Duncan-Andrade, Jeffrey M. R. and Morrell, Ernest. (2008). The Art of Critical Pedagogy: Possibilities for Moving from Theory to Practice in Urban Schools. Reviewed by Taina R. Collazo-Quiles, University of Wisconsin, Madison

Duncan-Andrade, Jeffrey M. R. and Morrell, Ernest. (2008). The Art of Critical Pedagogy: Possibilities for Moving from Theory to Practice in Urban Schools. New York, New York: Peter Lang Pp. 224         ISBN 978-0-8204-7415-1 Reviewed by Taina R. Collazo-Quiles University of Wisconsin-Madison December 4, 2008 The opening sentiments of The Art of Critical Pedagogy: Possibilities for Moving from Theory to Practice in Urban Schools foreshadow a discussion on what authors Duncan-Andrade and Ernest Morrell believe have been the shortcomings of urban education reform. They call for educators to commit to the labor of investing in a more critical “pedagogical vision” of urban education. The authors argue that the field of education has attempted to “develop theory from theory” and this pursuit “has left us essentially with a house built on sand” (p. 105). Collaboratively, they have created a theory that orchestrates a balance among principles of critical pedagogy, empirical data, and theories of critical pedagogy within the pre-existing structure and nuances of an urban setting (p. 49). They model this process by illustrating in this text what they refer to as a development of grounded theories of praxis. In chapter 1, “The Challenges and Opportunities of Urban Education,” Duncan-Andrade and Morrell are forthright in claiming that urban schools do exactly what they are designed to do: support the socio-economic structures that run our economic system. They assert that inequalities in our schools are driven by those who have power, and the many youth who aspire to do well are not being served. In order for urban education reform to improve urban schools, they maintain, we must shift the blame of failing schools and education from the youth to the political systems within which schools operate. The authors suggest that urban education movements begin to develop partnerships with communities that provide young people with the opportunity to be successful while maintaining their identities as urban youth. They argue that in order to interrupt popular, but ineffective, state and national reform policies educators must invest in the development of counter strategies. This, they suggest, requires that first, educators move toward pedagogical practices that counter the role urban schools play in maintaining social inequalities, and second, that critical pedagogy focus not only on developing the academic skills of urban youth, but also on creating opportunities for urban youth to be agents for social change. This is an eminent point. It suggests that for urban education reform to make a difference, pedagogy and curricula must provide youth with a forum in which they can challenge and address the inequitable situations that circumscribe their lives and empower them to be their own agents of change. Moving beyond a mere listening to student voice, the text illustrates the importance of locating and engaging students as co-creators of knowledge. In this way, the text contributes to literature that documents youth as critical partners in reforming education practice and policy. From their perspective, “pedagogical vision” is one of the most challenging characteristics facing urban education reform efforts. Any successes with urban students, in their view, can be directly attributed to those programs that target the social inequalities youth face. Duncan-Andrade and Morrell isolate the notion that if programs are to succeed it is imperative that they employ a critical pedagogy that draws from urban youth’s own social and political milieu, and engage them as “the subjects of their own research, research that matters to them and larger empirical questions that require their important, but often missing, perspective” (p. 106). The author’s propose an urban education model built on what they refer to as critical counter-cultural communities of practice (4Cs), a model Duncan-Andrade discusses in his earlier publication “Gangstas, Wankstas, and Ridas: Defining and supporting effective teachers in urban schools” (2007). They assert that an urban education that organizes itself by this type of community of practice first, and foremost, requires “developing a critical and engaged citizenry with a democratic sensibility that critiques and acts against all forms of inequality” (p. 11). Established in urban classrooms, and illustrated in projects discussed in this volume, the 4Cs approach sets out to counter institutional norms and practices by directly targeting inequalities. In their own work with urban youth, Duncan-Andrade and Morrell cultivate such communities of practice by utilizing the five steps of the cycle of critical praxis, drawing upon Brazilian educator Paulo Freire’s cyclical “concept of praxis.” This practice engages teachers and students in a process of education that leads to “action and reflection on that action” (p. 24). The five steps involve: (1) identifying a problem, (2) analyzing the problem, (3) creating a plan of action to address the problem, (4) implementing the plan of action, and (5) analyzing and evaluating the action. In practice, Duncan-Andrade and Morrell discover that drawing upon this cycle allows educators to develop curriculum that responds to the needs of all communities. They identify the five praxis steps as creating opportunities for urban youth in two primary and distinct ways: youth as collaborators with adults, and the use of youth culture as a curriculum framework, which fosters the development of “sophisticated academic skills” that may otherwise lay dormant in a more teacher-dominated setting (p. 13). In chapter 2, “Contemporary Developers of Critical Pedagogy,” the authors provide a detailed account of “the foundation of [their] understanding of critical pedagogy” (p. 23). The chapter introduces tenets to inform critical pedagogy. Paulo Freire’s “problem-posing education” is identified as the authors’ model of practice. Here, Duncan-Andrade and Morrell embrace Freire’s three core principles of critical pedagogy: there is no teaching without learning, teaching is not just transferring knowledge, and teaching is a human act (p. 27). Readers interested in knowing more about scholars influenced by critical pedagogy, and the Freirean tradition more specifically, will find this chapter of interest as it contains a brief introduction to scholars such as Ira Shor, Henry Giroux, Antonia Darder, Audre Lorde, and Subcommandante Marcos. Chapters 3-7 are uniquely different. These chapters collectively represent an insightful and detailed account of Duncan-Andrade and Morrell’s grounded theory. They provide an in-depth examination of how their theoretical principles were implemented with urban youth in various projects and site locations over time and how their pedagogical strategies give witness to the role of urban youth as agents of social change. The projects in these chapters originate from three primary sites in California: East Bay High School, South City High School and a major university in Southern California. Much more than mere anecdotal discussion the chapters examine the purpose, process and application of effective pedagogical interventions, identifying and documenting core principles of critical pedagogy across practices. What follows is a brief description of Chapters 3, 5, and 6. They are particularly valuable for their ability to provide examples of critical pedagogy in action. They offer teachers and teacher educators insight on how to go about the process of defining, redefining and analyzing their own grounded theories of critical praxis. They inspire educators to continue to mobilize and build collaboratively toward realizing an equitable education for all, one the authors refer to as the “heartbeat of critical pedagogy” (p. 174). The call to investigate the application of critical pedagogy is made in the opening remarks to Chapter 3, “Critical Pedagogy in an Urban High School English Classroom.” Here, Duncan-Andrade and Morrell point out that although critical pedagogy is routinely debated as a “potential component of urban education school reform,” (p. 49) its application to urban education is seldom investigated. They underscore the lack of empirical work that translates ideals into practice and call for a continued use of practice to build theory. The chapter continues with an examination of the applications of critical pedagogy to an Urban High School English class they co-taught for three years in Oakland, California. First they discuss the underlying theoretical principles that ground their classroom practice, and proceed by presenting descriptive examples of curriculum units they facilitated in order to illustrate what these pedagogical principles looked like in practice and why they believe they were successful. The chapter articulates a powerful framework defined by youth popular culture that facilitates academic and critical literacy skills among urban youth. It identifies the value of drawing upon the socio-cultural practices that inform the everyday lives of youth, while illustrating the profound implications for teachers and teacher educators using a hip-hop group like the Fugees to teach such skills. Chapter 5, “Critical Pedagogy in a College Access Program for Students of Color,” was written in collaboration with Anthony Collatos. This chapter examines a program out of a major university in Southern California called the South City High School Futures project that apprenticed high school students as “critical sociologists.” It provides an overview of how the project enacted critical pedagogy, the challenges faced when doing so, and how the program was successful. The authors identify two components that emerged from their experiences with the Futures project and identify them as informing their grounded theory of critical pedagogy. These components are: (1) critical pedagogy as facilitating critical navigational strategies and (2) critical pedagogy as demanding excellence from teens (pp. 101-102). The chapter mentions the struggle educators face in their effort to create critical and counter-hegemonic spaces that facilitate the movement of youth from passive to engaged citizens that view themselves as holders of valid knowledge. The reader is left with an understanding that setting such a shift in motion necessitates a perception of youth as citizens and calls for a critical democratic education that promotes dialogue, critique, and dissent. In Chapter 6, “Youth Participatory Action Research as Critical Pedagogy,” the reader is introduced to a discussion of the intersections between critical pedagogy and youth participatory action research. The chapter sets out to document what critical pedagogy as participatory action research might look like in an urban educational setting. As a critical methodology, the chapter succinctly draws attention to the why and how of Youth Participatory Action Research. The reader is invited to a close examination of a program they developed and facilitated called the “summer seminar.” It involved six consecutive summers of critical participatory action research projects conducted by urban youth -- youth the authors describe as “critical researchers” and “transformative intellectuals.” Collectively, the projects document that young people are not merely passive participants in an educational process controlled by adults. Given the opportunity, mindful forms of critical (strategic) resistance may be realized when youth’s critical consciousness is cultivated. The chapter demonstrates the positive outcome when this cultivation is nurtured by a process of critical praxis, one that utilizes action and reflection aimed to transform oppressive social conditions. A defining statement that situates Chapter 8, “Critical Pedagogy in an Age of Standards” is the author’s reassurance that “compliance doesn’t have to be complicity” (p. 157). Far from being a chapter on standardized tests, Duncan-Andrade and Morrell demonstrate that critical pedagogy in urban education affords the opportunity to move “above and beyond the standards” that currently drive reform. Reflecting on the case studies in Chapters 3-7, the authors provide examples on how students’ core academic competencies, as well as their confidence and motivation, were developed in order to “navigate educational standards successfully” (p. 161). The chapter generates dialogue regarding alternative ways to evaluate student performance, while suggesting practical and insightful ways this can be achieved. “Toward a Grounded Theory of Praxis,” the book’s culminating chapter, features the “key principles” composing what Duncan-Andrade and Morrell frame as the “art of critical pedagogy”: identification of the pedagogy’s delivery mode; creation of a “critical counter-culture”; and the production of spaces that allow for youth self-reflection and the application of learning that makes a difference in their lives. They also discuss implications for policy and urban teacher preparation and development. The chapter concludes with a discussion of several limitations of their work and recommendations for useful direction for future research in critical pedagogy. The authors express the danger of over simplifying the practice of critical pedagogy. They emphasize critical pedagogy’s inability to serve as a finite reason for the positive outcomes of their research. It is therefore, important to recognize that critical pedagogy alone cannot provide a blanket solution to the plethora of issues facing today’s urban education and reform efforts. Overall, this volume makes a significant and important contribution for those who feel wedged in the false binary Duncan-Andrade and Morrell describe as “teaching for social justice” and “academically rigorous teaching” (p. 180) because it provides teachers, teacher educators, policy makers and community organizers examples of projects and experiences that have informed the lives of urban youth in powerful and emancipatory ways. We are consistently reminded that greater attention must be given to examining the processes and purposes of critical pedagogy with urban youth. However, at the same time, necessary attention is given to the need for research that closely examines teacher education and professional development programs that have been successful in producing critical educators. In closing, the book stresses that the “art” of critical pedagogy has everything to do with embodying and nourishing a sense of hope and promise when others see despair. It means paying acute attention to the plight of urban youth and to the difference educators can make in their lives through critical and enlightened education. Most importantly, it is a craft of labor and love in collaboration with youth and our communities. Reference Duncan-Andrade, J. M. R. (2007). Gangstas, Wankstas, and Ridas: Defining, developing, and supporting effective teachers in urban schools. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 20(6), 617-638. About the Reviewer Taina Rosario Collazo-Quiles is a doctoral student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the department of Curriculum & Instruction. Her research interests include: Latino Critical Theory, Critical Race Theory, access to education for unauthorized immigrants, application of participatory action research and critical pedagogy with Latina informally and formally authorized immigrant youth, and the positioning of Latina youth as critical researchers and transformative intellectuals.