Teacher Education for Social Justice : Case studies of Japanese and Norwegian educators

As a counter-reaction to the neoliberal trend in education, there has been an increasing emphasis on teacher education for social justice. To make schools inclusive for everyone, it is vital to encourage not only minority and/or marginalised pupils but also to develop respect for diversity and a disposition to social justice among powerful majority groups. Thus, teachers need to be capable of cultivating classrooms as inclusive and culturally sensitive learning communities. The role of teachers as agents of social justice can be considered an extension of professionalism that should be addressed in initial teacher education. Arguing for different approaches to educate justice-oriented teachers, this paper scrutinises how educators’ beliefs are reflected in their practices and what curricula and teaching approaches are employed to help student teachers prepare for culturally diverse classrooms. Drawing on Nancy Fraser’s conceptualisation of justice, this paper examines narratives of teacher educators and their curricula using a framework of three concepts of justice: redistribution, recognition, and representation. In order to make suggestions for effective teacher education for social justice in a society where cultural diversity has not been well recognised until recently, we examine experiences from teacher educators who prepare their students to teach English in Japan and Norway

Development of a History Learning Model for Foreign Schoolchildren : An Analyses of a History Lesson based on "Bicultural Integration Learning"

The purpose of this paper is the development of history learning model based on "Bicultural Integration Learning type of 'Cultural Formation' " for foreign school children. At first I refer to the problems when they learn in social studies class, and I show the neediness of "Bicultural Integration Learning type of 'Cultural Formation' " which aim at shaping the bicultural identity. The second, I adopt the theory of Narratological Approach of history (Yoshikawa, 1993). Therefore I took a person on history who conflict between culture and culture. In this paper, I took "Imoko Ono" who were a ambassador which transported a diplomatic correspondence between Japan and China. And Chinese students interpreted to his actions and sentiments. The result of analyses of their narratives, there are some patterns in their narratives. Some of them are shown the narratives like Bicultural. However, perspectives of the others are dominant cultural

The Issues of Lesson Design in Social Studies for Foreign School Children : Focusing on the Tasks of Their Culture

This article has two aims. Firstly, inquiring the characteristic of the design of social studies lessons for foreign school children in Japan through the analysis of their textbooks. Secondly, inquiring the issue of the design and teaching perspective through the results of analysis above. Results of analyzing four publishing textbooks, they are classified into three types: 1) The type of understanding host culture, 2) The type of using their mother culture, and 3) The type of mutual understanding. Mostly are classified as type 1), then as type 2). The background of these results, it is implicated that the lessons of social studies for foreign school children are formed as compensatory education. However it has a possibility forming assimilative education. We will need to the theory forming integral education of social studies