Newman, Michael. (2006). Teaching Defiance: Stories and Strategies for Activist Educators. Reviewed by Michael Bertner, Ohio University

Newman, Michael. (2006). Teaching Defiance: Stories and Strategies for Activist Educators. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers. Pp. 320       ISBN 978-0-7879-8556-1 Reviewed by Michael Bertner Ohio University August 22, 2007 Teaching is a rare talent. People wonder how to teach children to be responsible citizens, how to master the educational skills they will need to succeed in life and how to be good people. But seldom do you hear someone ask how we can train people to be defiant. That is exactly what Michael Newman does. In his book Teaching Defiance: Stories and Strategies for Activist Educators: A Book Written in War Time, Newman explains how activist strategies have worked for people in the past and details how new generations of activists can be encouraged and trained. The book begins with a foreword by Stephen Brookfield, who explains that this is the first time Newman’s work is being published in the U.S. He explains why the book seeks to maintain a balance between personal stories, historical context, and general points. The book is divided into five sections: “Making a Start,” “Rebelliousness and Defiance,” "Choosing and Taking Control,” “Insight and Action,” and “Defiance and Morality.” This organizational scheme serves Newman well; it allows him to take readers down the developmental path of activist thinking so that they can see the progression of skills and concepts he advocates. Part One begins by explaining that “this book is about choice” (p. 3) Newman suggests that he wants to educate people about how to make up their minds and make choices in line with their belief systems. To this end Newman discusses the idea that people need not only realize that they have a choice, but be very conscious about the choices they are making. Newman uses the example of a professional to make this point. He enjoys watching professionals at work, regardless of the profession, because you can see a sense of purpose and control in their movements (p. 5). This section goes on to discuss the importance of facing the future, knowing one’s own mind, and thinking critically as components of teaching defiance. Part Two looks at rebelliousness, inspiring rebelliousness, and defiance, choice and consciousness. Newman uses a number of different examples to illuminate his points. One of the most interesting examples is a story he tells about Australians going off to fight in the First World War. At that time Australia did not have much of an army so when a call went out for volunteers civilians primarily answered (p. 17-20). The civilians did not respond well to army discipline and simply did not listen to their commanding officers. When it came to aspects of the war that did not have to do with fighting they simply did not listen. Newman points out that this was not an act of rebellion, but simply an act of not knowing the norms expected of the individuals involved. This story demonstrates a form of cultural rebellion, where two cultures clash and because of misunderstanding trouble ensued. Newman encourages his readers to tell stories to motivate rebelliousness, suggesting that they can provide focus for emotion and inspire people to action (pp. 42-3). He also encourages his reader to make use of emotions that already exist within a population (pp. 53-9). He explains that harnessing rebellious natures is good, but there has to be a will and a control behind it for it to have meaning (pp. 61-72) Part Three examines the concept of “rational discourse” and how it can be used to help both teachers and students make good personal choices (p. 75). This section builds on itself, just as the book does as a whole. It addresses the concept of problem solving, offers a model for problem solving, and then applies this model to working with groups of people (pp. 75-107). After discussing how the model can be best used, Newman turns to teaching dialog where he addresses the importance of thinking about what you say as an individual and how dialog truly works. He offers an example of how he teaches people these concepts (pp. 109-116). After looking at discourse, Newman addresses the ideas of conflict, power, and different types of negotiation. Through stories and examples he explains these concepts and how they affect activist education (pp. 117-167) Part Four looks at the topics of insight and action. Newman takes two chapters to examine the concept of insight. Specifically he looks at how insight can be gained, why it is important, and then he shares the different strategies he has used to help learners understand what insight is and why it is important (pp. 173-219). The amount of time Newman spends on insight indicates its importance for working towards change. The different ways that he treats it suggest to his reader that not only is it an important skill but also that it can be taught in a variety of different ways so that people have a strong grasp of the concept. One of the most interesting techniques Newman shares to help facilitate insight is called “Forum Theater” (p. 210). Through this technique issues are acted out in front of the audience that is dealing with the issue, and the audience can step in for actors when they see something that they think could be changed (pp. 210-14). Through stepping into different roles and listening to people talk about what they are thinking in various situations, the audience learns more about the different aspects of the issue and gains insight (pp. 210-14). Newman shares various other strategies to help facilitate the development of insight, all of which would be useful for educators. The author goes on to discuss the different types of action people can engage in, the different forums that action can take place in, and how action works within societal movements (pp. 221-237). Newman ends this section by looking at how learning and action can be interconnected and how one can potentially lead to the other (pp. 237-242). Part Five looks at moralities. Specifically, Newman explores how moralities can be constructed, how story telling can fit into constructing moralities, and how different types of moralities can exist. He finishes the text with a discussion of hating and loving. Newman explains that morality can be constructed. It is important for activists to have a sense of morality because actions have consequences that must be considered before acting (pp. 245-53). To this point Newman explains that stories are a good way to teach people because they do not require new actions that could spawn unforeseen consequences (pp. 255-262). Newman finishes with looking at the pros and cons of both love and hate as motivating factors in the life of an activist (pp. 273-85). This text looks at a variety of topics and uses many different examples and concepts to make its points. Perhaps the best summary of different topics the author talks about can be found in his own words. Towards the end of the text Newman writes: “I have found myself talking about vineyards, Gandhi, the love life of two philosophers, problem solving models, anarchy in the streets of Paris, cricket, forum theater, jelly and ice cream” (p. 245). While this list is not inclusive of the topics Newman uses to make his points, it does show that he uses a variety of paths to bring his readers to a better understanding of the topics he addresses. It is important to note that Newman makes sure to include examples of every technique he describes and those examples can range from explaining how he helped a union better understand how to work to get what it wants to conceptually explaining how a theory works or showing how a story could be used to motivate others. Throughout the text Newman brings in the topic of the current war in Iraq and why the concept of defiance is important in such times as these. Newman explains that when Australia decided to go to war hundreds of thousands of people came out to peacefully protest the decision, but the government went ahead with the action anyway, knowing that the vast majority of the population simply did not care enough to do anything (pp. 8-9). Throughout the text, Newman looks at the brutality of the current war and the seeming lack of interest in it on the part of the public. This point is especially interesting in America where poll after poll suggests the population is unhappy with the war, but no protests or political action on a mass scale are seen. It is possible that people have simply forgotten how to be defiant, an issue that Newman works to resolve. This text should be of interest to any professional who works with college students and has an interest in motivating them to be active in changing the world they live in. Often we focus on teaching our students how to think creatively and critically analyze the world, but we do not give them the tools necessary to create change in an intelligent and thoughtful manner. Newman provides his readers with a variety of tactics to help educate and motivate students to create change, regardless of the change they wish to effect. About the Reviewer Michael Bertner has received two degrees from Ohio University; a BA in Secondary English Education and an MA in College Student Personnel. Currently Michael is working as part of the 2007 Teach for America Corps in Eastern North Carolina as a Secondary English Teacher.