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From current English educators themselves- this book is intended for secondary teachers of the subject of English.

This book is divided into 3 parts: 1) Social Justice and Argue for the need for social change in classrooms. 2) The aspects of social justice and how teachers use advocacy and relationship building for further pedagogic advancement. 3) Taking this theory out of the book and truly applying it to English classrooms.

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The idea of critical theory begins with understanding what creates text and literature and more than that the type of power that literacy brings into the classroom.

Alongside the idea of choosing literature that speaks to engaging students lived experiences- it is also an important to note that critical literacy begins with viewing what is happening in the world and how we can relate it to our classrooms.

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"Ashley S. Boyd is an associate professor of English/English Education at Washington State University where she teaches graduate courses on critical and cultural theory...A former secondary English language arts teacher, Ashley’s current scholarship examines practicing teachers’ social justice pedagogies and their critical content knowledge and explores how young adult literature is an avenue for cultivating students’ critical literacies. "

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Biography

Ashley S. Boyd is an associate professor of English/English Education at Washington State University where she teaches graduate courses on critical and cultural theory and undergraduate courses on English Methods and Young Adult Literature. A former secondary English language arts teacher, Ashley's current scholarship examines practicing teachers' social justice pedagogies and their critical content knowledge and explores how young adult literature is an avenue for cultivating students' critical literacies. Drawing on frameworks from cultural studies, critical theory, and social justice education, Dr. Boyd addresses educational inequities and opportunities for social action through qualitative research and analysis. She is experienced in studies in secondary schools with students and practicing teachers and in data collection involving semi-structured interviews, ethnographic observations, surveys, and focus groups/discourse communities. Her methodologies span case study development, thematic coding, document and artifact analysis, and critical discourse analysis. Crucial to her work are collaborative endeavors in research and publication that include undergraduate and graduate students, community stakeholders, and practitioners. Her book with Teachers College Press, Social Justice Literacies in the English Classroom: Teaching Practice in Action, analyzes case studies of practicing English teachers to identify specific pedagogic approaches for advancing equity both inside and outside of the classroom. She has published in the Journal of Teacher Education; English Education; Teacher Education Quarterly; Educational Studies; the International Journal of Critical Pedagogy; and the ALAN Review.
Selected Publications

Boyd, A. & Darragh, J. (2022). Reading The Serpent King to connect to students' lives and experiences in rural contexts. English Education, 54(3)219-235.

Beach, R., Boyd, A., Webb, A., & Thein, A. (2022). Teaching to exceed English language arts standards: A critical inquiry approach for 6- 12 classroom(3rd). Routledge.

Boyd, A., Dyches, J, Bonilla, A*. (2022). The foundations of critical teaching. Teacher Education Quarterly, 49(1), 7-28.

Boyd, A., Rose, S. & Darragh, J. (2021). Shifting the conversation around teaching sensitive topics: Critical colleagueship in a teacher discourse community. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy.

Boyd, A. & Miller, J. (2020). Let's give them something to talk (and act!) about: Privilege, racism, and oppression in the middle school classroom. Voices from the Middle, 27(3), 15-19.

Boyd, A. & Darragh, J. (2019). Reading for action: Engaging youth in social justice through Young Adult Literature. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.

Boyd, A. & Darragh, J. (2019). Complicating censorship: Reading All American Boys with parents of young adults. English Education 51(3), 229-260.

Walter, B.** & Boyd, A. (2018). A 'threat'-or 'just a book'? Analyzing Responses to 13 Reasons Why in a discourse community. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy. doi: 10.1002/jaal.939

Boyd, A. (2017). Social justice literacies in the English classroom: Teaching practice In action. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

Dyches, J. & Boyd, A. (2017). Foregrounding equity in teacher education: Toward a model of social justice pedagogical and content knowledge (SJPACK). Journal of Teacher Education, DOI: 10.1177/0022487117705097.

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Ashley Boyd | English | Washington State University

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Biography Ashley S. Boyd is an associate professor of English/English Education at Washington State University where she teaches graduate courses on critical and cultural theory and undergraduate courses on English Methods and Young Adult Literature.

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"This timely book focuses on different social justice pedagogies and how they can work within standards and district mandates in a variety of English language arts classrooms. With detailed analysis and authentic classroom vignettes, the author explores how teachers cultivate relationships for equity, utilize transformative language practices, demonstrate critical caring, and develop students' critical literacies with traditional and critical content."

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This timely book focuses on different social justice pedagogies and how they can work within standards and district mandates in a variety of English language arts classrooms. With detailed analysis and authentic classroom vignettes, the author explores how teachers cultivate relationships for equity, utilize transformative language practices, demonstrate critical caring, and develop students' critical literacies with traditional and critical content. Boyd offers a comprehensive model for taking social action with youth that also considers the obstacles teachers are likely to encounter. Presenting the case for more equity-oriented teaching, this rich resource examines the benefits of engaging students with critical pedagogies and provides concrete methods for doing so. Written for both pre- and inservice teachers, the text includes adaptable teaching models and tested ideas for preparing to teach for social justice. [Foreword by Deborah Appleman.]

Descriptors: Social Justice, English, English Instruction, Language Arts, Teaching Methods, Vignettes, Transformative Learning, Language Usage, Critical Thinking, Caring, Models, Equal Education, Educational Benefits, Teaching Models

Teachers College Press. 1234 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY 10027. Tel: 800-575-6566; Fax: 802-864-7626; e-mail: tcp.orders@aidcvt.com; Web site: http://www.tcpress.com

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ERIC - ED575644 - Social Justice Literacies in the English Classroom: Teaching Practice in Action. Language and Literacy Series, Teachers College Press, 2017-Sep-29

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This timely book focuses on different social justice pedagogies and how they can work within standards and district mandates in a variety of English language arts classrooms. With detailed analysis and authentic classroom vignettes, the author explores how teachers cultivate relationships for equity, utilize transformative language practices, demonstrate critical caring, and develop students' critical literacies with traditional and critical content.

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“[Literature] is at the heart of everything” (pg. 64).
Choose literature to cover in class with the intent to represent multiple identities and help students think critically about things that relate to them.

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Students take on different identities to form their whole being and it is important to recognize their individuality. Allow students to express themselves and their opinions openly without fear of being ridiculed. Give students a safe space to be themselves.

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Defining social justice begins by understanding what the current systems of oppression are: such as sexism and racism. Social justice is the action of hope and commitment to understanding and working against those systems that are found at the foundation of most educational systems.

The focus on acknowledging oppression and questioning who upholds the power in society will lead to understanding will help us as educators take those first steps towards being active social justice advocators.

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While it may sometimes feel limiting, teachers can create lesson plans within the parameters set forth by school districts to teach social justice through English Language Arts. Various elements of reading comprehension such as identifying tone, resolving conflict, connecting elements can lead to drawing from students' lives.
Understanding how chosen texts for students can have a strong impact not just on their life but on how they will continue to use social justice in the future.

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Speak up for students always, but especially when they cannot do it for themselves. So speaking up isn’t at the expense of others, word usage and reactions are important to carefully consider when advocating for students. When the teacher advocates for their students, it allows others to see that they will also be advocated for, making them feel safer in school.

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Show genuine interest in students’ lives to build relationships. Have classroom activities reflect students’ interests and experiences. Relationships developed with students should reflect social justice and acknowledge things like culture, race, social class, gender, and sexual orientation.

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Create a community in the classroom using language like “we”. Use students’ preferred pronouns to acknowledge their identities. Have some sort of policy that reflects peace and respect to provide students with a welcoming environment. Recognize that students will experience highs and lows (in school and their personal lives) and do not be afraid to talk about them and give students time to understand their feelings.

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Reflecting on each teachers story and how there will always been an individual approach to social justice in the classroom based on the experiences. Teachers should take the time and effort into understanding not just their own feelings towards their own back rounds and how social justice have had an impact in their own life. Social justice is not one type of bandaid that fixes all ill-ments. It begins by engaging student interests in the classrooms and appreciating lived experiences in the general background.

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Introduction: This chapter shifts int o the focus of the experience of three different teachers. Each teacher has a different teaching philosophy and different background/set of experiences.

Etta Swan: A mixed race high school teacher from Pacific County who shows a large demographic of 78% of students being White with 19.5% being Black and 2% being Hispanic. The Pacific County high school is a heavily community orientated school and Etta is feeling the exhaustion of a loss of teachers from the profession. Etta's classroom is inclusive, student orientated, and a place where social justice theory is welcomed and encouraged. Etta uses a lot of their own experiences in the classroom as a teacher of who attributes different social justice beliefs to open dialogue in the classroom. It is the goal of teaching students through positive pedogies of a safe and open space to learn.

Beverly Mitchell: A middle school teacher who teaches in Apple City The school is pretty strict with their policies regarding bullying, academic success, and student conduct rules in general. Beverly's classroom is open and filled with decor trying to create a safe and fun learning environment. Beverly is white and uses teacher as a second career. Overall, Beverly uses the classroom experince as step to create a conversation for social justice and how students lives are influenced by it.

Tate Williams: A middle school teacher who teaches in southwest Harperville where there is a demographic of 52% Black or African American students, and a majority of administration is also African American. Tate's classroom is based on the idea of open conversations lead to transperacy in expectations and mutual respect. As a member of the LGBTQ+ community Tate uses their understanding of possible difficulties and experiences in their own classrooms.

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As educators we need to understand that the experiences of students have shaped their experiences and there is also a way that our own experiences can influence the way that we teach.

Educators should never assume the abilities of students before getting to know them and do this without bias. We can start this by understanding our own personal implications and even our personal privlidges and how we focus on bringing positive lived experiences to the classroom.

Knowing ourselves also means understanding what we want to bring into the classroom experience in the form of group work, assignments, assesments, and classroom culture.

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To really begin to understand teaching English as a subject - it should be understood the traditional positionally of how English teachers tend to be, in comparison to the many diverse communities of students. As teachers we need to create opportunities to celebrate students lived experiences and combat the amount of oppression in students' lived realities.

Social justice should differ between every teacher and should include pedogies and agendas aimed with fact and rooted in theory for student success and mental well being.

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Social Justice Literacies: A Theoretical Lens

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Social Justice Literacies: A Theoretical Lens

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There are several different forms of learning literacy compared to the traditional reading and writing format. But in order to evolve with the ever changing world of learning- literacy forms of social media, career paths, in all types of life.

Strengths are found within multiple literacies - as does the appreciation of the experts who specialize in those fields.

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You don't want kids to feel hopeless or that the weight of changing the world is solely on their shoulders

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Critical Thinking in Traditional Content 

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Critical Thinking in Traditional Content 

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When including traditional content in the lesson plan (like Romeo and Juliet), have students think critically about how current issues relate to the content (i.e. gender roles). Analyze power and oppression while reading traditional texts.

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Teach them how to both deconstruct and reconstruct society. Emphasize that while there are actions they can take, they should look at these issues from the perspective of what their country should be doing

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That's basically all it says

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Race, gender, and social class play key roles in the classroom and impact students’ learning. To promote equity in the classroom, treat students on an individual basis since all of their experiences are different. “[Frame] students’ behaviors as reactions to the structures that limit them” (pg. 55).

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When focusing on social justice in the classroom, it can be difficult to find a way to stay within the standards set forth by the district and state. Forgetting the standards can deprive students of a beneficial education. Know the standards before discussing controversial issues in class. Find credible resources to share with your students to avoid the spread misinformation

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Strike a balance between "you aren't helpless in the face of this issue" and "there isn't a cure all solution." The critical hope theory explains that the journey to social justice is long and requires active commitment

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When students display negative behavior, show them that their emotions are valid and how they feel comes first. Understand that students have personal experiences that can impact their behavior and allow them time to feel their emotions.

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Let students choose their battles and show them examples of what they can do to take action. Design a project that gives them choices

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When giving students time to recuperate, hold them accountable for their assignments. Even if engagement is low, have them make it up at a later time to emphasize that their school responsibilities are still important. Communicate clearly to students that expectations remain high and there are consequences for not following through with the expectations. Be authoritative and avoid having an authoritarian classroom management style. Encourage students to take the initiative and become self-disciplined over time.

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Goes well with English; the students can exercise multiliteracies when researching an issue and designing actions to take around it

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Incorporating Social Justice into the Curriculum

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Incorporating Social Justice into the Curriculum

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You can use books already in the curriculum like Romeo and Juliet to touch upon and analyze social issues

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Present students with various modes of literature to have them consider how different sources report the same topic. Ask students questions about the difference between the way each mode presents a topic and why it is done that way. Multimodal content can also provide students with more layers to a topic and help students better understand a topic by exposing them to various perspectives.

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There isn't much scaffolding for teachers teaching a social justice emphasized curriculum. And you might receive resistance for trying

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Acknowledge that everything you say and do has some sort of social justice implication

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At times, teachers may be afraid to talk about a subject in social justice or to comment on certain issues because they are worried about pushback or even the effect it can have on their job. They sometimes feel there is a lack of trust that they will do their job as well, which is a deterrent

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Keep your ears open for students and fellow teachers mentioning social justice issues, as many will be interested in this subject, and that is how you find allies in the quest for social justice education