Critical Pedagogy

What is critical pedagogy?

For my own clarification, I looked up the difference between critical pedagogy and critical thinking. I found one article, which described the two as separate movements in education, both having common roots encouraging students to challenge the status quo and question culture and to become independent thinkers in a democratic society. The difference between critical thinking and critical pedagogy were subtler and perhaps even debatable. This author suggests that critical thinking doesn't sway students one way or another, rather it encourages students to make up their own minds on issues by questioning both sides of the argument. Teaching in this manner, where the teacher is supposed to be neutral, neither a democrat nor a republican, teaching without bias, is how we are supposed to behave right? I find it impossible, unreasonable and untrue. The author describes Critical Pedagogy as teaching with an agenda, approaching a question or problem with pre-conclusions. I was surprised by this distinction, and though it may be relatively insignificant, it raises the questions, “How much do I infuse my instruction with my own interests? While raising critical thinking questions, how am I leading my students one way or another?”

How do you already practice it?

Critical pedagogy by Mary Drinkwater’s definition includes thinking critically and creatively, examining political issues, social justice issues and calls students to action. Both Gude and Drinkwater focus on teaching students to be part of a democratic process. My curriculum is speckled with critical pedagogy. In my own teaching I include many lessons that are self-reflective and may help students create resiliency through meaning making by connecting and sharing their stories with others. As part of the STEAM academy in my school, our teaching style is based on project-based learning (PBL). We focus on real world problems. We are working on our formative assessments encouraging a high level of critical thinking through self-reflection and research. The STEAM academy also strives to have a strong connection with the community. We have had community volunteers, and mentors. Students are also creating products and solving problems for local businesses and organizations. Students are learning within a critical democratic pedagogical framework because they are coming up with guiding questions that guide their critical thinking. In this case, students aren’t always dealing with political or social issues outright, but most projects do a good job of connecting the student to the world in a meaningful way.

What more do you want to incorporate? (Themes? Methods? Strategies?)

In all of my classes I would like to incorporate more opportunities for students to engage in higher-level critical thinking. My instinct in my studio classes is quite often for students to turn inward and discover themselves. As Gude’s article points out, heightening awareness of the self enable students to make meaningful connections to the outside world. So many of my students have no voice. Many at risk students have so many things going on outside of school or in their head that they have no room in themselves for learning. Some students at Metro are students who got lost in the system and should have IEP support but nobody has put them through the process or their parents refused it. I often feel that by helping students to find a way to express themselves, and helping them realize that what they have to express is valid, I am doing my part to steer them toward being part of a democratic society. I have had lessons where students deal more directly with social justice and political issues. Often times I wait until students have had a fair amount of instruction in skills and techniques and are ready for some truly meaningful art making which requires research, planning and presentation. I would like to incorporate more of these types of lessons, and would like to tighten up the method I teach it. I need to incorporate more formative assessment and opportunities for presentation.