Anti-Oppressive Education
Encyclopedia
Anti-oppressive education encompasses multiple approaches to learning that actively challenge different forms of what proponents describe as oppression
.
mask or exacerbate oppressive educational methods.
The consequences of anti-oppressive education include a deep commitment to changing how educators conceptualize and engage in curriculum
, pedagogy
, classroom management
and school culture. There is also an implication that institutional structure and policies must be transformed. Exploring perspectives on education that do not conform to what has become "commonsense" must be partaken as well. Anti-oppressive education expects to be different, perhaps uncomfortable, and even controversial.
Oppression
Oppression is the exercise of authority or power in a burdensome, cruel, or unjust manner. It can also be defined as an act or instance of oppressing, the state of being oppressed, and the feeling of being heavily burdened, mentally or physically, by troubles, adverse conditions, and...
.
About
Anti-oppressive education is premised on the notion that many traditional and commonsense ways of engaging in "education" actually contribute to oppression in schools and society. It also relies on the notion that many "commonsense" approaches to education reformEducation reform
Education reform is the process of improving public education. Small improvements in education theoretically have large social returns, in health, wealth and well-being. Historically, reforms have taken different forms because the motivations of reformers have differed.A continuing motivation has...
mask or exacerbate oppressive educational methods.
The consequences of anti-oppressive education include a deep commitment to changing how educators conceptualize and engage in curriculum
Curriculum
See also Syllabus.In formal education, a curriculum is the set of courses, and their content, offered at a school or university. As an idea, curriculum stems from the Latin word for race course, referring to the course of deeds and experiences through which children grow to become mature adults...
, pedagogy
Pedagogy
Pedagogy is the study of being a teacher or the process of teaching. The term generally refers to strategies of instruction, or a style of instruction....
, classroom management
Classroom management
Classroom management is a term used by teachers to describe the process of ensuring that classroom lessons run smoothly despite disruptive behavior by students. The term also implies the prevention of disruptive behavior. It is possibly the most difficult aspect of teaching for many teachers;...
and school culture. There is also an implication that institutional structure and policies must be transformed. Exploring perspectives on education that do not conform to what has become "commonsense" must be partaken as well. Anti-oppressive education expects to be different, perhaps uncomfortable, and even controversial.
See also
- Anti-racist mathematicsAnti-racist mathematicsAnti-racist mathematics is a branch of education reform theory that sees a need to form a curriculum to counter a perceived bias in mathematics...
- Critical pedagogyCritical pedagogyCritical pedagogy is a philosophy of education described by Henry Giroux as an "educational movement, guided by passion and principle, to help students develop consciousness of freedom, recognize authoritarian tendencies, and connect knowledge to power and the ability to take constructive...
- Democratic schools
- Sudbury model of democratic education
- Rouge ForumRouge ForumThe Rouge Forum is an organization of educational activists, which focuses on issues of equality, democracy, and social justice.- Origins :The Rouge Forum emerged from a series of political controversies within the National Council for the Social Studies during the 1990s...
- Teaching for social justiceTeaching for social justiceTeaching for social justice is an educational philosophy designed to promote socioeconomic equality in the learning environment and instill these values in students. Educators may employ social justice instruction to promote unity on campus, as well as mitigate boundaries to the general curriculum...