Ann George's article called "Critical Pedagogy: Dreaming of Democracy" invited me to look back on my days as an undergraduate.
I learned a great deal about critical pedagogy through my coursework in educational theory and policy. Specifically, George's commentary on Kozol's "Illiterate America" make me think about the function of public education, and how the history of education might support his argument.
Today, we still see a manifest pattern of upward social mobility among the upper-classes and downward social mobility among the lower-classes. I use upper and lower-classes here to avoid the confusion in our reading based on the oppressed and the oppressor.
How much of an effect does this social mobility have on the quality of education for these groups? Historically, professional education (in a broad sense) was limited to the upper-classes. Still, some of the lower and working-class citizens utilized apprenticeship programs and trades skills in an attempt to travel up the ladder of social mobility.
According to Kozol, and Shor to an extent, these practices remain with us today in primary, secondary, technical schools, and community colleges. Many students are led to believe that hands on practical experience leads to success in the future. This idea generates a few questions worth considering:
1. What is success? Does it mean something different to each person?
2. Do these programs and institutions produce "a large pool of skilled workers for a shrinking number of increasingly deskilled jobs?" (George 95). Is this really the problem, or should we consider the value of these professions in our society at large?
3. What role (if any) does meritocracy play in the educational outcome?
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1 comment:
Kia ora from New Zealand, Justin,
I just found your blog through my Google Alerts for Critical Theory and Critical Pedagogy. Well done. I have enjoyed both your blog nand Jessica's. It's good to see that young people are grappling with these ideas still...I think that you may enjoy my own website – which you are free to use as a resource. It covers issues such as:
Critical Theory
Critical Theorists
Critical Practice (Praxis)
Critical Pedagogy
Critical Education Theory
Colonisation
Postcolonialism
Postmodernism
Indigenous Studies
Critical Psychology
Cultural Studies
Critical Aesthetics
Hegemony,
Academic Programme Development
Sustainable Design
Critical Design etc. etc.
The website at: http://www.TonyWardEdu.com contains more than 60 (absolutely free) downloadable and fully illustrated PDFs on all of these topics and more offered to students from the primer level, up to PhD. It also has a set of extensive bibliographies and related web links in all of these areas.
Have a look at it and perhaps bring it to the attention of your friends and colleagues for them to use as a resource.
There is no catch!
It’s just that I an retired and want to pass on the knowledge and experience acquired (after forty years of teaching at Universities "against the grain"). All that I ask in return, is that you and they let me know what you think about the website and cite me for any material that may be downloaded and/or used.
I would also appreciate a link to my site from your own so that others may come to know about it and use it.
Many thanks and best wishes
Dr. Tony Ward Dip.Arch. (Birm)
Academic Programme, Tertiary Education and Sustainable Design Consultant
(Ph) (07) 307 2245
(m) 027 22 66 563
(e) tonyward.transform@xtra.co.nz
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