When students think about higher education, the inner workings of their school hardly produce much thought. When examining the pedagogical practices of higher education, an understanding of their importance emerges. In the article, “Rethinking Education as the Practice of Freedom: Paulo Freire and the promise of critical pedagogy” Henry Giroux recalls his past conversations with Paulo Freire on critical pedagogy and its place in education. According to Giroux, Freire thought of education as “a project of freedom” as well as political, since it “offered students the conditions for self-reflection, a self-managed life, and particular notions of critical agency”. The importance of critical pedagogy in higher education is clear from this information: without critical thinking, self-reflection, or self-managing skills, a student is less likely to succeed after school. The significance of human agency in higher education is its ability to influence critical and moral judgement. These choices being made not only affect the self, but are influential to the world as well. Freire believed that these “radical elements of democracy” were “worth struggling for” because he understood the importance of a higher education and the risks associated with not teaching critical pedagogy in schools.
Critical pedagogy promotes student to become politically aware of the world around them as well as become a part of their community. In the article, “What Is Critical Digital Pedagogy, and Why Does Higher Ed Need It?” Jeffrey Young interviews director of teaching and learning technologies at the University of Mary Washington, Jesse Strommel, about her views on critical pedagogy in education. Strommel explains the importance of critical pedagogy helps teachers to “think about…who students are, and about the sort of communities that they live in”. She then makes the point that students should not be seen as “bodies in a classroom” but instead viewed as people who “actually engage with the world”. Freire also believed it was important for students to “expand the capacities necessary for human agency” which persuades them to make their own choices and to impose these choices on the world (Giroux). By becoming a part of their community and acknowledging their heritage, critical pedagogy allows students to analyze and challenge the act of domination and the beliefs and practices which dominate them.
Examining Freire’s ideas on critical pedagogy again, I would now agree and disagree with his views on the importance of higher education. Freire rejected the economic model of education, and I agree that education should be free. Sure, the skills I learn will be useful in society and benefit me outside of school, but will they ensure me a job? I think not. Pedagogy does create a deeper understanding of the world around us, but is it not possible to learn these skills ourselves without the assistance of a teacher? Why should I go into debt when I can gather this knowledge myself by conducting research on the internet? While I do agree that being able to think critically is an important tool, I fail to see the importance of spending insane amounts of money on an education that does not guarantee me a job in the future. After many job interviews I can assure anyone that they care little of where I have attended school, or what my pursuits are, but on what skills and knowledge I can provide to the company. While it is possible to learn these skills in school, a lot of these skills require my own practice and research outside of the classroom. Confidence is one of the most important tools I have used when applying for a job, and they do not teach that to you in schools. Freire believed that it was important for students to be able to make their own choices in the world and contribute to their society, but the world has lost sight of this importance and I feel it no longer an important aspect of higher education. Most of these students are not attending for the promised knowledge they will receive or to make a difference in their community, but to get a better paycheck than what those without a diploma are offered. Most of us, especially myself, will remain in debt for the rest of our lives because we will continue to work in jobs that barely pay our bills. So, I ask, is higher education truly worth it?
Works Cited
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.2304/pfie.2010.8.6.715
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