Deconstructing Power, Privilege, and Silence in the Classroom

Abstract

While teaching about race, ethnicity, and class from a critical pedagogical standpoint, we might not only encounter student resistance to learning about systems of domination but we should also be aware of the ways in which power, privilege, and exclusion in the larger society may be reproduced in our own classrooms. In this article, we recount how we used freewriting and discussions in an attempt to deconstruct the power dynamics in an upper-division seminar on Latinas/os and education. 1 Though a majority of the students in the course were first-generation Latinas, several middle-and upper-middle-class White students tended to participate the most. This dynamic resulted in a situation in which class discussions were steered away from the focus on Latinas/os and unequal educational practices to a perspective that reinforced an ideology of equality and a climate that privileged dominant modes of classroom communication. Since these patterns were precisely the ones the course topics and readings were meant to deconstruct, we turned the gaze onto the classroom as we observed the reproduction of inequality there and used freewriting and discussions to uncover the unequal ways in which students were experiencing the space.Though most studies on classroom interactions have been conducted on children in the K-12 system, a growing number of academics are writing about unequal power dynamics among college and university students. 2 This burgeoning scholar-

Student resistance in the classroom—Functional‐instrumentalist, critical‐emancipatory and critical‐functional conceptualisations

“…Hence, reluctance to participate, disruptive questions, or non‐receptiveness are interpreted as behaviour that challenges the system of education (Huang, ) and thereby the structural power of the teacher (Lanas & Huuki, ). What Wright () terms as silence in the classroom is considered here to be reproduced largely through everyday interaction within the classroom and to be an expression of internalised power relations in classroom settings (King, ; Ochoa & Pineda, ). Oppositional student behaviour in the classroom signifies students' agency to challenge the teacher's authority to determine course content and teaching methods (Archibald, ).…”

“…Furthermore, they ought to embrace any behaviour on the side of the students that expresses the learners' oppositional and thereby critical stance. Essentially, teachers are told to actively use students' resisting attitude and behaviour to promote the development of students into critical citizens (Jackson, ; Ochoa & Pineda, ).…”

“…They should exert power more knowingly by addressing its effects on interpersonal relations in the classroom and in society (Perumal, ). They could, for example, use free writing and discussions as methods of uncovering relationships of power (Ochoa & Pineda, ). In so doing, they show respect for students, treating them as competent and knowledgeable actors (Wright, ), and thereby, transforming resistance into agency (Gorzelsky, ).…”

Affective dimensions of teaching and doing development

“…From a pedagogical angle, this entails being mindful of the students’ differential ability and readiness to embrace such novel yet potentially distressing ways of learning‐while‐being. Ochoa and Pineda () caution us of the risk that even student‐centred classroom spaces can reproduce power, privilege and silencing. In the case of the units explored here, a healthy mix between international and Australian students engendered a respectful and nurturing yet not always even playing field.…”

Sociocultural, sociohistorical, and sociopolitical effects on African American women's sense of self

“…Because the critical examination of racist and patriarchal practices may lead to feelings of discomfort which individuals may want to avoid, trainees may be encouraged to utilize tools to help them become more comfortable discussing issues related to race and gender such as practicing freewrites and engaging in dialogue with fellow trainees. Ochoa & Pineda (2008) note that freewriting can serve as a useful tool in helping students become more aware of the impact of their social identities, and encourage dialogue about thoughts and feelings on the inequalities associated with various identities. The current study, with focus on the impact of stereotypes on African American women's self-concepts reveals one way one group of traditionally oppressed people is affected by living in a society with biases toward Euro Americans and men.…”