The Reciprocal Rebellion: Promoting Discussion in Authoritarian Schools

Gilbert, Francis. 2022. The Reciprocal Rebellion: Promoting Discussion in Authoritarian Schools. Changing English, 29(3), pp. 232-250. ISSN 1358-684X [Article]

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Abstract or Description

In her ethnographic study, Factories for learning: Making race, class and inequality in the neoliberal academy (2017), Christine Kulz depicts an oppressive system in a United Kingdom secondary school, Dreamfields. Kulz illustrates how many children and teachers are stripped of their autonomy, rights and dignity. In this article, Northfields, a school like Dreamfields, is profiled. Like Dreamfields, Northfields is an authoritarian, heavily surveilled institution with both teachers and pupils often being reprimanded for minor transgressions. This case study shows how an English teacher managed to successfully use Reciprocal Teaching in her classroom, even though its emphasis on co-operative learning was contrary to the spirit of Northfields. Reciprocal Teaching changes the way pupils and teachers see themselves, improves their discussion, reading and exam results. Reciprocal Teaching re-orders education by fostering meaningful relationships, challenging the hegemony of neoliberal schools: it is a rebellion against their authoritarianism.

Item Type:

Article

Identification Number (DOI):

https://doi.org/10.1080/1358684X.2022.2069547

Keywords:

Reciprocal Teaching, Factory For Learning, high stakes testing, collaborative learning, authoritarian schools, teacher & pupil autonomy

Departments, Centres and Research Units:

Educational Studies

Dates:

DateEvent
4 February 2022Accepted
18 May 2022Published Online
2022Published

Item ID:

31950

Date Deposited:

27 Jun 2022 09:43

Last Modified:

15 Aug 2022 10:28

Peer Reviewed:

Yes, this version has been peer-reviewed.

URI:

https://research.gold.ac.uk/id/eprint/31950

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