2. Critical pedagogy
Critical pedagogy is a philosophy of
education and social movement that combines
education with critical theory. First described by
Paulo Freire , it has since been developed by Henry
Giroux and others as praxis-oriented " education
movement , guided by passion and principles , to
help students develop consciousness of freedom ,
recognize authoritarian tendencies ,and connect
knowledge to power and the abilty to take
constructive action . Critical pedagogy includes
relationships between teaching and learning. Its
proponents claim thatit is a continuous process of
what they call “unlearning" ,"learning","reflection","
evaluation", and the impact that these action have
on the students ,in particular students , in particular
3. students whom they believe have been historically
and continue to be disenfranchised by what they
call" traditional schooling. Anyanalysis of critical
pedagogy must begin with an examination of the
work of
Paulo Freire who is generally considered to be "the
inagural philosopher ofcritical pedagogy.” Freire
Seldom used the term "critical pedagogy” himself
when describing this philosophy. His initial focus
targeted adult literacy projects in Brazil and later
was adapted to deal with a wide range of social and
educationalissues. Freire's pedagogy revolved
around an anti- authoritarian and interactive
approach aimed to examine issues of relational
power for students and workers .The center of the
curriculum used the fundamental goal based on
social and political of everyday life . Freire's praxis
required implementation of a range of educational
practices and process with the goals of creating not
only a betterlearning enviornment, but also a better
world. Freire himself maintained that this wanot
merely an educational technique but a way of living
in our educative practice
Critical pedagogy studies the role which schools
play in maintainin the social stratification of society,
and the possibilities for social change through the
schools . "Critical pedagogy is both a way of
4. thinking about and negotiating through praxis the
relationship among classroom teaching, the
production of knowledge, the larger institutional
structures of the schools, and the social and
material relations of the wider community
,society,state and nation ."Peter McLaren explains
that critical pedagogy is an approach adopted by
progressive teachers attempting to eliminate
inequalities on the basis of social class, and that it
has also sparked a wide array of anti-sexist , anti-racist,
and anti-homophobic classroom based
curricula and policy intiatives . Common questions
for the critical educator include:
* What knowledge is of most worth?
* Whose knowledge is most important?
* What knowledge shouid be taught,and just as
important , What knowledge is not to be taught?
* How does the structure of the school contribute
to the social satisfraction of our society?
* What is the relationship between knowledge and
power? What does this imply for our children?
* What is the purpose of schoolig?
* Is it to ensure democracy or to maintain the
status quo and support big business? How can
teachers enable students to become critical thinkers
who will promote true democracy and freedom?
5. Ira short identifies principal goals of critical
pedagogy :"when pedagogy and curricular policy
reflect goals , they do what education can do:
* Oppose socialization with de-socialization
* Choose critical consciousness over commercial
consciousness
* Transformation of society over reproduction of
inequality
* Promote democracy by practicing it and by
studying authoritarianism
* Illuminate the myths supporting the elite
hierarchy of society
* Interfere with the scholastic disabling of students
through a Critical literacy program
* Raise awareness about the thought and
language expressed in daily life
* Distribute research skills and censored
information useful for investigation power and policy
in society
* Invite students to reflect isocally on their
conditions , to consider overcoming limits....
short says we must pose the question of
Critical pedagogy (desocialization) when we discuss
teacher education program or curriculam at any
level of schooling .
Once we accept education's role as challenging
6. inequality and dominant myths rather than as
socializing students into the status quo , we have a
foundation needed to invent practical methods."
Critical pedagogy , then , is defined by what
it does - as a pedagogy which embraces a raising of
the consciousness, a critique of society ,as a
hopeful,active pedagogy which enables students
to become truly participatory members of a society
who not only belong to the society but who can and
do create and re-create that society, continully
increasing freedom . Critical educatinal theory
begins with the assumption that schools are
essential sites for organizing knowledge ,power and
desire in the service of extending individual
capacities and social possibilities..........
7. inequality and dominant myths rather than as
socializing students into the status quo , we have a
foundation needed to invent practical methods."
Critical pedagogy , then , is defined by what
it does - as a pedagogy which embraces a raising of
the consciousness, a critique of society ,as a
hopeful,active pedagogy which enables students
to become truly participatory members of a society
who not only belong to the society but who can and
do create and re-create that society, continully
increasing freedom . Critical educatinal theory
begins with the assumption that schools are
essential sites for organizing knowledge ,power and
desire in the service of extending individual
capacities and social possibilities..........
