The Meaning of Criticality in Education Research

The Meaning of Criticality in Education Research
Author: Ashley Simpson
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 228
Release: 2020-11-26
Genre: Education
ISBN: 3030560090

This book explores, and problematizes, what it means to be ‘critical’ in education research. Drawing together chapters from diverse global perspectives, this volume aims to stimulate dialogue about possible meanings of criticality in education research. In doing so, they question why criticality has become such an essential part of education, and what researchers expect of it. The book opens up and contests some of the deficiencies of criticality in education research: ultimately it is not a global term, but often creates a false binary between East and West. Offering an alternative trajectory to educational narratives surrounding criticality, this book will be of interest and value to scholars of critical pedagogy and comparative education.

Cultivating Genius

Cultivating Genius
Author: Gholdy Muhammad
Publisher: Scholastic Teaching Resources
Total Pages: 176
Release: 2019-12-23
Genre: Education
ISBN: 9781338594898

In Cultivating Genius, Dr. Gholdy E. Muhammad presents a four-layered equity framework--one that is grounded in history and restores excellence in literacy education. This framework, which she names, Historically Responsive Literacy, was derived from the study of literacy development within 19th-century Black literacy societies. The framework is essential and universal for all students, especially youth of color, who traditionally have been marginalized in learning standards, school policies, and classroom practices. The equity framework will help educators teach and lead toward the following learning goals or pursuits: Identity Development--Helping youth to make sense of themselves and others Skill Development-- Developing proficiencies across the academic disciplines Intellectual Development--Gaining knowledge and becoming smarter Criticality--Learning and developing the ability to read texts (including print and social contexts) to understand power, equity, and anti-oppression When these four learning pursuits are taught together--through the Historically Responsive Literacy Framework, all students receive profound opportunities for personal, intellectual, and academic success. Muhammad provides probing, self-reflective questions for teachers, leaders, and teacher educators as well as sample culturally and historically responsive sample plans and text sets across grades and content areas. In this book, Muhammad presents practical approaches to cultivate the genius in students and within teachers.

Critical Qualitative Research in Social Education

Critical Qualitative Research in Social Education
Author: Cameron White
Publisher: IAP
Total Pages: 243
Release: 2015-03-01
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1681230372

Critical qualitative research informs social education through a lens that ensures the investigation of issues in education tied to power and privilege, ultimately leading to advocacy and activism. The concept of critical is increasingly challenged in this age of neoliberal reform; nevertheless, critical implies questioning, investigating and challenging in terms of equity and social justice, leading to critical consciousness (Freire, 1970). While we resist defining social education, as hopefully these ideas / concepts are fluid, the idea stems from a continual analysis and synthesis of critical theory/ critical pedagogy, media and cultural studies, social reconstruction / social justice, and social studies education framed by culturally responsive pedagogy. A social education take on critical qualitative research thus suggests multiple truths and perspectives and focuses on questions rather than answers. While many have written on qualitative educational research and some have attempted to integrate critical pedagogy and qualitative research, few have explored the specific idea of social education and critical qualitative research. A major issue is that social education claims that there are no set procedures, scripted approaches, or narrow definitions as to the possibilities of research endeavors. Social education researchers make the process and investigation their own and adapt questions, procedures, methods, and strategies throughout the experience. This reflects an ever changing criticality in the bricolage of the research (Steinberg, 2011). Critical qualitative research and social education are vital for the world of the 21st century. The onslaught of neoliberalism, corporatization, standardization, testing, and the continuing attack on public schools and educators necessitate critical approaches to teaching and learning along with critical qualitative research in social education. Ongoing issues with equity and social justice tied to race, ethnicity, class, orientation, age, and ability linking to schooling, education, teaching and learning must be addressed. The struggle between unbridled capitalism and democracy warrant these investigations in the 21st century, hopefully leading to advocacy and activism.

Interculturality, Criticality and Reflexivity in Teacher Education

Interculturality, Criticality and Reflexivity in Teacher Education
Author: Fred Dervin
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 148
Release: 2023-03-31
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1009302787

Preparing teachers to work with and for diversity in their classrooms and beyond is an objective that seems to be globally accepted in pre-service and in-service teacher education. However, what diversity means, what it entails and how to engage with diverse individuals in educational contexts can take on multiple shapes in different parts of the world. This Element suggests that the multifaceted and polysemic notion of interculturality could be useful to unthink and rethink (ad infinitum) working with diverse people in education. The Element surveys the different meanings and ideologies attached to the notion, using a multilingual perspective to do so. Recent research published internationally on the topic and its companions such as multicultural is also reviewed. The main addition to the field is a critical and reflexive perspective which is proposed for teacher educators, (students) teachers and researchers. The proposal draws from Dervin's most up-to-date theoretical and pedagogical work.

The Routledge Handbook of Critical Interculturality in Communication and Education

The Routledge Handbook of Critical Interculturality in Communication and Education
Author: Fred Dervin
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 569
Release: 2024-11-20
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1040125875

This Handbook is the first comprehensive volume to focus entirely on the notion of interculturality, reflecting on what the addition of the adjective 'critical' means for research and teaching in interdisciplinary studies. The book consists of 35 chapters, including a comprehensive introduction and conclusion. It aims to present current debates on critical interculturality and to help readers make sense of what the label implies and entails in global and local contexts, especially (where possible) beyond dominant scholarship and pedagogical practices. The chapters interrogate the use of terms in different languages to discuss interculturality, drawing on recent literature from as many different parts of the world as possible. Some contributors also problematise their own autobiographical engagement with critical interculturality in their chapters. The book will be of interest to Master's and PhD students in education, communication, and intercultural studies who wish to develop their knowledge of critical interculturality. Established researchers in these fields will also benefit from this invaluable and original source of essential reading.

Teacher Education for Critical and Reflexive Interculturality

Teacher Education for Critical and Reflexive Interculturality
Author: Fred Dervin
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 168
Release: 2021-05-25
Genre: Education
ISBN: 303066337X

This book deals with the importance of interculturality in teacher education and training. It is mostly through the concept of intercultural competence that interculturality has been constructed and problematized for educators. However, different approaches and paradigms are available and differ and/or share similarities in terms of ideology, method, practice, theoretical frameworks, and ethical considerations. There is no global agreement on the meanings of interculturality in teacher education and training, although some principles might be common across national borders. There is thus a need for educators to consider these aspects of interculturality in education to be able to become better teachers in a diverse world like ours.

Handbook of Critical Education Research

Handbook of Critical Education Research
Author: Michelle D. Young
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 1096
Release: 2023-07-25
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1000882195

This handbook offers a contemporary and comprehensive review of critical research theory and methodology. Showcasing the work of contemporary critical researchers who are harnessing and building on a variety of methodological tools, this volume extends beyond qualitative methodology to also include critical quantitative and mixed-methods approaches to research. The critical scholars contributing to this volume are influenced by a diverse range of education disciplines, and represent multiple countries and methodological backgrounds, making the handbook an essential resource for anyone doing critical scholarship. The book moves from the theoretical to the specific, examining various paradigms for engaging in critical scholarship, various methodologies for doing critical research, and the political, ethical, and practical issues that arise when working as a critical scholar. In addition to mapping the field, contributions synthesize literature, offer concrete examples, and explore relevant contexts, histories, assumptions, and current practices, ultimately fostering generative thinking that contributes to future methodological and theoretical breakthroughs. New as well as seasoned critical scholars will find within these pages exciting new ideas, challenging questions, and insights that spur the continuous evolution and grow the influence of critical research methods and theories in the education and human disciplines.

Supercriticality and Intercultural Dialogue

Supercriticality and Intercultural Dialogue
Author: Fred Dervin
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 159
Release: 2022-11-23
Genre: Education
ISBN: 9811975728

This book offers a snapshot of interculturality as a complex, unstable and highly political object of research and education when it locates at the centre of multifaceted dialogues between teachers and students; students and students; teachers, students, scholars and readers. The context of the book is a Chinese course on intercultural communication education where students engage with local and international teachers. By listening to the intriguing and stimulating voices of these students in dialogue with the teachers, the reader also has the opportunity to enter the intercultural world of Chinese youth, beyond stereotypes. The unique approach proposed in the book is of interest to students, teachers of intercultural communication education, teacher educators, researchers and anyone wishing to build up supercriticality in relation to the fascinating notion of interculturality. The book contains 15 chapters and revolves around five main dialogues between the students and their teachers. Following each dialogue, the floor is given to the students to react to the dialogues and to share their views on questions that emerged from the main dialogues. The book conveys the authors’ excitement about approaching interculturality in supercritical ways, engaging in the process with multiple voices.

Critical Thinking Skills for Education Students

Critical Thinking Skills for Education Students
Author: Lesley-Jane Eales-Reynolds
Publisher: Learning Matters
Total Pages: 129
Release: 2013-06-17
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1446281795

Revised and extended to cover critical reflection and evaluation of information resources, this new edition of Critical Thinking Skills for Education Students is a practical and user-friendly text to help education students develop their understanding of critical analysis. It outlines the skills needed to examine and challenge data and encourages students to adopt this way of thinking to enrich their personal and professional development. The text helps students to develop their self-evaluation skills in order to recognise personal values and perceptions. Critical analysis, modeling, case studies, worked examples and reflective tasks are used to engage the reader with the text - building both skills and confidence. This book is part of the Study Skills in Education Series. This series addresses key study skills in the context of education courses, helping students identify their weaknesses, increase their confidence and realise their academic potential. Titles in this series are suitable for students on: any course of Initial Teacher Training leading to QTS; a degree in Education or Education Studies; a degree in Early Years or Early Childhood Education; a foundation degree in any education related subject discipline. Lesley-Jane Eales-Reynolds is Pro Vice Chancellor (Education) at Kingston University. Brenda Judge is a Senior Lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University. Elaine McCreery is Head of Primary, Early Years and Education Studies programmes at Manchester Metropolitan University. Patrick Jones, now retired, was Senior Lecturer in Primary Education at Manchester Metropolitan University.

Problematizing Service-Learning

Problematizing Service-Learning
Author: Trae Stewart
Publisher: IAP
Total Pages: 383
Release: 2010-12-01
Genre: Education
ISBN: 161735211X

Interest in and research on civic engagement and service-learning have increased exponentially. In this rapid growth, efforts have been made to institutionalize pedagogies of engagement across both K-12 and higher education. As a result, increased positive attention has been complemented equally by well-founded critiques complicating experiential approaches’ claims and questioning if institutional, financial, and philosophical commitment is warranted. A key complaint from these critical voices is the tightly woven, protective insular core in the field of service-learning. This claim is not unfounded, nor necessarily bad. Initial efforts to legitimize service-learning and other forms of community-based education required group cohesion. The concern, however, is that the initial group cohesion has led to groupthink wherein group members have avoided critical analysis and evaluation. This book aims to prevent groupthink within the field of service-learning by allowing for the examination of effective alternatives by new voices who can serve as “critical evaluators” from within the field itself. Myriad perspectives are offered, including empirical, theoretical, practical, and community perspectives. Authors challenge preconceived notions of service-learning, who is benefited by this pedagogy, outcomes of participation and implementation, and most importantly the theoretical, conceptual, and methodological lenses through which service-learning is even considered. The book allows servicelearning’s major criticisms to be examined, challenges to be voiced, and research agendas to be laid. This book parallels service-learning’s presence and popularity across various disciplines/fields. Chapters are written from broad perspectives and are aimed to inform service-learning researchers and educators, community organizations, and policy makers who consider service-learning as a means to address civic responsibility. Authors expose theoretical and philosophical concerns circulating in the field, and often still occupying spaces on the fringe of discourse, action, and research. The book raises fundamental questions for undergraduate and graduate courses with social justice themes by considering the implications that pedagogies of engagement have on learners and communities.