What is critical pedagogy and why is it so important in education? Do you feel that there is a place for critical
pedagogy in our curriculum structure today? Or do you think that the time has passed
for us to embrace ideas of social justice and economic transformation? Do Paolo Freire’s philosophical
positions interest you? Do they make sense to you? Why? Which of the six principles
of pedagogy from Freire’s philosophy do you feel that you incorporate into your
teaching…….if any?
I believe there is most definitely a place for critical pedagogy in our curriculum. Our readings and discussions in class to-date have been focused on ways to foster a student-centered learning environment and to provide students with opportunities to develop higher-order thinking skills. Freire sums these readings up, supporting the fact that we need to go beyond the surface level of the material so students have a deeper understanding of it. Freire is a strong supporter of students’ ability to think critically and in allowing them to recognize connections between their individual problems and experiences and the social contexts in which they are embedded.
ReplyDeleteI think the first principle is most relevant to my teachings as it basically states the important of connecting the material to real-world and interdisciplinary contexts in order for students to understand the relevance and significance of the material being taught. When I infuse real-world examples in class, the level of engagement ultimately increases.
I agree with Kanchan in that there is a place for critical pedagogy in our curriculum structure today. We are now a “global” society instead of just a national one. Through technology, our world has the capacity to communicate freely with each other and has therefore become, in a way, smaller. In 2010, the “Spring Awakening” in Egypt began with a Facebook page. It was a revolution built on a social media network. In today’s world, it is so important to embrace the ideas in Freier’s philosophy. Education can be the “leveler” of society. As McLaren describes, “Freire managed to develop both a language of critique and a language of hope that work conjointly and dialectically and which have proven successful in helping generations of disenfranchised peoples to liberate themselves.” The ideas in Freire’s philosophy of critical pedagogy are geared towards teaching students how to read and interpret text and then make connections to lived experiences. If people are empowered by their education, they can “take more control of their own history” and “assimilate more rapidly into society, but on their own terms.”
ReplyDeleteI related most to the fifth learning principal in Freire’s pedagogical practices. Many of my literature lessons focus on the “human experience” derived from the literature. In the fifth principal, Freire states that “learners will actually experience their own potency in the very act of understanding what it means to be a human subject.” In the literature, the students find themselves and their connection to the world.
I especially enjoyed the last section of the article regarding “revolutionary love.” The ideas in this section were beautifully written and conveyed. The concept that I found intriguing was that love becomes the foundation of hope. In a perfect world, there is no need for hope, and our world is far from perfect. In the ancient Greek myth of Pandora, the world was perfect. Pandora was created to “balance the world.” She was given a box that was never to be opened. As a curious woman would, she opened the box and released diseases, hatred, evil…. After all of the “ills of society” were released and flutter out of the box as moths, the last thing that made its way out was hope. The world needed balance and it also needed hope. Freire’s philosophy supports this concept. He writes, “Hope is a natural, possible, and necessary impetus in the context of our unfinishedness… without it, instead of history we would have pure determinism.”
Yes, there is definitely a place for Critical Pedagogy in our curriculum.
ReplyDeleteThis whole idea is all about giving disenfranchised people the tools and the power to change their own lives. It’s completely anarchist and I love it.
If students were to fully embrace the ideals of Critical Pedagogy it would be the most valuable thing they learn, a true ability that would overshadow any subject or topic... the ability to question why they are being taught what they are being taught, the idea of social justice and the embracing of revolutionary class struggle.. far too few people ever get to that state of consciousness and just swallow what they are being told. I fully support the learning of the truth about the truth and the notion of questioning everything and everyone.
Critical Pedagogy cries out for social transformation, which I agree is a lofty, utopian goal. That being said Critical pedagogy leads with the idea that the oppressed must play a role in their liberation, giving the people the information they need and while they develop the ability to change their own lives.
I specifically found points 4 and 6 of great interest.
Point 4 – the possibility of “new makings” of reality and the corresponding new possibilities of being. Remaking a new system for the better. This point could be accomplished by Point 6 – understanding the myths of dominant discourse are just that, myths… that often effect people negatively and can be changed.
Hellow all, I am still without power and a refugee at my mother's house (along with my sister's family... ugh...) I haven't been able to get on Caldwell's e-mail so I figured I would communicate through Livetext. I hope all is well with you guys and that you are all safe and warm. Maybe I'll see you on Wednesday!
ReplyDeleteI think critical pedagogy can be best defined as our educational philosophies put into practice to arrive at efficacious outcomes that go beyond textbook learning. It is what we believe foundationally and its impact on the lives of those we teach. As educators we have a unique privilege through our craft to shape perspective and inspire our students to dream, achieve, and overcome adversities to reach a state of self-actualization. If there is no place for critical pedagogy in our curricular structure there is no room for the essence of what we do as educators. As long as social injustices exist and a large portion of our children remain economically and thus educationally disenfranchised I say we must continue to work to embrace and grapple with social injustice and education as a means of social transformation.
ReplyDeletePrinciple six of Freire’s pedagogy resonates most within my teaching practices. “Learners must come to understand how myths of dominant discourses are, precisely, myths which oppresses and marginalize them – but which can be transcended through transformative action.” (Ornstein p. 25) The thing about myths is that they are told with such conviction that they become truth based on generalizations and cultural insensitivity. Traditionally myths were utilized to offer a pseudo-logical explanation for things one could not explain using their existing knowledge base. If we are not vigilant myths often times can stigmatize an entire group and damage the children we are charged to educate and empower. I am glad to know that Freire also believes that myths can be transcended through transformative action or what I would term empowerment through education. As an educator I view each student a possibility. It’s what excites me about education and keeps me dedicated to teaching in an urban community.
ReplyDeleteI agree with all of the comments above as well. There is definitely a place for critical pedagogy in the curriculum structure for today. As stated in Chapter 3, critical pedagogy is a way of thinking about, negotiating, and transforming the relationship among classroom teaching, production of knowledge, the institutional structures of the school, and the social and material relations of the COMMUNITY, SCOIETY, and NATION-STATE. There in those last three words says it all. We are becoming more and more diverse as time goes on and this critical pedagogy is a way of teaching with in mind the different worlds around us. In my classroom, I have many different cultures all together, I have the Indian culture, all cultures form South America, Portuguese, Asian, and Polish. Knowing and having all of them together has us asking and answering questions of all sorts. Freire's theory opens this up in a way of teaching that and to go above that where as for Freire its a place of uncoerced reaction. Learning as interacting.
Practices 4 and 6 stood out the most to me. I like the idea of considering the possibility of "new makings" of reality because we experience these all the time. The understanding of myths stood out because we as teachers and the learners need to realize that the world is full of them and that the boundaries that they are allotted can be merely surpassed because of these myths.