Social justice advances educational, economic, and employment opportunities for all society members, regardless of their background. Katz and Van Allen (2022) state that it creates transformation among individuals, communities, and countries by ensuring that privileges and benefits are divided fairly. Applying its principles is, therefore, important. This reflection paper focuses on what I know about social justice principles and what I would like to know in the future. It also provides information on one of the instructional practices I have come across wile studying the topic.
The main principles of social justice are access to resources, participation, human rights, and equity. Of these, I have had prior knowledge of the principles of access to resources and human rights. Having interacted with students from different backgrounds, I appreciate that access to quality and healthcare, housing facilities in deal neighborhoods, secure job opportunities with long-term benefits, and advanced education is not guaranteed. Only a small percentage is assured of these privileges because of their race, class, status, religious affiliations and other background issues. I am also aware of the concept of human rights, which refers to the respect for socio-economic, political, and legal rights for individuals and societies. My prior knowledge of the topic is that despite the presence of relevant laws, conflict and war continue to erupt due a disregard of human rights. For example, the unending war in the Middle East is traced back to the disregard for human rights. it is therefore critical to understand the principles of social justice to improve human welfare. I would like to understand more about all the principles and how they have been applied successfully around the world. I am interested in differentiating the principles of equity and equality in social justice. Even further, I would want to research the negative impact of social justice. For instance, I want to find out whether societies suffer due to the preferential treatment of the marginalized communities.
Notably, learning about the principles of social justice has changed my perspective on providing instruction to students. I opine that the pedagogical approach must reflect the realities of their societies, where access to resources and respect for human rights is based on an individuals’ backgrounds. A challenge of assumptions and biases is needed to create a desirable learning environment. Adams et al. (2022) expound that educators must provide high-quality content instruction to the end that all learners can attain positive outcomes. They must work collaboratively with the students, parents and administrators to create an inclusive environment. It is also important to embrace a personalized approach to address all the student’s issues and barriers to desirable academic and social outcomes. Moreover, I feel that further research is needed to address the aspect of cultural competence in the education system. It is arguable that many educators are unprepared to take advantage of and overcome the challenges of the multicultural settings in the classroom, necessitating extensive research.
In sum, studying and applying the principles of social justice is vital in improving human welfare. Educators must be on the forefront of executing the changes by adjusting their instructional approach and conducting extensive research on the topic.
References
Adams, M., Briggs, R. R. & Shlasko, D. (2022). Pedagogical foundations for social justice education. In Teaching for Diversity and Social Justice (pp.27-55). Routledge.
Katz, S. & Van Allen, J. (2022). Open with intention: Situating equity pedagogy within open education to advance social justice. Journal for Multicultural Education, 16(5), 421-429.
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