EMPOWERING EDUCATION, Critical Teaching for Social Change
Ira Shor
Quotes

I will be basing my blog around Ira Shor's quoted throughout the passage on does empowering education exist and benefit students and teachers in an academic setting?  Socialization is one of the best practices in teaching democracy in and out of the classroom.  But does this exist where teachers are faced with strict curriculum's and lesson plans?  Does our educational system allow and provide growth to our children to face real life situations?  Letting children think, analyze and be critical of their education system seems to be the answer but education administrators seem to disagree with all of the do's and don't teachers have to face. What is the definition of empowerment mean?  It means to invest with power, especially legal power or official authority.  Ira Shor defines empowerment by a critical-democratic pedagogy for self and social change.  It is a student-centered program for multicultural democracy in school and society.  It approaches individual growth as an active, cooperative, and social process, because the self and society create each other.  On page 16, Shor states to build a democratic and empowering classroom, "To build this kind of society, empowering education invites students to become skilled workers and thinking citizens who are also change agents and social critics.  Now she's not saying that the kids have absolute power but that they have a voice and must be listened to.  To formulate opinions and ask why is this relevant and to relate it to their lives in and outside of their classroom.  Children should not be only seen but also heard.  They should have an opportunity to fight for a quality of life in which all human beings benefit.  The teachers and students should be able to negotiate, requiring leadership by the teacher and mutual-teacher student authority.  It is not individualistic but works hand in hand with the student to teacher relationship and vice-versa.  Another quote that stood out was the issue of power that controls individuals who are told they do live in freedom and democracy.  While in today's society power controls every aspect of life, work and education people are subservient in that they feel as if they have no choice or say.  They accept and go along with what the government says and does.  On page 19, Shor argues "Students come of age in a society where average people do not participate in governance, in framing major purposes, in making policy, or in having a strong voice in media and public affairs."  Hmmm. sounds quite familiar with us college students where tuition has become very expensive and had dramatically increased over the past decade.  Yeah we argue and complain but the people in power still continue to increase tuition.  Where 20 grand gets you a bachelor's degree, but doesn't guarantee a job.  Now you have to get a master's and sometimes a doctorate to separate you from the rest.  Or you are living in a society where jobs aren't readily available, so you must move across the country to land a job with sometimes increased pay but higher taxes and higher living expenses.  Now relating it to the primary grades, children with no voice aren't heard.  Even when they have a voice educational institutions are strictly authoritarian where you do as the teacher says.  That everything the teacher is teaching you is for the best success in and outside of the classroom.  Hmmm.  Socialization is a big part of developing relationships and thinking and acting to gain an understanding of how the real world is.  Educational institutions manipulate the children as if they were robots and look down on any form of resistance.  They say resistance only harbors on the educational instruction of children and teachers.  Teachers and administrative personnel have a hard time lending their voice or resisting too.  Bottom line is resistance is bad for school, society and life.  If this is the case, what are all the lesson plans, textbooks and social media teaching our kids about democracy?  That we are told we live in a democratic society but we aren't able to attain it?  I'm just saying...  Another quote I wanted to point out was when Shor stated, "A critical and empowering class begins by examining its subject matter from the student's point of view and by helping students see themselves as knowledgeable people."  This stuck out to me because I've practiced this method and have found great results every time.  When you present children with a writing task, they begin the learning process by practicing what they already know.  Though they don't know this, but they reciprocate what has been taught to them and learn from other's mistakes and improvements.  Where areas are not so easily learned, they can learn it through collaborative learning.  The students teach each other old and new concepts and it helps them apply it in the present and future.  They become peer reviews on each other and themselves.  They constantly compare and contrast and take into consideration of other's feelings and attitudes.  They are brought in, hopefully, a socialized environment where they interact with each other and the teacher.  They also begin to learn how to demonstrate how to properly engage in a democratic setting.  As Shor states, "it promotes student autonomy and a learning community in class."  All done in a simple writing exercise that promoted socialization that was students lead.

Some questions I wanted to ask was what teaching methods in your primary and ongoing education stand out?  Would you use these same practices in your future placements as teachers?  What are the pros and cons of various teaching practices?  Do you agree with collaborative teaching?  Why or why not?  What about debates in classrooms?  Are they beneficial?  Are we living in a democratic society in school, college, life?