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, I would agree that my views are in align with his. For instance, I strongly believe in the importance of being able to critical think about the world around myself, and the knowledge I have accumulated has already benefited me inside and outside of school. Learning these skills in school have helped me to make more informed decisions in my life. I agree that critical pedagogy helps create a deeper understanding of power and politics. It promotes a healthy skepticism and impresses critical analysis and common sense in order to build an understanding of the world. According to Giroux, Freire was aware that critical pedagogy was “dangerous” to “ideological fundamentalists, the ruling elites, religious extremists, and right-wing nationalists” and it is easy to see why. Without this critical knowledge, students would most likely remain ignorant and detached from issues that greatly impact them. This is why I support the ideas of critical pedagogy, because it allows for social change and evolves the way we think about topics, such as politics, and how these topics relate to the type of world in which we desire to live in.
Works Cited
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.2304/pfie.2010.8.6.715
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