Running head: MICHAEL CALDWELL MODULE 3 REFLECTION 1

Michael Caldwell Module 3 Reflection

Introductions

The cultural characteristics that come to acknowledge and classify individuals and guide

how they socially identify, as Anyon (1980) highlights, apparently correlates with their class

status. Anyon (1980) mentions further, in relation to one’s corresponding societal position,

individually, and in comparison with other members in society, the class status correlation

appears to mediate between how much an individual privately possesses–or owns–in a society

that is structured on capitalism. Here, the disparity in educational attainment becomes most

evident when comparing the apparent great divide in learning access observed between the haves

and have-nots in society, as Anyon (1980) discusses. The divide observed here may correlate

with the reoccurring production of the social class divisions and subjugations, as Anyon (1980)

points out, that appear to perpetually evolve and/or purposefully cultivate in secreted,

agenda-based school curricula.

To counter this supposed educational agenda, as Freire (1970/2000) discusses,

investigative, confrontational, and fact-revealing dialogue initiated by humanism-minded,

egalitarian-emboldened teachers who can facilitate teacher-student dialogue and learning gains is

necessary toward implementing cultural collaboration. More so, Freire (1970/2000) explains

how classroom discourse through reflections, responses, and actions (or praxis) becomes vital to

generating goal-oriented, orderly organization amongst all peoples for regular social practice.

Here, this routine practice can interconnect the socially constructed relationships and counter the

division experienced by subjugating classism, as Freire (1970/2000) highlights. Ultimately, the

need to emphasize social commonalities and shared interests in educational domains becomes

socially relevant, not just for the vitality of social progress, but for global transformation that

transcends all subjugating and subjective social constructions, as Freire (1970/2000) surmises.
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Summaries

(Anyon, 1980)

When viewing the education system through the lens of social class, as Anyon (1980)

proposes, we can see the social stratifications manipulating, or even controlling, school and

learning accessibility that is tacitly, or as some social critics may posit overtly, predicated on

one’s wage-earnings, the occupational level of parents, and their asset ownership. Anyon (1980)

outlines here, too, by comparing five class and income-diverse schools that are classified from

low to moderately skilled, working-class households to the middle, upper-capitalist social class,

the capitalist classes encompass more of the educationally affluent and elite of society. All

things being equal, curriculum-wise, with comparably similar schoolbooks being provided here

within the five schools spotlighted, Anyon (1980) notes at the lower-classed schools, less

emphasis was placed on a thorough, conceptualized comprehension of the subject matter with the

students.

The classes at these lower-tiered schools, as Anyon (1980) mentions, educated students

via a rote, mechanized approach that contained minimal to no critical perspective and

engagement by the teachers, versus the upper-classed schools who received high-quality,

individualized instructional methods and assistance. However, teachers at these higher-end

schools implemented a more well-planned course strategy that focused on content analysis, as

Anyon (1980) notes, which emphasized conceptual command of the content material. Ultimately,

student-teacher interaction that is deficient of thought-provoking collaboration, dialogue, and

personal investment by a student-centered teacher who elicits inquisition and a desire for broad

discovery in learners seems useless, almost hopeless, in a student’s overall learning development

and cultivation. All students, rich or poor, in all communities should have an undeniable, social

and personal right at gaining a formidable education that will allow them equal and whole

participation within the democratic process of society, which will ideally ensure social justice

prevails for all.

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(Freire, 1970/2000)

In theory, as Freire (1970/2000) explains, education should authentically exist for the

masses, both prince and pauper, and arouse a common unity amongst the citizenry for social

cause that encourages learning and knowledge creation for all within the communities. The

social action generated can then become revolutionary, as Freire (1970/2000) states, in

transforming the adverse social structures enabling the forces of oppression that can marginalize

members of society. Here, societal transformation is liberation from oppressive forces, or

oppressors, which can stifle the humanistic realizations and respect of those who are and have

been socially and historically marginalized who, as Freire (1970/2000) contends, can eventually

elicit emancipation and revolution via cultural organization and political coalition. Then, with

communal exploration and analytical criticism of the socially dehumanizing themes of

oppression dictating and sustaining these socio-cultural and political complications, resolution

can be accomplished and all members of society can freely gain an empowering objectivity to

thrive and persevere.

Ultimately, in the struggle to liberate the oppressed, the transformative, pedagogy-minded

humanist teacher must urgently and compassionately take on the dialogic challenge, as Freire

(1970/2000) points out, toward getting the student, or the oppressed, to comprehend and take on

this revolutionary fight. Also, the teachers here should guide learners toward, as Freire

(1970/2000) professes, a commitment of love that becomes highly enabling in the emancipation

cause, which becomes warranted in this mutually inclusive struggle to bring forth an enduring

social revolution and eternal liberation for all. Again, success is achieved here with

problem-posing, inquiry-centered, dialogic praxis between student and teacher, as Freire

(1970/2000) claims, that queries both the subjective and objective, and the oppressor and

oppressed.
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Conclusion

Through collaborative, engaging discourse, pedagogical theory, practice, and action can

more feasibly allow the education classroom to become, as both authors Anyon (1980) and

Freire (1970/2000) posit, a situation room of sorts for socio-cultural study by both student and

teacher in organizing and strategizing the critical realities and socio-political domains required

for comprehensive inclusivity for all members of society. Absolute inclusion of all citizens and

residents apparently begins, again, with inquisition and assessment of the societal relationships,

conditions, and associating social disorders marginalizing and castigating those set up for

subjugation and exploitation, almost conspiringly by hidden educational agendas. Here, too, the

authors note how the critical need for intellectual dialogue between teachers and students that,

once more, takes into dire context the historical and structural aspects of societal oppression and

the marginalizing forces, becomes a counter-mechanism for social deterrents. Apparently, as the

authors here also affirm, these deterrent-driven mechanisms are by most accounts, educationally

induced, capitalist schemes that perpetuate these community-debilitating social constructs of

discrimination, classism, and intolerance, that must be transformed and eradicated for social

salvation. Overall, as the authors above-mentioned emphasize, a counter-productive

methodology towards mutual inclusivity by all concerned must have cause to critically contest,

decipher, and deter the harmful social constructs and their detractors, again as stated above, that

can purpose societal transformation, resolution, and social justice for an all-embracing

democratic process.

References

Anyon, J. (1980). Social class and the hidden curriculum of work. The Journal of Education,

162(1), 67–92.

Freire, P. (2000). Pedagogy of the oppressed. (M. B. Ramos, Trans.). New York, NY:

Continuum. (Original work published 1970)