![[PDF]](/pb-assets/Icons/adobe-pdf-icon-1498649896243.png){kind=icon}
Abstract
This article describes one secondary social studies teacher’s attempts to build a pedagogically democratic classroom. The teacher designs curriculum around large essential questions, connects content to the present lives of students, and creates space for students to make their own decisions and choices. The teacher is convinced that she has created a strong democratic space. Upon closer inspection, when given a choice, students consistently chose gender and ethnic alike teams. This raised difficult and complicated questions about what a democratic classroom is. The author concludes that issues of gender, race, and student reflection upon their choices about gender and race have to be a strongly and well-embedded part of democratic teaching.
References
|
Bishop, B. (2009). The big sort: Why the clustering of like-minded America is tearing us apart. New York, NY: Mariner. Google Scholar | |
|
Blackburn, M. (2013). Learning to tell a pedagogical story about heteronormativity. In Gorski, P., Zenkov, K., Osei-Kofi, N., Sapp, J. (Eds.), Cultivating social justice teachers: How teacher educators have helped students overcome cognitive bottlenecks and learn critical social justice concepts. Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing. Google Scholar | |
|
Hess, D., McAvoy, P. (2015). The political classroom: Evidence and ethics in democratic education. New York, NY: Routledge. Google Scholar | |
|
Ladson-Billings, G. (Ed.). (2003). Critical race theory perspectives on social studies: The profession, policies, and curriculum. New York, NY: Information Age Publishing. Google Scholar | |
|
Levinson, M. (2012). No citizens left behind. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Google Scholar | Crossref | |
|
Parker, W. (2003). Teaching democracy: Unity and diversity in public life. New York, NY: Teachers College Press. Google Scholar | |
|
Putnam, R. (2001). Bowling alone: The collapse and revival of American community. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster. Google Scholar | |
|
Strom, M. (1994). Facing history and ourselves: The Holocaust and human behavior. Brookline, MA: Facing History and Ourselves National Foundation. Google Scholar | |
|
Swalwell, K. (2013). Educating activist allies: Social justice pedagogy with the suburban and urban elite. New York, NY: Routledge. Google Scholar | |
|
Westheimer, J., Kahne, J. (2004). What kind of citizen?: The politics of educating for democracy. American Educational Research Journal, 41 (2), 237–269. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI |
