This article investigates use of digital storytelling as a learning activity in education about migration. Based on a study in two Norwegian schools and two adult education centers for refugees and ...migrants, the article analyzes student's digital stories and observations of the process of production. Counter to research on the promise of digital storytelling to promote diverse perspectives, personal experience and creativity, our findings show that digital stories as a learning activity includes powerful standardization drivers. The standardization limits diversity in students' knowledge and experience from coming into view in the final product. The identified standardization drivers are; (1) discursive blueprints of refugee experience, including the narrative about the 'Good Refugee' and idealization of the destination country, (2) challenges with representing traumatic experiences through photographic imagery, and (3) material affordances in the production process such as google algorithms. In conclusion, we argue that critical engagement with the involved modalities and standardization drivers is a condition for using digital stories to foster critical thinking about migration.
Highlights: • We have learned that we, as teachers and teacher educators, need to be aware of the risk of reproducing uncritical approaches in educational interventions on migration. • Without ...crucially reflecting on their own practice, even social studies teachers dedicated to anti-racist thinking risk reproducing assimilationist values. • The article argues that this risk can be mitigated when teachers critically evaluate their own practice as a precondition for facilitating transformative learning in their students. Purpose: The article aims to critically reflect on a classroom situation where we, as upper secondary social studies teachers, were complicit in reproducing and soliciting assimilationist values in a student assignment. Design/methodology/approach: We use a critical reflective model to 1) reflect on our discomfort at this complicity, 2) analyse the assimilationist values reproduced, and 3) redesign the assignment to promote inclusive citizenship. Findings: The article exposes the risk and potential of being vulnerable about our practice as teachers and of opening the classroom as a safe space for critical thinking. Research limitations/implications: More research is needed on how social studies teachers understand integration and how they (re)design their own assignments. Practical implications: Without crucially reflecting on their own practice, even social studies teachers dedicated to anti-racist thinking risk reproducing assimilationist values. This risk can be mitigated when teachers critically evaluate their own practice as a precondition for facilitating transformative learning in their students.
Education beyond safety Stine H. Bang H. Bang Svendsen; Christian Engen Skotnes
Journal of social science education,
06/2022, Letnik:
21, Številka:
2
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Purpose: The article unpacks potentials of and resistance towards facilitating meetings between refugee and non-refugee youth in global citizenship education. Design/methodology/approach: The ...analyses are based on participant observation in a school-based intervention in three locations, developed on the principles of design-based research DBR. Findings: The article exposes both how meetings between students could be deeply educational and how teachers prevent meaningful interaction between students out of concern for refugee students. Research limitations/implications: More research is needed on how students care for themselves and others in transformational learning contexts. Practical implications: Privileged teachers’ concern for retraumatising students can veil unconscious protection of the privileged self against students’ trauma and should therefore be subject to critical reflection.
