Social Justice Key Terminology and Personal Identity

Social Justice Key Terminology and Personal Identity

Part 1 – Social Justice Key Terminology
Term	Definition	School or Classroom Setting Description
Social Justice	Many books have been written without offering a practical definition of social justice and therefore the term is left hanging in the air as if everyone is expected to understand it the moment they see it (Hytten & Bettez, 2011). However, many people commonly understand social justice as the tenets of equality and fairness for everyone and respect for fundamental human rights (Sensoy & DiAngelo, 2017). This is why the term comes with a controversial definition: because of the aspects of culture, nationality, race, political opinions, and religion, among many other social factors.	In a classroom, teachers are expected to be effective in teaching and in practice during this term. According to Hytten & Bettez (2011), in a classroom setting, teachers should be culturally responsive, know themselves better and be open to any change, hold an advanced philosophy of education, know substantial pedagogical content, have an educational psychology that is considered multicultural, and to link teacher education with the world that is outside school. In this case, social justice in a classroom setting is understood to be mutual between teacher, student, and the world outside, and teaching should promote the views and opinions of students and respect their intrinsic rights at the same time.
Culture	Culture is a social system of customs and meaning developed by a kind of people (featured by a set of habits, beliefs, values, customs, communication styles, behaviours, and thinking patterns) to ensure its survival and adaptation.	Within a classroom setting, pedagogical competence is expected in the ability of teachers and students to empathetically and effectively learn, engage and work with various people from different cultural backgrounds so that learning can be safe and allow an accountable platform for discourse and dialogue. This is not only expected in classrooms only but also in informal social settings and interactions.
Identity	Identity is usually used to refer to an individual’s sense of belonging. More often than not, people choose to associate themselves with a certain social group, principle, political view, religion, or belief. Identity can also be intrinsic in the form of, say, gender, sex, race, and nationality.	In an effective pedagogical setting, the learning practices of students and teachers are expected to be in alignment with respect of individual’s right to identity, whether inherent or by choice.
Bias (including implicit bias)	Bias refers to prejudice which is a preference or inclination that interferes with a judgment that is impartial (Lowell, 2021). Implicit bias refers to negative associations that is expressed automatically (Diversity Resource Center, 2015). More often, people express implicit bias without knowing	Since a class is a multicultural setting, students may express negative associations towards each other or the teachers, sometimes explicitly and many times implicitly.
Diversity	According to Lewis & Clark College (2014), diversity refers to a multiplicity of different and shared group and individual experiences, characteristics, beliefs, and values among people.	In a classroom, diversity can be seen as a wide variety of different and shared group and personal features, including any characteristic that can be utilized in differentiating students and teachers from one another.
Democracy	Lewis & Clark College (2014) defines democracy as a government system whose principles and actions reflect and value the people’s perspectives through their votes.	If there is a point of disagreement on matters such as student leader, or manner of conduct or policy, for example, in a classroom, students are mostly led to vote on a matter in question in which the majority vote wins. This is considered democratic within a class.
Nonviolence	Nonviolence is an approach used by civil and social advocates that emphasize political and social change via actions that do not entail physical violence against others or oneself (Lewis & Clark College, 2014).	In a learning institution, students of teachers may employ nonaggression strategies such as protests, use of placards, or social media movement to change a status quo or sociopolitical manner of doing things around the school.

ORDER A PLAGIARISM-FREE PAPER HERE

We’ll write everything from scratch

---

 Becoming a great teacher requires you to reflect upon your own personal and cultural experiences in order to best understand your students’ unique needs. In this two-part assignment, you will first examine the layers and complexities of your own personal identity while also researching and exploring key terms related to social justice education.

Part 1: Social Justice Key Terminology

Using the “Social Justice Key Terminology and Personal Identity Template,” define the key terms listed in your own words. Describe what the key terms look like in a school or a classroom setting, considering how each term might appear through student-teacher engagement, classroom instruction, classroom management, curriculum, schoolwide events, or parent/community-school connections. With the blank rows, choose two words related to social justice that are of interest to you. In the Reflection section of the template, based on your current understanding of social justice, in 50-100 words, reflect on how diversity presents both challenges and opportunities for teachers. In another 50-100 words, explain how your personal experiences, spiritual beliefs, and cultural values have shaped your personal perspectives on education. Explain how the Christian worldview may or may not be a part of your cultural values.

Support your key terminology with 2-3 scholarly resources.

While APA style format is not required for the body of this assignment, solid academic writing is expected, and in-text citations and references should be presented using documentation guidelines, which can be found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center.

This assignment uses a rubric. Review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.