Critical pedagogy is a philosophy of progressive teaching whose objective is to promote the development of critical thinking in the student to generate individuals capable of examining the established power structures, as well as the patterns of inequality constituted in the status quo. Education emphasizes social responsibility and constitutes the motor of progress, since it helps students to develop a perceptive and investigative awareness of the cultural situation. In a world marked by violence, exploitation, racism, class differences and globalization, knowledge can not be treated from a neutral point of view and the student has to be constituted as an active citizen and committed to social reality. This trend considers the political nature of education. The school must generate individuals capable of having a critical vision about the construction of knowledge.
One of the main founders of this practice is Paulo Freire, who defined “education can not be neutral, it is either an instrument of liberation or an instrument of domestication“. Education must liberate the individual through a conscious, understood and analyzed act.
Teacher should encourage students to observe and stimulate the students’ awareness, with the objective that they value social reality and build knowledge based on their experiences. To achieve this goal teachers problematize the world, creating the right conditions for the learning process to take place.
Students build new expectations, reaching a state of reflection that facilitates the understanding of their own reality, identifying problems and inconsistencies and the search for new possibilities. The use of dialogue is essential for the learning process, as well as to create a mutual commitment among the participants. In addition, students’ autonomy and self-management are strengthened as well as responsability for their own learning. Critical pedagogy dynamics are based on social participation, contextualized education, horizontal communication and the evolution of social reality.
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Contents vary according to students’ needs and interests, who participate in the establishment of goals, course objectives and expectations. The content treated must be significant and relevant to students. In this way, the student can relate knowledge to existing social problems in order to take the necessary actions to solve them. Learning involves exploring reality, developing awareness and critically intervening in it.
Methodological options start from the approach of problems or problematization of the reality and inquiry about problematic issues of the life of the students through questions. Within the method followed, 5 stages are observed: description of the discussion content, problem definition,
problem personalization, discussion, and development of alternatives to solve the problem.
The organization of the students and spaces may vary depending on the activities, although generally speaking, provisions that facilitate dialogue are used, such as tables arranged in a circle. This provision guarantees horizontal dialogue.
The teaching-learning activities are varied, although all of them start from problem definition and the use of dialogue as a fundamental element that directs learning. Among the most common activities are: experimental activities, round table, forums, seminars, lectures, debates, discussions, creative expression.
The teaching material is usually varied, authentic and inclusive, and can be provided by students based on their interests about relevant issues in their lives, such as news, readings, experiences .
Evaluation assesses the students’ productions such as diaries, presentations, critical reflections, exams and questionnaires; taking into account established standards. The student is also involved in the evaluation process through techniques such as self-evaluation, peer evaluation and hetero-evaluation. The evaluation process is accompanied by feedback and qualification sessions, within which the dialogue qualification is also used.
Resources:
- Aliakbari, M. y Faraji, E. (2011). Basic principles of critical pedagogy. IPEDR, 17(14).
- Breunig, M.(2005). Turning experiential education and critical pedagogy theory into praxis. Journal ofexperiential education, 28 (2), 106-122.
- Delgado-Noguera, M.A. (1991). Los Estilos de Enseñanza en laEducación Física. Propuesta para una Reforma de la Enseñanza. Granada:Editorial ICE.
- Fernández-Balboa,J.M. (2004). Recuperando el valor ético-político de la Pedagogía: las diferencias entre la Pedagogía y la Didáctica. Madrid: Biblioteca Nueva.
- Miller, R. (2004). A Map of the Alternative Education Landscape. Alternative Education Resource Organization (AERO).
- Ramírez, R. (2008). La pedagogía crítica. Una manera ética de generar procesos educativos. Folios. 28, 108-119.
