School Exclusions - an Answer to Disciplinary Problems in Modern Public School?
A widespread answer among Danish school professionals as to why expulsions, suspensions and classroom exclusions occur in school is disciplinary problems; pupils who are interrupting the teaching, disruptive to order in the classroom or even endangering other pupils and/or teachers. The interconnection of disciplinary problems and the use of what I label ‘disciplinary exclusions’ is also manifested in the school legislation, where school exclusions are constructed as one means among others to order and discipline in school. In this talk, I will explore the connection between the use of exclusions in Danish schools, ideals of discipline and disciplinary problems. The connection between discipline and school exclusions will be illuminated through existing studies, my empirical work and theoretical insights from Foucault and Holzkamp.
I will show that when looking at this connection in a practical-empirical perspective, it seems that school exclusions do contain the potential of change of the classroom and/or individual ‘bad behavior’. However, the pedagogical attempt to recognize the pupils also seems to be an important condition for creating the ‘necessity’ for disciplinary exclusions. Furthermore, school exclusions can be connected to a longing for order which again is connected to a practice where the scope of ‘acceptable’ behaviors becomes more and more narrow creating a tense environment where pupils have subject themselves to avoid the risk of exclusion. The negative impact of such a ‘strict discipline’ is further highlighted by pupils who do try to fulfill the ideals of a discipline and pay a high social price because they cannot ‘risk’ participating in play.
Finally, I will discuss the limitations of a disciplinary perspective on school exclusions, if we should at all think about exclusions as a punishment, and under which circumstances school exclusions are fruitful and/or necessary.
Join Zoom Meeting:
https://yorku.zoom.us/j/98377028723?pwd=cXBGcVByMzUxSWpTVFAyNW1ubWI5UT09