Activist Education

The practices which are taught in schools of low socio-economic status are limited and do not give students the skills and knowledge to reach their full potential. The core functions of the ‘pedagogy of poverty’ used in urban schools constitutes what teaching is thought to be by external parties from the classroom. However, this method of teaching is not effective to fulfil the learning needs for urban students of all ages and learning needs. The ‘basic pedagogy’ has been overlooked to be restructured to cater all students, due to the common belief that teachers are incapable of change. For this essay, the author Martin Haberman raises a number of pedagogical issues that have limited the educational possibilities for students and sacrificed the teaching quality of educators. These are topics that are discussed to resolve the growing issue for the urban students of the 21st century and the teaching skills and knowledge of our modern educators.

It is important to foster a learning environment in which students feel safe, relaxed, secure, confident and valued (Gravells A 2012 pg25) especially for learners who may have had negative experiences in traditional classroom environments. Students often describe supportive learning environments as expanding their sense of family and enhancing their self-esteem, which, when combined with increased literacy skills, help students take more chances in pursuing their goals.

*Enabling environment- children learn best in positive surroundings when the activities are set out for their personal requirements and there is a good relationship between practitioner and parents of the children.

I believe that each child is unique individual who needs a secure, caring, and stimulating atmosphere in which to grow and mature emotionally, intellectually, physically, and socially. It is my desire as an educator to help students meet their fullest potential in these areas by providing an environment that is safe, supports risk-taking, and invite a sharing of ideas. There are three elements that I believe are conducive to establishing such an environment namely, the teacher acting guide, allowing the child’s natural curiosity to direct his/her learning, promoting respect for all the things and all the people.

My life is propelled from my education. While the daily facades of school walls try their best to dilute the distractions of reality, in my community, I see families sorting through clothing donation boxes and teenagers hanging around gas stations instead of school. Along with the wastes I see accumulate on the street sides, I see a more disturbing waste: the opportunities begotten from poverty that perpetuates my community's hardships.

In the article “From Social Class to the Hidden Curriculum of Work,” written by Jean Anyon, he argues that the working-class and affluent communities both receive a learning-based education, the working-class lacks the fundamentals. Supporting this claim is Diane Ravitch in “The Essentials of a Good education” stating affluent communities provide classes beyond the essentials, including extra-curricular classes and activities with well-equipped material for their children to obtain. Contrastively, the working class community only receives the “basic” courses that consist of mathematics and English for their children. It has become evident that working-class communities in comparison to affluent communities cannot afford an open-handed and

An environment of trust will allow students to learn efficiently. When students become aware of their personal responsibilities, they will begin to maintain their integrity, creating a strong sense of honest

I believe in the importance of education and the influence an educator has through effective teaching. I would like to use my learning experience and

Progressive education

Wendy Kopp believed that it was the responsibility of everyone to stop children from being uneducated. As Wendy grew up she felt that since she was a woman there would be limits but as the years passed by she learned she wasn’t limited. She attended Princeton as a public policy major and was involved in many activities. She met a variety of people during her college years and learned more about students who come from poor communities and found that they have lower academic achievement because they were less prepared for the challenges ahead. Wendy eventually used this same idea in her senior thesis.

Using resources and materials that positively promote all aspects of the community, equality and diversity can help to develop the conditions for a learning environment based on respect and trust. This, together with the use of a different methods of teaching, learning and assessment approaches based on learner needs will generate an environment where learning will safely and effectively take place.

Another aspect educators need to consider while facilitating learning is the importance of the interpersonal environment. “Interpersonal environment refers to the relationships established in the environment.” (Planning and Learning,

Although pedagogy varies across European countries, there are similar roots that have developed into differing strands of contemporary thinking in pedagogy. Hämäläinen explains that “historically, social pedagogy is based on the belief that you can decisively influence social circumstances through education” – and importantly, education is seen as a life-long learning process that does not only refer to children but includes educating adults, for instance in order to change their idea of children.

Your story about standing up for education was inspiring and changed the way I thought about education. Even in the face of danger, you spoke up for what you believed and continued to fight for the education of both boys and girls, no matter what race, orientation or social class. I absolutely love your stories, and after reading your book, I feel like I could listen to you talk all day! I feel that your message should be spread around the world, and I can assure you that one small step to get to that goal is already taking place in our own Kilmer Middle School! Everyone in my English class is talking about your story and what you stood for. I am sure that your book not only influenced me, but also my classmates and many others all around the

Maxine Greene and Michael Apple are Americans who were extremely interested in developing a new education system that would satisfy the needs for all and not just a certain class. Maxine Green is a professor of philosophy and education, and taught courses at Columbia University about educational philosophy and social theory, along with a few more (Greene, 1995 p, 9). Greene has not only taught at the Columbian University, she also taught at New York,