Critical Pedagogy: An Evaluation and a Direction for Reformulation

2001

Since the early 1970s, diverse forms of pedagogy have arisen in resistance to so-called transmissionist approaches to education, under the banner of Radical Pedagogy (Gore, 1993; McWilliam, 1997). This paper is part of a continuing project to develop in my own practice what I will call a post-critical pedagogy - a radical pedagogy that is comfortable under postmodern conditions; that no longer legitimizes itself by appeal to a meta-narrative of liberation; and after Gore (1993), accepts its own effects as potentially both productive and repressive. In this paper I consider ways that some radical pedagogues have responded to the crisis of knowing that an encounter with postmodernism invites. I argue that by being constructed around an often explicit emancipatory project (see for example, Giroux, 1994), existing forms of radical pedagogy operate in opposition to postmodern skepticism. Rather than abandon a notion of the political in pedagogy altogether, I attempt to show that those pedagogies inspired by Vygotsky's (1934/1987) notion of the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) construct what Derrida (according to Jenkins, 2000) or Foucault (according to Falzon, 1999) might describe as an ethical relation between pedagogical subjects, that suggests possibilities for a post-critical pedagogy. I argue that, a radical pedagogy centered around the ZPD and Engestrom's (1999) Activity system concept, not only maintains a concept of pedagogy as politics, but by being grounded in an ethical/dialogic view of relations between the self and Other (Falzon, 1999), avoids an appeal to totalizing moralities or meta-narratives of emancipation. I will attempt to show that such a pedagogy opens the way for a radical practice that is self-reflexive and cautious about closure; that resists tendencies to any "kind of self-righteousness that claims innocence" (Gore, 1991); that remains open to alterity. In the final section of the paper, following Foucault, I cast my post-critical pedagogy as a "dangerous practice", acknowledging concerns about its potential to serve the interests of fast capitalism (Gee, Hull & Lankshear, 1996).

Abstract Critical pedagogy is a transformation-based approach to education. The aim of this article is to introduce the origin, vision, action and consequences of critical pedagogy. It also aims on finding out about educators’ possibility of actualising it in their practice. As a source materials articles, book chapters and books are used. The literature shows that critical pedagogy has its origin in the tradition of critical theory of the Frankfurt School and the work of the Brazilian pedagog Paulo Freire. According to the literature, its major theses is that education should go beyond transfer of knowledge and training the future labour force; to help developing critical consciousness, which leads to transformation of the individual, learning environment and society at large. Critical pedagogy is criticised for a focus on macro level system, for not having a model for classroom implementation and for being abstract. Despite some critics, I argue that critical pedagogy has still the potential to empower those in the field of education to increase their consciousness about the injustice in their society and to involve in transforming it. Keywords: Critical pedagogy, critical thinking, critical theory, dialogue, Frankfurt School, transformation.

Journal of Philosophy of Education, 2004

This paper starts from a brief sketch of the 'classical' figure of critical educational theory or science (Kritische Erziehungswissenshaft). 'Critical educational theory' presents itself as the privileged guardian of the critical principle of education (Bildung) and its emancipatory promise. It involves the possibility of saying 'I' in order to speak and think in one's own name, to be critical, selfreflective and independent, to determine dependence from the present power relations and existing social order. Actual social and educational reality and relations are approached as a limitation, threat, alienation, re/oppression or negation of ultimate human principles or potential. The task of critical educational theory becomes one of enabling an autonomous, critical, self-reflective life. While 'critique' and 'autonomy' have meanwhile become commonplace, and 'critique' and 'autonomy' are reclaimed and required from everybody, we should also consider the question of the relation between an institutional or ideological framework as that which claims to question this frame and to constitute its opposite. The trivialisation of critique is taken as occasion to recall Michel Foucault's analysis of power relations and especially his thesis according to which the 'government of individualisation' is the actual figure of power. Starting from the framework offered by Foucault, it can be made clear that the autonomous, critical, self-reflective life does not represent an ultimate principle but refers to a very specific form of subjectification operating as a transmission belt for power. The autonomous, critical, self-reflective person appears as an historical model of self-conduct whereby power operates precisely through the intensification of reflectiveness and critique rather than through their repression, alienation or negation. This brings us back then to the question of how to conceive of the task of a critical educational theory at a time in which critique, autonomy and self-determination have become an essential modus operandi of the existing order.

2014

The article seeks to highlight the fundamental weaknesses of the postmodern concept of Public identity as it appears in critical pedagogy. Although these versions of critical pedagogy present their goals in the positive terms of achieving freedom and liberation from oppression, they tend to disregard the complex dialectical nature of identity and its positive aspects. I claim that such concepts fail to grasp the concrete nature of identity by not acknowledging the immanent tensions between the individual and the collective and between liberation and empowerment. I argue that these postmodern stances lead to suppression of identity and the reduction of humanity. Through its critical examination, this article hopes to re-establish the dialectical nature of concrete identity and its importance for critical pedagogy.

Facta Universitatis, Series: Teaching, Learning and Teacher Education, 2018

Critical pedagogy has significant place among the papers of numerous researchers and theoretician of education especially in the USA. The central focus of this paper is directed to historical development of critical pedagogy, the most significant postulates and on ideas of their bearer. The starting points for considering presents the ideas of critical pedagogues as Paulo Freire and Henry Giroux, ideas of Jean Jacques Rousseau and John Dewey that are considered as forerunners of this movement, until the contemporary representatives of critical pedagogy who continued to support and develop this approach. The aim of this paper is to consider the influence of critical pedagogy and its representatives on school practice and education. It can be concluded that promoted idea, which was created and developed in critical pedagogy that education is never "sterile clean", is impregnated with reflections of numerous political, economic and social circumstances, and it stayed as future vision to be considered by theoretician of education, pedagogues and pedagogy of future. At the end, some of the implications for modern pedagogical practice, formed by analyzing the critical pedagogy and needed to nurture in school practice are separated, those implications are developing teachers' critical spirit and its autonomy, nurturing the quality in relations with students that induce their development and improve outcomes, the strength of the dialogue culture which respects the right to be different and which straightens the ethical responsibility of teachers that represents the basics of teachers' identity development and building of their profession.

Curriculum Inquiry, 2002

One of the scholarly debates of the last decade has been about the discourses of pedagogy and pedagogy's function in society. As a result, pedagogy has been critically theorized, conceptualized, and analyzed, resulting in a body of work that adheres to the importance of understanding the human subject in pedagogy. Liberatory pedagogies, particularly critical pedagogies, are concerned with students who traditionally have been marginalized in school. Using a blend of autobiography and criticism, this article examines the case of an often marginalized group, disabled students, and asks whether they are present in the texts of critical pedagogies. The article concludes with a discussion of the tensions between inclusive theory and inclusive practice and, finally, suggests the constraints under which inclusive practices operate.

This essay tries to intervene in the discussion between Naomi Hodgson on the one hand and Joris Vlieghe and Piotr Zamojski on the other about the meaning and function of the political in and for education. Firstly, it argues against the common charge of essentialism that is brought against ontological philosophies in general and the Heideggerian ontology of Vlieghe and Zamojski in particular. Secondly, the essay suggests the existentialist concept of 'the situation' as a theoretical nodal point that can grasp the inherently quasi-political dimension of pedagogical work and hence provide common ground for the two positions discussed.

RISE, 2021

Authors, teachers, students, family members, and other citizens from diverse cultures, gender options and countries have been and are developing critical pedagogy all over the world. However, there are authors of "critical pedagogy" who use this label for luxuries and egotism but who have never transformed nor supported the transformation of any school or educational project. This article presents four criteria to distinguish between the critical pedagogy that transforms reality and the "critical pedagogy" that only benefits those who use this label. The first criterion is the egalitarian dialogue that critical pedagogy authors use with very diverse citizens to achieve extensive and profound real transformations. The second one is the social impact of their work on society, especially on the oppressed, overcoming inequalities and improving their conditions of life. The third one is the equality of results of the oppressed in literacy as well as in sentiments and values, without segregating. The fourth one is the critical pedagogy style versus the Althusserian and market styles, highlighting the scientific and theoretical rigor of critical pedagogy authors opposed to the lack of theoretical basis of authors of "critical pedagogy".

ipedr.com

This article is intended to give some context to the discussion of critical pedagogy (CP) as one of the post method approaches to language teaching. It adopts the Frankfurt school principles as its main source in search for a more just society. It relates the school context to the social context in which it is embedded. It stresses empowering learners to think and act critically with the aim of transforming their life conditions. Although this approach has recently gained momentum, few studies have exclusively addressed it. Therefore, the present study aims at exploring major themes in CP including the libratory and problem posing education, teacher and student roles, praxis as the reflection on the world, and dialogism and to make suggestions for application of this approach in ELT classrooms. To achieve this aim, available books and articles written on the subject were scrutinized. The results showed that the transformative CP, despite being a new and useful approach, is barely explored and attended to in Iranian educational system.

Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences

Philosophers and Thinkers count on education as one of the most important issues in human life, rise of the various fields of thought including postmodernism, pragmatism and critical theorists in recent decades, could manage to enter education in new realms. The main aim of this paper is to consider some critical theories which refer to the late sixties. Since its emergence, critical theory has been able to attract thinkers in variant fields like social, cultural, political and economical. The above mentioned theory has developed new interchanges in education in Germany and other countries during the recent three decades. The article is going to explore this thought track reasons in the field of objectives and principles of education, on the base of considering some of its bearers and their theories. The research is type of fundamental study. It has been done in descriptivequalitative analysis dealt after gathering information from various library sources.