What is Critical Praxis?

Critical PRAXIS is the meeting ground of theory and practice where extant power structures are challenged along with other taken for granted ways of being. Critical PRAXIS is a potentially radical place to up-end the status quo. It is not just thinking or reflecting about our actions; it is extending and maybe changing future actions because of our thinking about what was previously done. In this way, the two are seen acting upon each other as if in a dialectal dance with a future for something even more radical and critical. Critical PRAXIS provides an opportunity to acknowledge, explore, celebrate, question, and extend the range and variety of educational practices, including the challenges and engagements for the growth and development of our local, regional, national, and international communities for the betterment of all humankind. Critical thinking begs us for example, to question for whom I am teaching, who is represented or not represented, and whose histories and ways of being are marginalized and/or centralized in my teaching.

We welcome papers and reports from PK-12 and post-secondary educators in local, national, regional and international teaching and learning contexts as well as those that discuss policies. We welcome works that acknowledge the joys, triumphs, and challenges of teaching and learning in traditional and non-traditional institutional settings. We invite the following types of papers and reports from teachers and their learners: 

Reflexive Journals

Reflexive journals are designed to capture your thinking, challenges and triumphs as you go through your teaching day, week, semester, or school year. Although designed with novice teachers in mind, any educator can prepare a submission of this type. Details should include an introduction and explanation of why you felt compelled to write a journal, entries from the journal, and a closing section describing what it all means. In other words, theorizing your journal writing. Particularly pertinent to Critical PRAXIS is the critical reflection on your growth and development as a critical educator and how the journal reflections have impacted your teaching and curriculum. Length: 10-15 double-spaced pages with references.

Exemplar

Creative Reflections on Teaching Life

Poems, spoken word, choral reading, dramatic pieces, drawings, pictures, and other artistic expressions are creative responses to an educational experience or teaching event that can enrich our lives as educators. Share the creative piece and provide background information such as the context, when, why and how you created it. Include your reflections, rationalizing and theorizing of what this work does for you and your learners. What recommendations could be offered for other educators who might want to adopt such a process? Length: 10-15 double-spaced pages with references.

Innovative Lessons

How do you grow and develop as a critical educator? What innovative teaching and learning ideas do you have?  Units and lesson plans are the life blood of teaching and describe in detail what happens when we challenge and engage students by drawing upon interdisciplinary, intersectional multiliteracies in critically and culturally meaningful ways. Submissions should include the school’s context and a rationale for the unit or lesson along with grade and subject level, goals, and objectives. Procedures should include an introduction, body, and conclusion with all the steps so that readers can carry out the ideas. If presenting an entire unit, provide an overview in table format of the goals, objectives, and skills that you will teach over the period. Units of work could run for a minimum of three weeks to a semester and could draw on multiliteracies, critical intersectional theme-based, authentic learning experiences. Include a section on assessments and accommodations for students with special learning needs. Finally, conclude with reflections on your development as a critical educator, the lesson or unit creation and teaching, successes, challenges and recommendations. Length: 10-15 double-spaced pages with references.

Exemplar

Instructional Technologies Applications

Instructional technologies applications are reports on teaching ideas that incorporate the use of an app, social media, website, or any new technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI). All sites and mediums must be cost free and available to the public. These reports should include sections describing the technology, its purpose, a critical review of how you used it with your learners as well as feedback for the designers and recommendations for fellow educators. Length: 10-15 double-spaced pages with references.

Exemplar

Critical Intercultural Travel Abroad Itineraries and Insights

Education-based study abroad itineraries are reports and reflections on a study abroad experience that you have had with educators and/or students. Critical Reports could include the purpose of the trip and why this itinerary was developed to support the critical intercultural development of learners. Provide details along with pictures, maps and charts on the location, dates travelled, and information about the travelers. In addition to details of the daily itinerary, provide reflections on the experiences, how the learners were prepared for the trip, and how the itinerary supported the critical reflexive intercultural development of the learners. Give recommendations for future study abroad along with learners’ feedback. Length: 10-15 double-spaced pages with references.

Exemplar

Opinion Pieces

Your opinions about critical educational matters are very important to the life of our local, national and international community of educators. Your submission may be in response to anything in education that provokes your reflection about inequities and unfairness in teaching and learning such as government policies, and/or the actions of administrators, teachers, community members, students and parents. Be sure to give the context and background of your submission. Length: 10-15 double-spaced pages with references.

Exemplar

Critical Reading Reflections

Critical reading reflections may include: (1) Book club reports demonstrating the dynamic vitality of teachers as professionals with agency to organize, support and sustain their professional identity and critical development; or (2) Reports of reading lists reflecting the critical decisions that educators make about what students should/should not be exposed to or taught. All reflections should include a description of the setting, the participants and context; the agenda for the meeting(s), purpose for the reading list; and reflections on the processes enacted with implications for teachers and/or students and community members. Length: 10-15 double-spaced pages with references.

Professional Development Reports

Professional development reports describe the transformative experiences educators may have had in learning to be better and more critically conscious and aware teachers. Begin this section with the context and why you engaged in this professional development. Describe what took place, accompanied by your reflections. Give your recommendations on the experiences and discuss the applications to your teaching and learning context. How has this experience helped you to be a more critically conscious and aware teacher? How has this experience impacted your teaching practices and students’ learning? Length: 10-15 double-spaced pages with references.

Teachers’ Study Group Agendas and Reports

Teacher study group agendas and reports are meant to demonstrate the dynamic vitality of teachers as professionals with agency to organize, support and sustain their critical professional identity as educators. Details should include a description of the context, group, setting, mission, vision and goals of the study group; the agenda for the meeting(s), and reflections on what took place; a closing paragraph on what this means for teachers as professionals. Length: 10-15 double-spaced pages with references.

Program Reports

Program reports are detailed descriptions of the programs in your schools along with examples of their successes and challenges. Your program reports should include background information and description of the school’s location and demographics, including the number of years in operation, how and why the program was developed, how it was implemented, and developed across the years. Provide evidence of evaluation.  What critical statements could be made about the program? Include, also, examples of success, challenges, goals and recommendations for future development. Length: 10-15 double-spaced pages with references.

Open Submissions

This is an open category for you to submit anything you think might be of interest to our readers about your life as an educator. Provide a rationale for why this piece should be of interest to other educators along with your contribution. Discuss implications and applications for teaching and learning. Length: 10-15 double-spaced pages with references.

Submission Process

All manuscripts in the Praxis strand are subject to peer review by at least two reviewers and a member of the editorial review board. The review criteria in appraising manuscripts include: (a) adherence to the description given for the specific submission type; (b) connections to the literature; (c) connections and applications to classroom practice and curriculum development; (d) clarity of writing style; (e) interest to readers.

Upon completion of the review, the editors will make one of the following recommendations:

• Accept (as is or with minor revisions)
• Accept conditionally with revisions (only editors should determine if the revisions are acceptable)
• Revise and Resubmit (editors and original reviewers determine if revisions are acceptable)
• Reject

In addition, authors submitting to PRAXIS need to adhere to the General Submission Guidelines and Review Policy

To submit, go to this portal: Open Journal System (OJS).