started out with a definite attribution of blame towards individuals ("when people get out some want to get some type of revenge" while another began with a structural blame, but an unfocussed one("bigger population maybe"). After the seminar, that same student has now answered "our governmental officials because they have [not] done anything" while another has said "I don't think there's just one person to blame." Both of these statements are more pointed towards a structural blame of this issue rather than a blame of individuals, which could indicate a positive development of sociopolitical consciousness.
It appears that for these focus students, one student started out with a definite attribution of blame towards individuals ("when people get out some want to get some type of revenge" while another began with a structural blame, but an unfocussed one("bigger population maybe"). After the seminar, that same student has now answered "our governmental officials because they have [not] done anything" while another has said "I don't think there's just one person to blame." Both of these statements are more pointed towards a structural blame of this issue rather than a blame of individuals, which could indicate a positive development of sociopolitical consciousness.
Lesson Debrief and Takeaways
In our debrief with Dr. Michelle Pledger and Dr. Curtis Taylor, some themes arose. First and foremost, not all of our students participated to the extent we would have liked. Some ideas for improving this moving forward:
- While we had prep work, perhaps doing a better job of incorporating that prep work into discussion. Prompting students when it was time to integrate their work, or displaying sentence starters for entering into the conversation.
- Creating emotional safety. Have students discuss the topic first in dyads or trios of trust.
- Give an example. We had this idea in our heads of how we wanted students to build on each other's ideas, but did we demonstrate what that looked like?
Final Thoughts
“For apart from inquiry, apart from the praxis, individuals cannot be truly human. Knowledge emerges only through invention and re-invention, through the restless, impatient continuing, hopeful inquiry human beings pursue in the world, with the world, and with each other. “ - Paulo Freire
I feel like, ideally, lesson study embodies that above quote by Paulo Freire. It is a restless continuing, a hopeful inquiry into our own practice as teachers that we pursue together. I am very grateful for this first experience that will now serve as an exemplar for my next two lesson studies this year. That being said, this process, at times, felt uncertain. How can five teachers come together and create one lesson? How can we measure the development of sociopolitical consciousness after one lesson? But through this messy process, I do feel I have gained a lot of insight into the practice of teaching. I understand sociopolitical consciousness more now than I ever did before. Even with the shortcomings of this lesson, I remain committed to the idea that it is developed in dialogue that we have with each other. Our role, as teacher facilitators, is to ensure that everyone feels comfortable and able to participate in this dialogue, whether that be through having students discuss in small groups before a group-wide discussion, or by guiding students through a discussion with more slides and indicators of when and how to share. But there remains no more important goal of teaching than to work to develop sociopolitical consciousness in our students, so that together, we can work to address the inequities of our world.