Shifting out of "Neutral": Beginning Teachers' Struggles with Teaching for Social Justice

In this article we explore the struggles of 12 beginning teachers committed to social justice to define their roles when facilitating classroom discussions of social issues. We discerned five distinct positions about the possibility and desirability of teacher neutrality. To teach for social justice involves shifting out of neutral, both in terms of a teacher’s orientation to social inequalities and of pedagogy. Our preferred teacher role, inclusive and situated engagement , involves spotlighting the perspectives of subordinated groups and providing opportunities for young people to develop their deliberative capacities and to learn to act on their reasoned convictions. L’article porte sur douze enseignants debutants soucieux de justice sociale et cherchant a definir leurs roles dans les discussions en classe sur des questions sociales. Cinq positions distinctes au sujet de la possibilite et de l’opportunite de la neutralite de l’enseignant sont examinees. Un enseignement axe sur la justice sociale implique que l’enseignant sorte de la neutralite quant a son orientation vis-a-vis des inegalites sociales et de la pedagogie. Les auteures privilegient l’ engagement inclusif et situationnel , l’enseignant mettant en lumiere les points de vue des groupes marginalises et fournissant aux jeunes l’occasion de developper leur aptitude a deliberer et d’apprendre a agir a partir de convictions eclairees.