Using the Freirian concept of conscientization, teachers can facilitate writing where students critically explore pertinent topics named by students. Topics like racism, gentrification, immigration, education and others with embedded ways to address them head on. Students ask themselves: What is my reality and why is it what it is? What’s keeping me from joy, success, wellness ? How do I get there? As they begin to see systems and obstacles in their lives for what they are, they develop strategies and action plans to combat, and overcome them. They take advantage of their heightened understanding of their realities to transform their realities.
Intended Audience: 7th - 12th Grade Teachers
Jose (Manny) Martinez has been helping students write in classrooms for over 15 years.He’s taught English, Ethnic Studies, U.S. History and Civics and is a BAWP teacher consultant. Manny is the Founding Ethnic Studies Teacher at Lodestar High School in East Oakland.