We “name” students as scholars and theorists, to help them see themselves as intellectuals.

For students to develop critical consciousness, they must see themselves as intellectuals who can analyze the world around them. One strategy for supporting this intellectual development is to make it explicit by naming students as scholars and theorists in their own right.

Students as Sources, Armon Kasmai
In his 11th grade U.S. History class, teacher Armon Kasmai is asking students to explore how anti-Irish sentiment may have led to the portrayal of Christopher Columbus as a hero (as a counterpoint to the Catholic Spanish elite who supposedly thought the earth was flat). When a student begins to articulate a theory, Mr. Kasmai tells the class, “Write that down– and put Carlos’ name as the source.” As the discussion continues, another student begins, “History used Columbus to make the Catholics seem… ” and Mr. Kasmai again asks the class to write down their classmate’s theory. In this way, he “names” his students as sources of intellectual opinion.

Think Like a Scientist, Lenore Kenny
Lenore Kenny says that science education is a force for social justice because being able to think like a scientist “gives you a lot of power to be used along the path of social change.” In this lesson on evolution, she trains her students in the scientific thinking process by asking them to examine evidence and analyze it by looking for patterns. She reminds students to “get in the mindset of thinking like evolutionary scientists” and asks them to “engage your mind like a scientist.”