Socially Just Teaching and the Complementarity of Ignatian Pedagogy and Critical Pedagogy

Abstract

This qualitative research, conducted in a teacher education course at an urban Jesuit university, examines the concerns voiced by preservice teachers when they are challenged to define and embrace a vision of “teaching for social justice” in a methods course utilizing instructional methods based on theories of critical pedagogy and Ignatian pedagogy. The reflective journals and focus group interviews of a cohort of 15 preservice teachers revealed concerns about the curriculum, the pedagogy, and the rationale for socially just teaching. Those concerns, when juxtaposed with Ignatian pedagogy and critical pedagogy, reveal that each theory is both helpful and limited in its ability to address those concerns. In tandem, the two theories provide valuable support for the development of preservice teachers attempting to become socially just teachers.