Social reconstructivism, philosophy, education

1. Social reconstruction defines a philosophy that
promotes peaceful coexistence and unity within
a population using nonviolent ways to settle
disputes. It aims to address past abuses through
reconciliation and strengthen the appreciation
of differences among people in a community.

2. Social Reconstructionism is an educational philosophy
focused on reconstructing society. This educational
philosophy was spear headed by a group of progressive
educators known as the “Frontier Thinkers” in the
1920s and 1930s (Webb et. al., 2010).

3. KEY PROPONENTS
• The Social Reconstructionist philosophy of education emerged in the
1930s, however, it was probably most popular in the twentieth
century (Webb et. al., 2010). Key philosophers who influenced the
development of Social Reconstrctionism were Karl Marx, George
S.Counts, Theodore Brameld, and Paulo Freire.

4. KARL MARX

5. GEORGE COUNTS

6. Theodore
Brameld

7. Paulo Freire

8. CHARACTERISTICS OF SOCIAL
RECONSTRUCTIONISM
- The philosophy of Social Reconstructionism is a student- centered
philosophy. This philosophy is rooted in the belief that education
should be focused on reconstructing society. This emphasis is a result
of the perceived lack leadership on the part of schools to create an
equitable society.
- This philosophy is also very idealistic in nature, in that it encourages
schools to teach students to dream about “what might be” rather than
settle for “what is” (Webb et. al., 2010).

9. The purpose of education, according to this philosophy of education, is
to encourage “schools, teachers, and students to focus their studies
and energies on alleviating pervasive social inequities and, as the name
implies, reconstruct society into a new and more just social order”
(Sadker and Zittleman, 2010).

10. Social Reconstructionism in Educational
Philosophy
• Reconstructionism in education is a philosophy that emphasizes the
importance of dismantling oppressive social and institutional structures in
order to achieve equality for all earners.
• It promotes an empowering approach to education, where the learner is in
charge of their own learning journey.
• This approach is particularly beneficial for students who may struggle with
traditional and linear learning methods.
• The reconstructionism philosophy views education as a democratic
process, where teachers and educators are there to guide and facilitate
learning, rather than control it.
• It also emphasizes the idea of progress and lifelong learning, rather than
just acquiring skills for work.

11. Social Reconstructionism in Educational
Philosophy
• Social reconstructionism in education is a philosophy that aims to eliminate forms
of oppression within the educational system, such as racism, sexism, and
classism.
• It originated from social justice activism and has more recently been applied to
academia, specifically in public schooling.
• Social reconstructionists work to challenge biases through activities such as role-
playing and debates. The goal is to promote equality among all people, and in
education, this means removing any barriers or social factors that could impede
success.
• This can include providing equal access to quality schools, resources for low-
income families, and opportunities for student leadership.
• Social reconstructionism in education is considered an important movement in
current times, with schools across focusing on teaching about intersectionality
and privilege from an early age.

12. Once social change begins it can not be reversed. You can not
uneducated the person that has learned to read. You can not humiliate
the person who feels pride. You can not oppress the people who are
not afraid anymore.
- Cesar Chavez

13. CURRICULUM
• Social Reconstructivists firmly believe in
the power of democracy to change
society for the better. Therefore
curriculum within the social
reconstructivist classroom reflects
“democratic ideals and emphasizes civic
education” (Webb et. al., 2010, p. 87).
• In addition, the curriculum in a Social
Reconstructivist classroom emphasizes
critical theory and the development of
critical literacy or critical thinking skills
(Webb et. al., 2010).

14. Blake & Masschalein (2003) note that a social reconstructivist
curriculum challenges all unequal power relationships and focuses
on power as applied to class, gender, sexuality, race, and
nationalism. One of the most unequal power relationships that is
currently challenged by this curriculum is that which exists within
schools.

15. - Social Reconstructionism in curriculum development stresses the
importance of promoting cultural pluralism, equality, and futurism.
- It involves a critical examination of society's cultural heritage and
civilization, including controversial issues.
- It is also aimed to bring about social and constructive change through
cultivating a future-oriented attitude that takes into account the
realities of the world.
- The reconstructionism approach engages both students and teachers
in a program to enhance cultural renewal and interculturalism.

16. In summary, the nature of the curriculum within the Social
Reconstructivist classroom, should:
• Inform students.
• Stir emotions within students.
• Shed light upon social inequities.
• Improve students abilities to think critically.
• Charge students to take action. (Reeves, 2013)

17. INSTRUCTION IN THE CLASSROOM
• Social Reconstructivism is focused on looking at what is wrong is
society and seeing how it can be improved.
• Within this student-centered approach to instruction, Reeves (2013)
found that Social Reconstructionist instructors:
• Spend less time lecturing and more time allowing students to work in cooperative
groups.
• Facilitate instruction, guiding students in the direction they need to go, but never
mandating the direction students should take.
• Encourage student to form their own opinions based on what they think and what their
research has told them, not what they are told to think by the teacher.

18. TEACHERS ROLE
According to research by Revees (2013), the teachers role in the Social
Reconstructivist classroom includes:
•Creating a safe and democratic environment for their students so that lessons and
topics may be discussed, debated, and all students voices will be heard.
•Presenting students with material that looks into social injustices so that their
students know that these injustices exist.
•Creating lessons to inform students but also evoke an emotional response from
their students.
•Being fearless in presenting material to students.
•Setting up a democratic environment in the classroom.
•Inspiring students to be the change they wish to see in the world.
•Helping to shed light on social inequities.
•Providing students with the knowledge they need and the critical thinking skills to
process it in meaningful ways so they can make positive changes in society.

19. STUDENTS ROLE
• Within this philosophy, students are called upon to be
“change agents.” As such, they are guided by their instructors
to explore issues of inequality in society and figure out ways
to address them. People who do not believe in this
philosophy would say that students can not really have any
significant impact on society. However, “Social
Reconstructionist believe that students are the critical
element in bringing about social change” (Webb el. al., 2010,
p. 85).

20. Advantages of Social Reconstructionism in
education
• It provides students with a deeper understanding of their own
histories as well as those of others around the world
• It can be more engaging and interactive for students
• It emphasizes the importance of understanding God's will and
how to live in accordance with it.

21. Disadvantages of Social Reconstructionism in
education
• It can be challenging for teachers to change their entire curriculum
to align with this approach.
• It may be difficult for teachers to find resources or to teach
subjects outside of their areas of expertise Some argue that this
approach may leave out important information or perspectives.
• There is no commonly agreed upon set of beliefs in
reconstructionism, making it harder to implement it in the
curriculum.