Open University Widening Participation Conference 2012Discourses of Inclusion in Higher Education

Critical pedagogy and its place within an undergraduate Education Studies curriculum

Iain JonesNewman University College, Birmingham

24 April 2012

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Aims of presentation

• To present methodology and methods used in a pilot study of critical pedagogy

• To reflect on methodology , methods and initial findings

• To summarise questions raised and identify next stage of research

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Core focus and argument Evaluation of critical pedagogy and its ‘place’ within a specific higher education curriculum.

Inspired but not fixed by Freire.

Debates and practices need to be understood by analysing conditions that such a transformative discourse of higher education is developed within and

How these conditions work on the concepts and practices of ‘authentic dialogue’ and ‘creative spaces’ that are central to critical pedagogy.

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Structure•C

ontext

•Methodology

•Method

Aims of pilot study and

research question

•Emotion and the affective

•Performativity

Findings

•Questions raised by pilot study

•Your reflections

Activity and

plenary

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Aim of pilot study

Situate the theoretical principles of critical pedagogy

(see Freire, 1985; Giroux, 1985; Freire and Macedo, 1999; Canaan and Singh, 2008)

in relation to specific aspects of practice.

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Research Question

The main question that guided the design of pilot study:

‘What is the place for a critical pedagogy within a specific higher education curriculum?’

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Principles of critical pedagogy

Critical Pedagogy

Curiosity

Voice and authentic dialogue

Creative learners and

creativespaces

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Context. Pilot study: November 2011 and February 2012

Explored the principles, conditions, and practices of critical pedagogy through a small scale ethnographic study within a specific undergraduate module

The emerging research problem in the pilot study concerned with the experiences of a group of students and their teachers

The potential and limitations of a critical pedagogy within practices developed in a specific module in a specific curriculum set in a specific time and place.

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Conceptual framework: temporal and spatial

Not a ‘description’ of an institution, course or module (although these provide a context) but

how to capture ‘moments’ within a module and across a period of time (the temporal dimension) and

how these experiences shaped by identities within the institution, course and module (the spatial dimension).

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Conceptual framework : Iterative –inductive approach

My analysis and interpretation informed by

O’Reilly iterative –inductive approach Moving ‘back and forth iteratively between theory and analysis, data and interpretation’ (2011:105)

The preliminary findings I present remain permeable and incomplete (Amsler and Canaan, 2008).

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Conceptual framework: Inter-relationships between performativity, authenticity and modes of time

Performative self is a fabricated, socially constructed self, created and confined by our respective social and institutional laws and rules

Authenticity refers to an inner self that can recognize performative demands and act knowingly and mindfully in response to them (Mac Kenzie et al, 2007:47).

Three modes of time and classroom ethnography(Jeffrey and Troman:2004) • Compressed• Selective intermittent• Recurrent.

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Advance Notice ! Discuss in 40 mins.Reflections on the pilot study:

Qs raised by methodology , methods and findings

First thoughts

You and your perspectives

How does performativity work on ‘authentic dialogue’ and ‘creative spaces’ for you and your learning and what is your ‘knowing’ and ‘mindful’ response?

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The module that formed basis of pilot study

The Politics of Education module is a Level 6 module

38 students took the module

Two modes of assessment • 8-10 minute group documentary on an

issue of their choice• 1500 word essay analysing issue

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Aims of the module that formed basis of pilot study

• Develop understanding of the political nature of educational policy and practice.

• Analyse the organisational and ideological factors that shape the making of policy.

• Use a range of methods to investigate an area of policy and practice relevant to your own personal , academic and professional development.

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Introduction to a module:Politics : Keywords and images

Definition of policy (Ball, 2008)

big –P policy that is ‘formal’ and usually legislated policy…. But we need to remain aware that policies are made and remade in many sites, and there are many little-p policies that are formed and enacted within localities and institutions (Ball, 2008:7)

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Two issues chosen as starting point:Internet safety and Looked After Children

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Policy texts and questions designed

Byron Review ( 2008)How does the Byron Review aim to advise schools around making the internet safe for pupils and why isthis a political issue?

White Paper Care Matters: Time for Change(2007) How have developments in education policy regarding‘parental choice’ impacted on the educational outcomes of looked after children?

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Methodology and methods

My reflection on the module, within this specificsetting, draws on Mc Arthur (2010), and herargument: To understand critical pedagogy its possibilities andplace, and to then conceptualise how it can be applied,

arequestions of

• what is meant by diverse forms of knowledge ?

• how those forms can be exchanged and developed ?

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Why ethnography with a political intent?

The critical ethnography enabled me to understand and conceptualise the complexity of the experiences of students and teachers: the trajectories, contingencies and un-predictabilities marked out in a particular time and place

Critical ethnography ‘is an inherently political enterprise; it is ethnography with a political intent’ (Cohen, Manion and Morrison 2011:243).

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Carspecken’s model of critical ethnography (1996:41-42) in Cohen,

Manion and Morrison (2011)

Stage 1Compiling the primary record through

the collection of monological data

Stage 2Preliminary reconstructive

analysis

Stage 3Dialogical data collection

Stage 4Discovering system relations

Stage 5Using system relations to explain findings

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Methods in design of pilot study

• Participant observation and field notes

• Survey

• Focus Group

• My reflexivity as insider researcher

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O’Reilly’s iterative –inductive approach

The preliminary findings I will present remain permeable and incomplete (Amsler and Canaan, 2008)

The analysis and interpretation is informed by O’Reilly’s iterative –inductive approach of moving ‘back and forth iteratively between theory and analysis, data and interpretation’ (2011:105).

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Stage 1 and monological data

Collected a primary record based on monological data :Described existing situation and engagement with students

and colleagues in the module and pilot study.

Three methods used to gather monological data:• my field notes• perspectives of the students • those of my two other colleagues who taught module with

me.

I wanted to capture the mood of the moment using • ‘head’, • ‘scratch’ • ‘ full’ fieldnotes (O’Reilly, 2009:72) .

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Extract from scratch notes

22 November: Staff Student ConsultativeCommittee

Single student at meeting. Meeting went ahead. She represented her views and claimed they were views of others. This exchange was a precursor to what was then a focus on the module. Yet again she presented her views as if they were representative of the group-when they were not. I felt as if I was being placed in the spotlight (Scratch note recorded on 24 November and emphasis placed on 2 April)

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Extracts from survey: How would you describe your experiences of the module?

One of five open questions 23 students responded to anonymously on 24 November.Responses included ‘highly helpful’, ‘interesting’, ‘extremely interesting’, ‘On a whole positive’(sic), others were ‘confused’ , ‘frustrated’ or ‘Stressful and confusing over ideologies’ and ‘Some of the lessons were effective as I learnt a lot around the politics of education whilst others were not of as much use as it was used to discuss others groups work that doesn’t effect me’ (sic).

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Extracts from focus group

• Contrast between issue each group identified and then their development of framework for analysing why it was a politicalissue.

• We felt disconnection between their experiences and what it is that makes an issue political.

• Our dilemma :whether students, particularly at Level 6, should be taking more responsibility for their learning

• Our conclusion :re-structuring of sessions within the module. Preliminary ideas to include

Greater use of case studies Student diaries: what is a political event

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Stage 2 :Preliminary reconstruction and findings

Woods (1996) Critical Events Methodologically ‘it is difficult to study critical events as they are happening’ (1996:119) but the meanings and context of an event can be explored andunderstood in retrospect.

Mercer (2007) Insider researchBy reflecting on and understanding the significance of critical events the

‘subtleand diffuse links between the situation and events’ (2007:11) can be identified.

Jeffrey and Troman (2004) Time and classroomethnography• Compressed• Selective intermittent• Recurrent

O’Reilly (2009) Iterative-inductive approach

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Theory: Performativity as

a technology, a culture and mode of regulation that employs judgements, comparisons and displays as means of incentive, control, attrition and changebased on rewards and sanctions (both material and symbolic) (Ball, 2003:

216).

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Performativity and authenticity

The performative self is a fabricated, socially constructed self, created and confined by our respective social and institutional laws and rules.

Authenticity refers to an inner self that can recognize performative demands and actknowingly and mindfully in response to them (MacKenzie, 2007:47).

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Analysis of scratch notes and extracts: March and April

The conditions that research was developed within and how those conditions worked on principles and practices of student voice that is a principle of critical pedagogy.

Restricted practices and extended possibilities of ‘voice’ were suffused with emotion and the ‘affective’ (see Leathwood and Hey, 2009). However, they not in binary opposition but were inter-related. These relationships were mediated, in turn, by performativity

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Interpretation: Grim ?

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Or contradictory , permeable and incomplete?

Amsler and Canaan (2008) emphasise thatlinguistic representations of a process or condition as a totalising, inevitable and completed script have a performative function:

they potentially depict as ‘complete’ processes that are often incomplete, contradictory and more permeable to other forces and practices than their representation suggests (2008:4, my emphasis).

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Reflections on pilot study

‘Voice’ in a restricted form, limited to formal module evaluations and staff: student consultative meetings, may act on and marginalise the capacity for an alternative and extended forms of voice and authentic dialogue within creative spaces in higher education

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Conclusion: Reflecting on pilot study on place of critical pedagogy

Used an iterative – inductive approach and Jeffrey and Troman’s work (2004) on time and classroom ethnography as basis for analysing how conditions work on a critical pedagogy.

Preliminary findings suggest contradictory, permeable and incomplete practices (Amsler and Canaan,2008).

Exploratory pilot study forms basis of an understanding, and further research, on inter-relationships between performativity and authenticity (MacKenzie et al, 2007) and modes of time.

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Discussion. Design of the pilot study:

Methodology , methods and findingsFirst thoughts

You and your perspectives

How does performativity work on ‘authentic dialogue’ and ‘creative spaces’, for you and your learning, and what is your ‘knowing’ and ‘mindful’ response?

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Questions raised by the pilot study

Critical pedagogy, performativity and authenticity

The complex inter relationships and how can they be understood

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References• Amsler, S. and Canaan, J. (2008) Whither critical pedagogy in the neo-

liberal university today? Two UK practitioners’ reflections on constraints and possibilities, ELiSS, 1 (2), November 2008.

• Ball, S.J. (2003) ‘The teacher’s soul and the terrors of performativity’, Journal of Education Policy, 18(2), 215-228.

• Canaan, J and Singh, G. (2008) The Neoliberal University, Critical Pedagogy and Popular Education Part 1 (Podcast) Available at: http://criticalpedagogywm.wordpress.com/resources/podcasts-and-videos/(Accessed: 26 July 2010).

• Carspecken, P. (1996) Critical Ethnography in Educational Research: A Theoretical and Practical Guide, Routledge: London.

• Cohen, L, Manion , L, and Morrison, K. (2011) Research Methods in Education, Seventh edition, Abingdon: Routledge.

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References

• Freire, P. (1985) The Politics of Education: Culture, Power and Liberation. New York: Bergin and Garvey.

• Freire, P. and Macedo , D. (1999) Pedagogy, Culture, Language, and Race: A Dialogue in J.Leach and B.Moon (eds) Learners and Pedagogy. London: Paul Chapman Publishing.

• Giroux, H. (1985) Introduction in P.Freire, The Politics of Education: Culture, Power and Liberation. New York: Bergin and Garvey.

• Jeffrey, B. and Troman, G. (2004) Time for ethnography, British Educational Research Journal , 30(4), 535-548.

• Leathwood, C. and Hey , V.(2009) Gendered discourses and emotional sub-texts: theorising emotion in UK higher education, Teaching in Higher Education,14(4), 429-440.

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References

• McArthur, J. (2010) Time to look anew: critical pedagogy and disciplines within higher education, Studies in Higher Education, 35(3),301-315.

• MacKenzie, H, McShane, K, and Wilcox, S. (2007) Challenging Performative Fabrication: Seeking authenticity in academic development practiceInternational Journal for Academic Development Vol. 12, No. 1, May 2007, pp. 45–54.

• Mercer, J. (2007) The Challenges of Insider Research in Educational Institutions: Wielding a double-edged sword and resolving delicate dilemmas. https://lra.le.ac.uk/bitstream/2381/4677/1/Justine_Mercer_Final_Draft_Insider_Research_Paper.pdf (Accessed: 9 February 2012).

• O’Reilly, K. (2009) Key Concepts in Ethnography, London: Sage.

• Woods, P. (1996) Researching the Art of Teaching: Ethnography for Educational Use. London :Routledge.

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Contact details

Iain Jones

iain.jones@newman.ac.uk