Argument: Empowering Education by Ira Shor

Empowering Education

Critical Teaching for Social Change

In the text Empowering Education: Critical Teaching for Social Change, by Ira Shor, argues that the classroom and educational setting should not solely be centered around the teacher. The author argues that students should be able to have a voice in their education and be able to question the material that they are learning. She believes that the classroom should allow for negotiation between the teacher and the student, in which she states that there should be "a reciprocal relationship between teachers and students, where respect for the teacher coexisted with cooperative and student-centered pedagogy" (Shor 12). In the text Shor repeatedly states that students should be able to critically think about their education and schooling. Shor includes a quote from another author Banks that states, "a curriculum designed to empower students must be transformative in nature and help students to develop the knowledge, skills and values needed to become social critics who can make reflective decisions" (Shor 16). Shor argues that students should be able to think critically about their education and not just accept it for the way it is. She feels that students should be able to question what they are learning and be able to negotiate how the classroom is set up. 

Shor claims that student participation is also important because it helps students take more control over their learning and makes them less passive. She states, "participation is an educational and political means for students to gain knowledge and develop as citizens. Only by active learning could students develop scientific method and democratic habits rather than becoming passive pupils" (Shor 18). The author asserts that the students should be able to have some control over how they learn and that without this control/participation students see education as something that is done to them (Shor 20). 

Later in the text Shor also feels that competition in the classroom environment can lead to oppression over other students. She explains that by having some 'winners' in the classroom it can cause other students to withdraw and lead to negative feelings about learning (Shor 24). This shows that she believes that all students should be encouraged to excel and should not be compared to the success of their peers.

Throughout the text Shor repeatedly argues that the power and control of the classroom should be held by both the teacher and student, for the teacher should listen and consider the ideas of their students and the students should respect the teacher. There should be a respectful and responsible relationship between the professor and pupil, but the pupil should be able to critically think and question the lessons that they are learning and the way the educational system is operated.

Students Have Some Power

The link above is to an article from The Hechinger Report, which discusses the education of multiple students and educators on their experience with students who have some control over their education. Most of the students and educators feel that students benefit when they have a say in their learning such as the topic of the paper that they are writing, or even which classes they take. However, one student feels that the power they have is fake because their assignments still have to be completed by a certain time even though they are working at their own pace. The article is very interesting to read and gives various perspectives about student-centered learning. I highly recommend reading the entirety of it!

Talking Points

I found the reading by Ira Shor to be highly thought provoking and made me think about my own education and how I can take what she said into my own classroom one day. I feel as though that I was passive in my education, not ever questioning why I was learning certain things and would just do the assignment in order to get a good grade. I never took a step back and questioned the importance or purpose of an assignment. I feel that even in college some of the classes that I am taking serve no purpose towards my end goal and that I am only taking them to fulfill the requirements the college has made. I feel that some of the classes I have to take are somewhat a waste of my time, because I am never going to use the information that I learned. I wish that my education in college, was more centered around the perspectives and ideas of the students and less about notes and lectures. I feel that I would have a more positive outlook on my classes if professors to the time to communicate more with their pupils. 

The article though did make me think of how I could take Shor's idea into practice one day. I now want to strive to encourage my students to question their education and form their own thoughts. I also want to encourage them to speak freely with me about their ideas and opinions on how the classroom is set up and if there are things that they would like to do or change. I want my classroom to be a place where students are comfortable to share their thoughts and have more control over their education. 

The article makes me wonder how the United States education even got to a place where students have no control over their education and how that can be solved. Why are there not more teachers trying to encourage students to think for themselves?

Works Cited

Beaudoin, Emily. “How Georgian Teachers Are Facilitating Student-Centered Learning in STEM.” IREX, 27 Nov. 2018, https://www.irex.org/success-story/how-georgian-teachers-are-facilitating-student-centered-learning-stem. 

Boyd, Michael. “Incorporating SEL as a New Teacher.” Edutopia, George Lucas Educational Foundation, 15 Mar. 2019, https://www.edutopia.org/article/incorporating-sel-new-teacher. 

Kemp, Craig. “#Whatisschool Archive 16.04.15 ‘Student Centred Learning.’” Mr Kemp NZ, 16 Apr. 2015, http://mrkempnz.com/2015/04/whatisschool-archive-16-04-15-student-centred-learning.html. 

Shor, Ira. Empowering Education: Critical Teaching for Social Change. University of Chicago Press. 

Marcus, Jon, et al. “Some Schools Personalize Learning by Giving Students a Say in What They Learn.” The Hechinger Report, 25 Jan. 2019, https://hechingerreport.org/some-schools-give-students-control-over-their-learning-but-where-should-they-draw-the-line/.