Critical Pedagogy: Education as Emancipation . . . or . . . Teach for the Sky
Table 3’s Take on Critical Pedagogy
Education is getting an overhaul. A growing appreciation of the dynamic nature of the world has led to dynamic classrooms, and we could not be more excited.
Previously, the initials CP might trigger vague thoughts of Canada’s largest international airline, or how physicists still measure luminosity (Candle Power). Not anymore! Now CP stands for one thing, and one thing only: Critical Pedagogy. But what is Critical Pedagogy?
Codified and championed by Paulo Freire, the Argentine polymath, CP is a revolutionary teaching approach that aims to challenge education’s traditionally authoritarian perspective (I teach, you learn). Whilst CP can be achieved in myriad different ways, there are several things it cannot do without.
Critical Pedagogy …
Requires dialogue between teacher and student
Teachers must know their students in order to be able to teach effectively, thus the relationship between the two, and the one that exists between the teacher and the collective group of students (class), guides and shapes the education that is given and received.
Facilitates the asking of questions 
Is political and requires teachers to be engaged in societal issues and debates
Is Centered upon the Concept of Biophily – nature is inherently dynamic, and thus can only be fully understood if we appreciate the changes and adaptations of natural systems over time.
Neither students nor teachers are static entities, and this has direct consequences for both teaching style and course content. Failure to recognize the fluid nature of a classroom will likely lead to failure. What’s more, the progress of society hangs on these shared dynamic properties, without which there would be no reason for hope. We have made it this far, but only by the skin of our teeth.
video – 4 Billion Years of Evolution in 40 Seconds
Blog post: Freire and Fromm on Necrophily
Searching to define the ‘best’ way of teaching – versus thinking that the existing way ‘works fine’.
Democratic in its approach to including all perspectives:
- Attends to equity rather than equality
Another illustration from a different perspective (CP in action!!)
Flexible in its construction: not proscriptive or prescriptive – utilize what makes sense, adopt practices and outcomes that align within the general framework of Frerie’s ideas, but does not need to follow them exactly
Respects students’ pre-existing knowledge and make use of it.
Learning goes beyond re-learning existing knowledge, includes the creation of new knowledge. The teaching process is more than knowledge transfer, encouraging the learners to create and recreate knowledge for themselves.
An example for this from Chang:
My previous research was focused on some new functional nanomaterials before I came to Virginia Tech. Then I joined the group at VT which the projects were mostly about environmental contaminants detection by spectrum analysis. By using this kind of analysis, substrates were employed to get the chemical compound detected. In some specific project, the nanomaterial I studied before could be used as perfect substrates in the work we are doing now. It s a great incorporation for which I could dig deeper based on my previous study and make use of it in the future research. My advisor totally respects what I have got and he said he had definitely learned something from it.
Open to various ideas and perspectives 
Multiple perspectives are essential in order to reach various learners and promotes students adopting various perspectives
Group Members:
Brittany Boribong, Chang Liu, Faith Skiles, Jonathan Harding, George Brooks, Kathryn Culbertson
Engaging, clear post, everyone!
“Multiple perspectives are essential in order to reach various learners and promotes students adopting various perspectives.”
Yes. Yes. Yes. Totally agree. I need to be able to see multiple perspectives on an issue in order for my students to get anything out of specific units of my course. If my students take anything away from their last unit this semester, I want it to be the realization that there is not just one side to an issue. Nor are there even just two sides to an issue. There are many perspectives on a spectrum. And even if a perspective is not their own, it could have something of value in it.
This concept of biophily is a really good point and resonated with me. It is important to keep track of the class on a high level and adapt accordingly. It makes me think, are there ways to systematically ensure that the nature of the classroom is being monitored, ways to ensure teachers detect the signs that might indicate eminent failure?
“Neither students nor teachers are static entities, and this has direct consequences for both teaching style and course content. Failure to recognize the fluid nature of a classroom will likely lead to failure.”
This was my favorite part of this group post! How often do we see professors (let’s be honest – especially those that have been around for a while) teach the same exact material over and over again each year? The world changes, people change, and even scientific beliefs and ideals change. Therefore, what we teach in the classroom, as well as how we teach in the classroom, also have to adapt accordingly. A prime example of this is technology in the classroom. At the beginning of my undergraduate career, using a phone in class was typically deemed as unacceptable. Nowadays, technology in the classroom is often encouraged. I think my question to others would be: How do we influence or communicate with others that their teaching practices may need to be modified to be more “current” and/or more open?
I really appreciate your description of incorporating multiple perspectives and respecting students’ prior knowledge in this context that is changing and evolving. Thanks for the post!
I agree with Nicole and Amy. Coming from a social science background, I am constantly exposed to new publications and behavioral theories. I’m certain I am not alone, and that other disciplines are as well. Teaching must remain fluid to account for new information and discovery to give students the greatest chance of success.
I really like the second equality versus equity cartoon, especially since this is the first time I’ve ever seen it with the third frame (“removing the source of the inequality”). The multiple perspective image is also perfect!
Many things stand out to me in this post! First, I really like the image of “learn, unlearn, and relearn”. Also, I like the notion that nature is dynamic, as well as the classroom. If we aren’t changing our ways of thinking, we’re pretty much doomed. The world is going to keep changing in its own way with or without us.