Ghettoes in the Classroom and the Construction of Possibilities

Abstract

We are going to discuss categories that can provide an educational interpretation of equity and quality. We formulate categories 'dense with experience' based on teachers' accounts. The particular context we are considering is set by the basic education in Brazilian public schools; we interviewed 13 teachers including 2 prospective teachers. The categories that emerged from these interviews were: diversity, access to technology, prestige, poverty, hope, stigmatisation, learning condition, possibility and participation. Starting from these categories we address two challenges. The first concerns what we refer to as ghettoes in the classroom. An education for equity and quality must try to act against all processes which form part of shaping such ghettoes. The second challenge we address concerns the construction of possibilities for students. We see the construction of such possibilities as crucial for an education for equity as well as for interpreting what quality in education could mean. © Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2011.