Democratic teacher education faculty Fulbright Scholar at the University of Sarajevo Faculty of PhilosophyFulbright scholar at the University of Wroclaw PolandDepartment chair and Regional Director Antioch UniversityBlog at http://jcmcdermott.posterous.com/ Phone: 310-578-1080 ext 352
Democracy Deficit Disorder: Learning Democracy with Young People, 2023
This is a flyer announcing the 2023 publication of my latest book with J. Cynthia McDermott by Pe... more This is a flyer announcing the 2023 publication of my latest book with J. Cynthia McDermott by Peter Lang International Academic Publishers.
Foxfire turns 50 years old this year and this collection is a celebration of all the ways that th... more Foxfire turns 50 years old this year and this collection is a celebration of all the ways that this approach has been used from Georgia to California and Canada and China http://tinyurl.com/hzksgfb
Democracy Deficit Disorder: Learning Democracy with Young People, 2023
This is a flyer announcing the 2023 publication of my latest book with J. Cynthia McDermott by Pe... more This is a flyer announcing the 2023 publication of my latest book with J. Cynthia McDermott by Peter Lang International Academic Publishers.
Foxfire turns 50 years old this year and this collection is a celebration of all the ways that th... more Foxfire turns 50 years old this year and this collection is a celebration of all the ways that this approach has been used from Georgia to California and Canada and China http://tinyurl.com/hzksgfb
In her book, You Can't Say You Can't Play , Vivian Paley critiques the issue of fairnes... more In her book, You Can't Say You Can't Play , Vivian Paley critiques the issue of fairness in her kindergarten classroom and concludes that the behavior of some of her students is not acceptable. She proceeds to reflect, analyze and then create a plan that she believes will ...
Educators of every kind such as school superintendents, principals, teachers, higher education pr... more Educators of every kind such as school superintendents, principals, teachers, higher education practitioners, community organizers and even students will gain essential skills, resources and examples to encourage and support individual as well as collective empowerment from early childhood education through college in both traditional classrooms and in the broader community. Working toward the goal of empowering young people as active citizens, this collection of chapters presents voices from across the broad community of educators who share their successful individual work of methods and practices that empower young people to engage in their own agency. By using student centered practices in and out of the classroom, their stories demonstrate multiple ways to successfully achieve these ends. The book clearly and effectively presents these concepts: How to encourage self-directed learning; methods and examples of participatory practices and inquiry methods; strategies designing and supporting Problem Based Learning; models for civic engagement; organizing strategies; and practices related to Critical Race Theory. This collection can provide practitioners with strategies and skills that will encourage and develop self-confidence and self-direction in many arenas working together to create change in a democratic landscape as youth learn to use their power.https://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/university-archives-msu-authors/1174/thumbnail.jp
Even as the pandemic seems to be lessening in some places, our violent actions are not. What caus... more Even as the pandemic seems to be lessening in some places, our violent actions are not. What causes such violence and hate? Why are there still children who do not have a safe place to live, enough food to eat, a loving caregiver, or the knowledge that they will not be killed in a school shooting? Given how we treat our children, the question about our attitude toward them is significant. Looking at issues of prejudice and “othering,” we can begin to understand that we really do not like children given the data about our treatment of them. When a group decides that their point of view is the only one that is worthy, then those who do not agree are the “others.” This othering provides ample opportunity for prejudice, discrimination, bullying, and hateful acts. Sadly, children are the recipients of these decisions by adults who then by their actions teach children to behave in exactly the same ways. In the meantime, children become the victims since they are in the most vulnerable group of humans. This chapter explores how hate harms children.
SAGE International Handbook of Critical Pedagogies
The task of critical pedagogy is to cultivate the skills and sensibilities required to challenge ... more The task of critical pedagogy is to cultivate the skills and sensibilities required to challenge relations of domination. To that end, the role of the teacher is to foster a more equal and democratic society by promoting self-directed and collective learning opportunities. To trust children - that is, to treat them with equal respect and encourage their participation in decision-making - is to prefigure the agency they will exercise as active critical citizens who are empowered to transform society rather than simply reproduce its norms and institutions. From this perspective, educational practices that privilege the teacher’s interests and deny or subordinate the agency of children will constitute a form of domination sometimes referred to as adultism (Flasher, 1978; Tate & Copas, 2003), childism (Pierce & Allen, 1975; Young-Bruehl, 2011), aetonormativity (Nikolajeva, 2010), or misopedy (Rollo, 2016b). Education is adultist when teachers prescribe subjects, curricula, and assessment, thus encouraging obedience and passivity in students and, accordingly, propagating the anti-democratic pathologies of civic conformity and apathy. Adultist pedagogy tends to limit agency to conventional practices of “voting, volunteering, or joining a civic group” (Broom, 2017, p. 3), even though limitations of this sort are arbitrary from the perspective of the child, falling short of empowerment and failing to demonstrate genuine trust or equal respect for children to originate their own democratic practices and institutions.
The education of Roma children presents many challenges throughout the world because of poverty, ... more The education of Roma children presents many challenges throughout the world because of poverty, issues of isolation and discrimination. In many countries where Roma reside, laws exist that prohibit discrimination against this minority group. A variety of conflicting issues exist for Roma children. On one hand, the Roma communities practice cultural norms that are in conflict with a typical schooling environment that requires significant structure and lack of independent support. Conversely, schools fail to provide appropriate bilingual instruction for Roma children who usually do not speak the local language. In most countries discrimination attitudes create segregated schools and insufficient social services. Many efforts and organizations are in place to positively impact these challenges to provide quality education for all Roma children.
Voice of the Voiceless On the TV series Alaska Daily, Hillary Swank plays a journalist from New Y... more Voice of the Voiceless On the TV series Alaska Daily, Hillary Swank plays a journalist from New York who is trying hard to fit in to a small town and its newspaper. One of the key stories is about the disappearance of Indigenous women and the lack of coverage that these cases receive. In interviews Swank has stated that this ongoing challenge intrigued her into becoming part of the show. But just as significant is Swank's attitude as a journalist. In the last episode a local man breaks into the news room and holds the Swank character, Eileen, hostage at gun post.
When fearful people become bullies, it challenges those with common sense to understand their act... more When fearful people become bullies, it challenges those with common sense to understand their actions. Such is the case for understanding Moms for Liberty and other right wing groups destined to overthrow the public education system and perhaps the government. Is this what they mean by liberty? " If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear."-George Orwell.
Let's acknowledge an activist Today Michael J. Satz, the lead prosecutor in the sentencing trial ... more Let's acknowledge an activist Today Michael J. Satz, the lead prosecutor in the sentencing trial of Nikolas Cruz, the confessed murderer of the 17 murdered Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School students said, "I'm going to speak to you about the unspeakable". Day after day we read about more unspeakable acts of violence including the most recent shootings on July 18 th. Over the years various survivors and
International action to solidify definitions of rights, particularly for children, has a long and... more International action to solidify definitions of rights, particularly for children, has a long and continuing history. Beginning in 1924 the League of Nations adopted the Geneva Declaration on the Rights of the Child. By 1959 The United Nations adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child. In 1948 the Universal Declaration of human responsibility was adopted by the United Nations. https://www.unicef.org/child-rights-convention/history-child-rights With this effort, it was acknowledged that young people can learn that they have rights. They are citizens. An important corollary to rights, however, is responsibility and the action of an engaged citizen and the role that civic understanding plays. Various standards across the nation include components related to civic education and civic responsibility. There is a renewed interest in the topic due in some measure to the continued percentage of students performing at or below the proficient level in civics. Less than a quarter of students demonstrate solid academic performance and competency in civics based on NAEP standards.
In Ray Bradbury's 1953 dystopian novel, Fahrenheit 451, his future American society had outlawed ... more In Ray Bradbury's 1953 dystopian novel, Fahrenheit 451, his future American society had outlawed books. If a book was found, it was burned. The idea of censuring, banning or even destroying books has a long history. Ideas can be dangerous to those who disagree with their content. Throughout history and in many countries, attempts to limit or destroy ideas is not new. Recently a letter from Texas Representative Matt Krause with a spread sheet of 850 challenged books was sent by him to the Texas Education Agency and superintendents across the state. His concern is apparently that students may feel discomfort, guilt, anguish, and other forms of distress because of their race or sex. What he wants them to do is not clear and his letter was reported by NPR but is not on his website. His website does state that he is a "proud, faithful conservative fighter" who is running in a tight race for Texas Attorney General. As with many examples of censorship, it is quite difficult to imagine that he has read all of the books allowing him to have specific concerns for each.
continues his life long effort to end war. Today he is demanding a cease fire in Ukraine. As the ... more continues his life long effort to end war. Today he is demanding a cease fire in Ukraine. As the last living Nuremberg prosecutor who sent more than 24 war criminals to their deaths or punishments, at 103 he is still living by his life creed; Never give up; never give up; never give up. What was accomplished by his effort and that of many others and what can it tell us about today's war in Ukraine?
Angeles. A father and a teacher, he was committed to helping young people become their best selve... more Angeles. A father and a teacher, he was committed to helping young people become their best selves. The courses that he took reinforced his social justice point of view and his desire to help young people think critically and to be upstanders, people who stand against oppression, key practices that are part of the Antioch legacy. It is tragic that such a person is no longer with us and no longer a model for the many students he may have influenced. We miss him.
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Conversely, schools fail to provide appropriate bilingual instruction for Roma children who usually do not speak the local language. In most countries discrimination attitudes create segregated schools and insufficient social services. Many efforts and organizations are in place to positively impact these challenges to provide quality education for all Roma children.