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Lori Henderson

11/22/2016

Art 130-01

Growing up as a child I was told to believe that knowledge is power. However, I never

realized the hidden truths that lie deep within the surface of it. This easily misconceived quote

embodies Bourdieus and Freires ideologies of habitus, cultural capital, symbolic capital, and

problem-posing education concepts. In Barriers to inclusive education in Ireland: the case for

pupils with a diagnosis of intellectual and or pervasive developmental disabilities, Sheelah

Flatman Watson applies Bourdieus application of identifying habitus, symbolic capital, and

cultural capital to reveal discriminatory practices directed in disempowering parents along with

their special needs child to a right to an education. Meanwhile, Mia Fiore applies Freirs

strategies in her article titled Pedagogy for Liberation: Spoken Word Poetry in Urban Schools,

to empower the underrepresented minorities through poetry (in this case people of color and

troubled young adults) in high schools. The purpose of this paper is to advocate for a more

inclusive form of instruction by hybridizing Bourdieus and Freires concepts (habitus, symbolic

capital, cultural capital & problem-posing education) into a more encouraging and respectful

mode of engagement with their (the instructor) students.

Discussion of Watsons Article

Sheelah Watson is an advocate for parents of children who are diagnosed with

intellectual/pervasive developmental disabilities. In her article, Watson addresses issues with

instructors not being properly trained to teach or understand students with disabilities, notes the

lack of resources available, issues with symbolic violence targeting parents and children,
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identifies an unequal playing field of habitus and symbolic capital, & discusses how the school

district and board members are unwilling to reach out and make themselves accessible to those

with disabilities (Watson, 2009).

Watson (2009) describes how parents with disabled children fought to get their children into

main stream schools, but would be quickly met with opposition from the school board, school

districts, teachers, principals and etc. She further describes that, instead of the children being

enrolled in mainstream schools, children with disabilities would be encouraged to seek an

education solely within the boundaries of a special needs school. Upon further inquiry of the

holistic records, Watson reveals the lack of responsibility and ownership to being the cause to the

problem (the people in power such as government, principals, teachers and etc.). It turns into a

blame game and a situation that is all talk and no action for the parents and students.

According to Watsons investigation on this matter, she reveals how parents of children with

disabilities are subjected to rigorous and near impossible hurdles to overcome. Watson (2009)

notes that with unequal distribution of power and influence made by the government, principles,

and instructors, their symbolic power (the influence of their positions) subdues those with little

to no power (the parents and children). She further explains that this, in effect, robs the parent

and child of necessary opportunities, resources, educational privileges, protection, their right to

be heard and argues how this framework of symbolic/economic/social/cultural capital only

empowers the majority population (children without disabilities) and disempowers the minorities

(parents with children diagnosed with disabilities) to be subjected to the whims and violence of

their suppressors.

Watsons connections with Bourdieu

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Watson implements Pierre Bourdieus theory in explaining social capital & cultural capital in

order to understand how habitus and symbolic capital is unequally distributed to non-disabled

and clinically disabled students. Social capital and cultural capital is the embodiment of the

realm where the environment, cultural norms, traditions, beliefs and etc. are rooted. In this case,

students without disabilities are valued more than those with disabilities. Principals apply caps

on who is permitted an education verses those who arent (symbolic influence). Parents who

desire their disabled child to attend a main-stream school are faced with improperly trained

teachers, no funding for resources necessary for children with disabilities, have to plea and beg

for their child to be enrolled into school, face limited seating available for their child/children,

face competitiveness with other parents in order to advocate their childs right to have a place in

their school, and are easily dismissed if they fail to meet the expectations/qualifications

mandated by the school district (Watson, 2009, pg. 282).

As a final resort, Watson discusses how parents must equip themselves with knowledge and

self-awareness because the school district/teachers are not knowledgeable or trained enough in

this field of expertise. So in a sense children with disabilities are placed on the back burner while

normal children reap the benefits of a proper educational environment (Watson, 2009).

Watson concludes with a call to action, presenting a new approach which would thereby help

restore power back to parents of children with disabilities. This strategy would involve the

following: An appointed liaison offer to each family, have a team of special education

organizers, encouraging parents of special needs children to form a mutual relationship with the

childs liaison officer, advocates that parents must have direct access to their childs assessment

of needs reports, & promotes access to an already established educational network (Watson,

2009, pg. 283).

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Mia Fiores Article

Mia Fiores article on Pedagogy for Liberation: Spoken Word Poetry in Urban Schools

discusses imperative information on how an instructor should engage with his/her students.

Fiore uses poetry with a stress on language, cultural relevancy, adaptation to the environment,

and connection, in order to earn their trust so that the students would have faith in her ability to

mentor and instruct. Fiore uses poetry to reach into the inner depths of each student and

empower them through constructive criticism on how to get their voices heard. Fiore discusses

how poetry can be used as an instrument to validate the voices of students who would otherwise

be ignored or disregarded. Mia assesses the role in which the instructor must play, and heavily

advocates maintaining a safe place for these students to engage in a cultural

awakening/awareness process of self-discovery and cultural relevancy to their society and peers.

Although Fiore stresses using only Freires Ideologies in her article (problem-posing-education)

I can also see a connection with Bourdieus ideas on cultural capital and habitus.

Fiores ties with Freire and Bourdieu

Fiore (2013), a public speaker, author, mentor and etc., supports the notion that we have been

indoctrinated through the educational system which advocates for the perpetual hindrance of a

students freedom to their own thoughts, ideologies, beliefs, and only further suppresses minority

groups from voicing their opinions and spread of cultural awareness. In alignment to Freires

beliefs, Fiores argument advocates that students (the suppressed) have a right to rise up and be

the vehicle necessary in order to make a change within their community. Fiore not only reflects

Freires concept of problem posing education (empowering the learner, stresses significance of
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the language being applied, & relatability to students) but also aligns with Bourdieus concepts

of cultural capital, habitus and symbolic capital.

Fiore is a poet who uses her experiences and hardships to create a platform that encourages

dialogue, relatability, trust, respect and serves as an outlet to inspire creativity and individuality.

Again this can be tied to Bourdieus main ideologies of habitus. Drawing from Fiores personal

observations from attending, speaking, and mentoring at various high-schools, several main

points stood out to her. Like Freire, Fiore stresses the vital role an instructor will play in

cultivating a safe place for students to vocalize their opinions. Ultimately, Fiore argues that it is

the instructors responsibility to tie in class material in a creative manner which enables students

to self-express themselves, to not be afraid of being honest to their students (no-tippy-toeing

around issues), and to acknowledge where their students are coming from and thereby use it as a

tool to empower them (Fiore, 2013 pg.3). Once again, Fiore is advocating for a Problem Posing

Educational mindset which encourages developing curiosity, critical thinking, stresses the

significance of a mutual student-teacher relationship, & an awareness of the role in which the

instructor will influence his/her class.

Research gaps on both authors

One underlying issue I saw with Sheelah Flatman Watsons article was the manner in which

the author collected her data. Granted, Watson wanted to address broad issues relevant to not

only to main stream schools but also include other realms within the variety of school types

accessible within the educational environment ( including not only main stream schools but also

taking into consideration of special needs classes/units & special/specialist placements). The

issue wasnt the content collected rather it was the lack of an equal percentage of questionnaires
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being returned for each school type. There wasnt enough feedback, because one institution

would have more questionnaires filled out over another. If the author had enforced a set number

of questionnaires being applied to all school types there would have been a better representation

of the holistic collected from each school. Watsons article would have conveyed a more

argumentative influence if it didnt appear that the article was condemning one form of an

educational system (main stream schools). An equal collection of data recorded would have

reflected a less biased stance. It is also important to note that this research articles holistic report

was collected in Ireland. So it only reflects the environment within Irelands educational system.

Whats needed from the United States is more qualitative data collected on school staff members

in order to analyze and assess their symbolic power and influence on parents with disabled

children. Furthermore, there needs to be programs and training facilities accessible that educates

instructors and people in power on how to interact/teach children with disabilities. With easily

accessible training programs available it would thereby permit more equal access to mainstream

schools for children with disabilities.

Mia Fiores article reflects an unbiased representation of data collected. Fiore was mindful of

critiques who argued against her approach of instruction and interaction. Those that found an

error with Fiores approach argue that Poetry Slams can only reach so far and cannot translate

into the realm of issues that arise within low income societies, and thereby hinders the ability of

poetry to make a change in the physical environment (Mia Fiore, 2013, pg. 15). Furthermore,

some critics argue that the mental needs of the child are not as important as the physical needs

that should be met (such as child provision and transportation provision) because there one can

see an physical change being made to address and issue within the environment (Mia Fiore,

2013, pg. 15).

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Similarities between the Authors

What I consider remarkable is the fact that Watson and Fiores articles have an underlying

common core. What unites these two authors together is their advocacy for empowering the

oppressed, empowering the invisible, giving these individuals a platform to voice their

grievances and be heard and validated. Both authors stress the importance of educators and their

community members being aware of signs of oppression and provide tools on how to address it.

Watson and Fiore are similar on the grounds that they both advocate for a productive,

meaningful and engaging environment for students. Most significantly, Watson and Fiore discuss

the roles in which an instructor must perform and the resources/knowledge they must have

readily accessible to their students (adaptability, training, cultural relevancy and etc.).

Conclusion/Emerging questions

Although Fiore and Watson focused on applying different theorists ideologies (habitus and

problem-posing education) as well as different techniques on explaining how students and

teachers should interact with each other (class room interaction/mentoring vs.

holistic/questionnaires) even though they applied their articles exclusively around one theorist I

can see the potential benefits in hybridizing the authors and theorists main ideas in order to

further explore how I would interact with my own class. The intent behind this paper is to draw

attention to potential problems within our current educational frame work, discuss the potential

benefits of hybridizing Bourdieus and Freires concepts, and advocate against under-

representation of minority groups, unequal power distribution/influence, improperly trained

educators, and lack of resources available to students, necessity for cultural relevancy, and the

demand for instructors to make classroom activities relatable to the students. Mia Fiore uses
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poetry to inspire creativity/ individuality, and yet was still able to apply Freires main concepts

of problem-posing education to an entire new level in understanding student/teacher

relationships in order to empower the individual. Watson implemented Bourdieus concepts of

habitus to advocate the necessity to empower those who would otherwise be disempowered

(through social classes, economy, political influence and etc.). Fiore embodies Freires

application of problem-posing education through a process of stressing the influence/sway an

instructor has in establishing a mutual student-teacher relationship (significance of an instructor

knowing what role he/she will play in order to see that their students reach their full potential)

that works in favor of seeing their students succeed while also implementing cultural relevancy.

Knowledge is power, when instructors are attentive, apathetic, sympathetic, understanding,

and respectful in ensuring an environment that feels safe for the students to open up and

encourage critical thinking. Knowledge is power when teachers are aware of the minority and

majority groups and strive to ensure that both parties are equally represented and acknowledged

in the class. Knowledge is power when instructors make themselves relatable and the classroom

activities culturally relevant to their students. Knowledge, when applied correctly, can be seen as

a tool to end oppression, neglect, and symbolic violence, instill awareness, give people a voice,

ensure cultural awareness, and help address the issue of students falling between the cracks

within the educational system. That is who I advocate for.

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Reference List

Fiore, Watson. (2013). Pedagogy for Liberation: Spoken Word Poetry in Urban Schools.

Education and Urban Society, XX(X), 1-17.

Watson, F. Sheelah. (2009). Barriers to inclusive education in Ireland: the case for pupils

with a diagnosis of intellectual and/or pervasive developmental disabilities. British

Journal of Learning Disabilities, 37, 277-284.