University of Ottawa - Faculty of Education

PED 3124B Winter 2008

Equity in Education: Theory and Practice

Professor: Dr. Douglas Fleming E-mail: dfleming@uottawa.ca

http://members.shaw.ca/douglasfleming/

Office Location: LMX 472 Telephone: (613) 562-5800 ex. 4151

Office Hours: Tuesdays 12- 1pm; Wednesdays 3pm- 5pm; or by appointment

Class Location: LMX 108 Class Times: Fridays 1- 5 pm

Calendar Course Description

Examination of the theories and practices of educational equity in relation to sexism, racism, and other social inequalities; development of students’ equity practices.

Course Objectives

To assist prospective teachers in examining the meanings and implications of social justice and equity in education; to provide teacher candidates with an understanding of how interlocking systems of domination, power, and privilege pervade school curriculum, educational beliefs and teaching practices; to enhance prospective teachers' ability to critically evaluate various educational practices, constraints and possibilities; to provide an informed basis and viable strategies for the prospective teacher to work towards inclusive teaching practices; to enable the participants to appropriate key concepts and terms regarding equity in education; to encourage participants to become conversant with the various issues / facets of equity in education by promoting conversations on selected topics.

Overview

Although things may change as the course progresses and needs arise, I intend to start most classes at the beginning of the course with short informal lectures in which you will be encouraged to participate. Notes for each lecture will be posted on my website.

The second part of most classes will consist of discussions of concrete problems and choices posed by readings from the course pack. These discussions will be held in a seminar style in which I will initiate discussion with questions that I see as arising from the readings. You will be asked to participate by first grounding yourself in the reading in question and then contribute additional insights gleamed from other sources or from your own experiences.

Exercises and short videos (stimulants for discussion) will be introduced as time permits.

As the course progresses, time will be devoted to group presentations related to assignment #3 (see below).

This course is intended to stimulate prospective teachers' examination of their beliefs about education, to explore equality of educational opportunity, and to examine the implications of social justice philosophies and policies for teaching practice.

Topics include: ethical responsibility and representation in education; racism; sexism; heteronormativity and homophobia; oppression and domination linked to socio-economic class and ability; and antioppressive, equitable, and socially just educational theories and practices.

A constant theme that runs through the course is the responsibility of teachers to critically reflect on their personal assumptions about educational issues and the implications of those assumptions for ethical, equitable and inclusive teaching practices. Thus, the course brings together biography and history into constant conversation by studying the links between your own biography and the historical account of the ways in which equity and social justice have been and could be enacted within schools and classrooms.

Through examining your own values and beliefs within a framework of the current literature on policy and practice we will work towards being guided by a sense of social and ethical responsibility in relation to our students and the wider society.

Please bear in mind that this is not a course on teaching methods per se, although it does endeavor to encourage reflection upon strategies for teaching against the oppressive dimensions of schooling and to enhance equitable teaching practices.

The intent of this course is to help teacher candidates understand education and the potential it holds for either oppressing or for positively changing the world and to explore ways in which they can use this understanding to enhance their pedagogical practices in the classroom.

If you require accommodation due to a disability, please speak with me or schedule an appointment with Dr Cheryll Duquette cduquet@uottawa.ca as soon as possible.

Attendance

As indicated by the Ontario College of Teachers and the University’s Teacher Education Calendar, regular attendance is mandatory. Of course, circumstances may occasionally arise which make attendance impossible. In the event that you must be absent, inform me by telephone or e-mail either prior to the class or as soon after the class as possible. If appropriate, I will provide materials or activities designed to cover as much of the missed material as possible and may require a written exercise from you, in turn.

Materials

A course pack of required readings is available at Rytec (404 Dalhousie Street; 1 block south of Rideau) for approximately $45.00. Additional materials and lecture notes will be distributed or posted on my web site (see above) at no extra charge.

Writing Resources

Please note that I will ask for rewrites if submitted written work exhibits lack of due attention to editing or features grammar sufficiently poor as to inhibit understanding.

§ Academic writing help: http://www.sass.uottawa.ca/en/awhc/.

§ APA format: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/

Academic Fraud

Plagiarism is one type of academic fraud. A student found guilty of committing plagiarism will be subject to sanctions, which range from receiving a mark F for the work in question to being expelled from the University, and even the revocation of a degree, diploma, or certificate already awarded. For more information about University regulations related to plagiarism and other types of academic fraud, please see the section entitled “Academic Fraud” in the Teacher Education Calendar or the web page: www.uottawa.ca/plagiarism.pdf

Expectations

The format of the course will vary each week according to content and will be organized to encourage active participation. This means that everyone's thoughtfulness and engagement is both valued and important. We will be covering difficult and controversial knowledge and material and thus an important expectation is that all participants will be committed to creating an intellectually stimulating, safe, and respectful class atmosphere. Respect for each other and a commitment to critiquing ideas and propositions rather than persons is expected. All of us in the class are professionals and deserve to be treated as colleagues. I want to stress that mutual respect as paramount. Language or behavior that is racist, sexist, or otherwise not inclusive will not be tolerated and will be brought to the attention of the Dean or her designates. Please refer to the Teacher Education Calendar.

In addition, as noted in the Academic Regulations in the Teacher Education Handbook:

§ students who fail to complete an in-class assignment due to absence from class will be required to submit a replacement assignment;

§ assignments received after due date without prior arrangements for an extension will be considered late assignments (see the Teacher Education Calendar for regulations regarding late penalties, redeemable failures, incompletes and deferred grades);

§ no marks will be allocated for class participation or lateness;

§ however, student teachers perceived to be at risk in terms of progress or exhibiting chronic tardiness, attendance problems, and/ or lack of participation will be brought to the attention to the Director of the Teacher Education Program.

Acknowledgements

Although slightly modified and updated, this syllabus is based on how the course has been taught previously by Professors Ken Montgomery, Ruth Kane and Habiba Siam.

Assignments

1. Short Reflective Response Essay (15% of total course grade)

2. Blog Contributions (20% of total course grade)

3. Group Research Presentation (25% of total course grade)

4. Final Essay (40% of total course grade))

Assignment Guidelines

1. Short Reflective Response Essay; DUE: beginning of session 2; hard copies

Read and respond to the Macintosh (2005) article, which is the first selection in the course pack.

Your essay should include a brief summary of the argument or main point (keep this descriptive aspect of the paper to no more than three or four sentences). The essay otherwise is not to be a summary or reiteration of the content of the article and no additional research is necessary.

Rather, you are to carefully consider the article and react to it.

This assignment will be graded on how well you deal with the following questions:

§ Did the article unsettle, disturb, or otherwise "get to you"? If so, why?

§ Does the article disrupt taken-for-granted assumptions? Does it challenge and/or sustain educational equity problems?

§ How might you apply what you've learned from the article to your own teaching?

§ How might this article affect your worldview and / or your personal philosophy of education?

§ What questions does it raise for you (if any) as a prospective teacher?

This essay should be about 2 pages in length (approximately 500-650 words), double-spaced, Times New Roman 12 pt. font, and typed. This is not a research assignment, but you are expected to write the paper in essay format (i.e., with an introduction, body and conclusion, and developed argument).

2. Blog contributions; one DUE each week (10 in all)

Each week you will be expected to make a contribution in a course blog that provides your reflections on the course material. Please note that this blog will not be subject to public access. It can only be viewed by your colleagues in class. You will be given instructions on how to register for the blog on the first day of class.

The aim of this assignment is to give you an opportunity to reflect on the course material in a dynamic way with your colleagues. Commenting and building on other contributions in the blog is strongly encouraged.

This assignment will be graded on whether or not you are able to:

§ Write a contribution per week of at least 50 words each;

§ Contribute in a professional and ethical manner;

§ Provide comments that are reflective.

My goal here is to encourage the construction of a “learning community” using an alternate mode of discourse. I will provide extra help to anyone not familiar with using blogs. However, if you still feel uncomfortable using blogs or technical innovations such as this, please talk to me about alternatives.

Although this is free writing in which you may write about any aspect of the course or course material that intrigues or frustrates you, the following questions can be used to stimulate your contributions:

§ What did you learn in class today?

§ In what ways has your thinking about issues been reinforced, disturbed, or challenged?

§ What is happening outside of class that impacts on your viewpoint?

3. Group Research Presentation; DUE: to be determined through scheduling

You will be asked to make a presentation on equity in education related to practical aspects of teaching in subject areas. For this purpose, you will be placed in groups that correspond to your teachable subject cohorts, such as Health and Physical Education; Language; Mathematics; Social Studies; The Arts; Science. Each group will consist of either pairs or triads.

As a group, you are to find at least two (2) research-based articles or book chapters and two (2) educational teaching resources.

Presentations should be about 40 minutes in length. Each presentation will be followed by a 20 minute class discussion time (minimum) which the presenters will facilitate.

Each presentation will be graded according how well you provide or facilitate:

§ A summary of the key points and ideas in any of the readings or other resources used in researching the topic. Your summary should indicate why these points/ideas are important for prospective teachers. Your analysis should critically examine aspects of the readings that you feel are both encouraging and not encouraging of either equitable or inequitable practices.

§ A discussion of barriers to equitable access and achievement related to this subject matter. A connection should be made between your readings and a discussion of equitable considerations and concerns in the teaching of this particular subject.

Please provide a typed summary of the key points in the presentation (1 page) and a bibliographical list of the articles or resources you will cover. This hand-out is to be distributed to each class member at the end of your presentation.

The primary purpose of the presentation is to convey imaginatively the main ideas in the resources and their implications for teachers and learners. Group members are responsible for arranging any the audio-visual resources they may wish to use.

It is expected that the presentations will reflect collaboration and integration of team members. The grade assigned to the presentation will be the same for each group member. Grades may be reduced if each group member does not contribute equally.

Although grading of this assignment will be based on content, I can also provide feedback in terms of presentation preparation, delivery and style.

4. Final Essay; DUE: one week after the final class; to be submitted by email

Your final assignment will be to write and submit a final course paper. The paper can concern itself with any theme or issue relating to the overall course objectives.

Your final assignment should be in 12 point double-spaced typed font, and amount to no less than 2000 words.

In citing your sources in the text as well as in preparing a bibliography you are expected to adhere to an academic style such as APA (see above). Your sources for this essay will include at least four (4) relevant required readings from the course pack as well as four (4) additional sources (including web sites).

This assignment will be graded according to how well you:

§ adhere to academic essay format, with an introduction, body, conclusion and developed argument;

§ adhere to APA (or alternate) citation style;

§ connect the course pack sources with the additional sources your cite;

§ connect your readings with a critical and reflective analysis.

Course Topics and Schedule

Date	Class Description and Required Reading(s)
Class 1	Orientation a. course introduction, organization and overview b. lecture: The Sociological and Psychological Background: Identity and the Perception of Self c. ice-breaking and equity exploration exercises
Class 2	Coming to Terms with Our Own Subject Positions a. assignment #1 due b. lecture: Prejudice and Discrimination c. readings from the course pack to be discussed: MacIntosh (2005) d. video/ activities (if time permits) e. time devoted to preparing group research presentations
Class 3	Representation, Education and Popular Culture a. lecture: Defining the Master Statuses: Race, Gender and Class b. readings from the course pack to be discussed: Dei, et al. (2000); and Hall (2000) c. time devoted to preparing group research presentations d. video/ activities (if time permits)
Class 4	The Powerful Illusion of Race a. lecture: TBA b. readings from the course pack to be discussed: Mukhopadhyay & Henze (2003); and James (2005). c. time devoted to preparing group research presentations d. video/ activities (if time permits)
Class 5	The Persistent Reality of Racism a. lecture: TBA b. readings from the course pack to be discussed: Rezai-Rashti (2005); Zine (2003); and Lee (2006). c. time devoted to preparing group research presentations
Class 6	Privilege, Power and Anti-Racist Education a. readings from the course pack to be discussed: Solomon et al. (2005); and Leonardo (2004). b. group research presentation c. video/ activities (if time permits)
Class 7	Sexism and Gender Equality a. readings from the course pack to be discussed: Jackson & Gee (2005); and Coulter (2003). b. group research presentation c. video/ activities (if time permits)
Class 8	Hetero-sexism and Homophobia a. readings from the course pack to be discussed: Morris (2005); Blackburn (2004); and Gordon (2006). b. group research presentation
Class 9	Working towards Inclusive Education: Who is Disabled? a. readings from the course pack to be discussed: Wendell (1996); Frazee (2000); Sapon- Shevin (2006); and Christensen et al. (2006). b. group research presentation
Class 10	Poverty and Social Class a. readings from the course pack to be discussed: Fransoo et al. (2005); and Maynes (2001). b. group research presentation c. video/ activities (if time permits)
Class 11	The Paradox of Teaching: Agents of Change Vs. Transmitters of Culture a. course evaluation b. readings from the course pack to be discussed: Kumashiro (2004); and Kelly & Brandes (2001). c. social (optional)

.

Grading Scale

The following grading scale will be used in all Teacher Education courses. Grading of assignments may be conducted use number or letter grades. In either case, the description included below describes the expectations for Teacher Candidates at each grade level.

A+ Exceptional 90-100%	An exceptional grade in a course or on an assignment is given for a response that demonstrates a thorough knowledge of all relevant concepts and techniques. The response is complete in content and presented in a clear, coherent and effective manner. In addition an exceptional response adds something novel and original which distinguishes an A+ from an A. Exceptional responses are rarely encountered as they are, by definition, outstanding among other responses.
A Exemplary 85-89%	An exemplary grade in a course or on an assignment is given for a response that demonstrates a thorough knowledge of all relevant concepts and techniques. The response is complete in its content, with a clear and coherent presentation designed to communicate effectively.
A- Excellent 80-84%	An excellent grade in a course or on an assignment is given for a response that demonstrates a thorough knowledge of relevant concepts and techniques. The response is largely complete in its content and clearly presented. However, some minor aspect of the assignment which may pertain to content or effective communication is lacking.
B+ Very Good 75-79%	A very good grade in a course or on an assignment is given for a response that demonstrates adequate knowledge of relevant concepts and techniques. The response is both informative and clearly presented. However, the response is incomplete as some substantive aspect of the assignment has been overlooked.
B Good 70-74%	A good grade in a course or on an assignment is given for a response that demonstrates adequate knowledge of relevant concepts and techniques. However, the response is incomplete as some substantive aspect of the assignment has been overlooked. In addition, there are difficulties with effective communication.
C+ Satisfactory 66-69%	A satisfactory grade in a course or on an assignment is given for a response that demonstrates basic knowledge of relevant concepts and techniques. A substantive aspect of the assignment has been overlooked. In addition, the difficulties with effective communication result in a lack of clarity such that readers or listeners struggle to get the information.
C Pass 60-65%	A pass grade in a course or on an assignment is given for a response that demonstrates incomplete knowledge of relevant concepts and techniques. A substantive aspect of the assignment has been overlooked. In addition, the difficulties with effective communication result in a lack of clarity such that readers or listeners struggle to get the information.
D 55-59% D+ 50-54% E 40-49% Redeemable Failure	The category of redeemable failure demonstrates an unacceptable level of knowledge of concepts and/or techniques to satisfy the requirements of an assignment or course. Teacher candidates receiving a redeemable failure have the right to one supplemental examination in which they must obtain 60% standing to be successful. Supplemental examinations consist of a written examination or additional assignments.
F 0-49% Non-redeemable Failure	A non-redeemable failure demonstrates an unacceptable level of knowledge of concepts and/or techniques to satisfy the requirements of an assignment or course. No supplemental examination and/or assignments are offered.

Readings from Course Pack as Covered in Class

Class 2: Coming to Terms with Our Own Subject Positions

McIntosh, P. (2005). White privilege: Unpacking the invisible backpack. In Rothenberg, P. (Ed.), White privilege: Readings on the other side of racism (2^nd ed.) (pp. 109- 113). New York: Worth Publishing.

Class 3: Representation, Education and Popular Culture

Dei, G., James, I., Karumanchery, L., James- Wilson, S., and Zine, J. (2000). Representation in education: Centering silenced voices, bodies and knowledge. In Dei, G., James, I., Karumanchery, L., James- Wilson, S., and Zine, J. (Eds.), Removing the margins: The challenges and possibilities of inclusive schooling. Toronto: Canadian Scholars’ Press.

Hall, S. (2000). Heroes or villains? Stereotyping as a signifying practice. In Iseke, J. and Wane, N. (Eds.), Equity in schools and society. (pp. 97- 109). Toronto: Canadian Scholars’ Press.

Class 4: The Powerful Illusion of Race

Mukhopadhyay, C. and Henze, R. (2003). How real is race? Using anthropology to make sense of human diversity. Phi Delta Kappan 84, 9, 669- 678.

James, C. (2005). Race in Play: Understanding the social/ cultural world of student athletes. Toronto: Canadian Scholars’ Press.

Class 5: The Persistent Reality of Racism

Rezai-Rashti, G. (2005). The persistence of colonial discourse: Race, gender and Muslim students in Canadian schools. In Zawilski, V. and Levine- Rasky, C. (Eds.), Inequality in Canada: A reader on the intersections of gender, race and class (pp. 178- 187). Don Mills: Oxford University Press.

Zine, J. (2003). The challenge of anti-Islamphobia education. Orbit, 3, 3, 39- 41.

Lee, E. (1994). Taking multicultural antiracist education seriously. In Bigelow, B., Christiansen, S, Karp, B., Miner, B., and Peterson, B. (Eds.), Rethinking our classrooms: Teaching for Equity and Justice. (pp. 19:-22). University of Wisconsin-Madison Press.

Class 6: Privilege, Power and Anti-Racist Education

Solomon, P., Portelli, J. P., Daniels, B., & Campbella; A. (2005). The discourse of denial: How white teacher candidates construct race, racism and white privilege. Race, Ethnicity and Education 8, 2, 147-169.

Leonardo, Z. (2004). The color of supremacy: Beyond the discourse of white privilege. Journal of Educational Philosophy and Theory 36, 2, 137-52.

Class 7: Sexism and Gender Equality

Jackson, S., & Gee, S. (2005). 'Look Janet', 'No you look John': Constructions of gender in early school reader illustrations across 50 years. Gender and Education, 17, 2, 115-128.

Coulter, R. (2003). Boys doing good: Young men and gender equity. Harvard Educational Review 55, 135- 145.

Class 8: Hetero-sexism and Homophobia

Morris, M. (2005). Queer life and school culture: Troubling genders. Multicultural Education, 12, 3,8-13.

Blackburn, M. (2004). Understanding agency beyond school sanctioned activities. Theory into Practice 43, 2, 102-10.

Gordon, L. (1994) What do we say when we hear faggot? In Bigelow, B., Christiansen, S, Karp, B., Miner, B., and Peterson, B. (Eds.), Rethinking our classrooms: Teaching for Equity and Justice. (pp. 86- 87). University of Wisconsin-Madison Press.

Class 9: Working towards Inclusive Education: Who is Disabled?

Wendell, S. (1996). Who is disabled? Defining disability. In Wendell, S. (Ed.), The rejected body: Feminist philosophical reflections on disability (pp. 11-33). New York: Routledge.

Frazee, C. (2000) Body Politics. Saturday Night Magazine, Sept. 2, 2000 (pp. 41-43).

Sapon-Shevin, M. (1994) Playing favorites. In Bigelow, B., Christiansen, S, Karp, B., Miner, B., and Peterson, B. (Eds.), Rethinking our classrooms: Teaching for Equity and Justice. (pp. 176- 180). University of Wisconsin-Madison Press.

Class 10: Poverty and Social Class

Fransoo, R., Ward, T., Wilson, E., Brownell, M., and Roos, N. (2005). The whole truth: Socioeconomic status and educational outcomes. Education Canada 45, 3, 6-10.

Maynes, B. (2001). Educational programming for children living in poverty: Possibilities and challenges. In Portelli, J. and Solomon P. (Eds.), The erosion of democracy: Critique to possibilities (pp. 269-297). Calgary: Detselig.

Class 11: The Paradox of Teaching: Agents of Change Vs. Transmitters of Culture

Kumashiro, K. (2004). Uncertain beginnings: Learning to teach paradoxically. Theory into Practice 43, 2, 111- 115."

Kelly, D. M., and Brandes, G. M. (2001). Shifting out of neutral: Beginning teachers' struggles with teaching for social justice. Canadian Journal of Education, 26, 437-454.