I really like your perspective about how critical pedagogy may be the “next step” after cultivating “mindful learning” and “inclusive pedagogies.” As a new teacher myself, I also find it intimidating to think immediately about being a critical pedagogue, particularly in consideration of the real-life constraints placed on graduate students and non-tenured faculty members like the need to complete coursework and publish, large course loads, lack of departmental support, etc. I think that although critical pedagogy may seem intimidating / overwhelming at first, to discuss it is a great initial step! Nice post!
Great post — love the title! I really like the graphic your group came up with! The emphasis on “radical openness” and “curiosity” really struck me. My group did not explicitly talk about those components of critical pedagogy, but I love them! It is so refreshing to think about how we could help our students become life-long learners through curiosity and, well, just darn good people, via a commitment to fighting oppression and cultivating “radical openness.” Awesome work, y’all!
Thanks Carlisle,
I appreciate the feedback. Yes, these stories about place are so interesting, but largely unknown to the mainstream. I guess I’m so attracted to it because these are the stories that we as a society need to hear the most, and they’re often part of the ugly underbelly of society.
I love how landscape architects are positioned to engage with a place and it’s people while also guiding students in these community based methodologies. For a long time I think my discipline has been practicing parts of critical and inclusive pedagogy, but without calling it that. I am excited about the direction my field is going!
Hi Zellie,
Thanks for sharing the reflection on grades and grading. I, too, find myself going back and forth about it. I really want for my students to care about learning new things–not worrying about maintaining their perfect GPA’s (although I’ve been there before!)
I think we all go back and forth on what to do about grades. Students have to have them, but what’s the best way to do it? This will be a question that might burn for eternity! Kudos to you for continuing to think about it and find meaning in what you will do as an educator.
Hi Seungbee,
I think you are not the only one who had these feelings when they first discovered Critical Pedagogy. I had a similar experience as you. For me, it was like I had a flashback to every classroom experience in my academic history and I knew in an instant which teachers were and weren’t “with it” on critical pedagogy or contemporary practices.
Yes, though Freire teaches us that it is our job to cultivate “critical consciousness” in our students, which is that “maybe not” thinking/feeling that you describe in your conclusions, I have to agree that at first it sounds like a very daunting job. Yes, it may be difficult to think about how you will teach critical pedagogy to your students, but the first step is learning for yourself (so you’re already well on your way!) The next is to create an classroom environment that encourages and rewards students for their questions, contributions, and discussions–it won’t happen over night, but you certainly can do it over weeks and months working with your students and developing relationships with them. It’s great that you are taking time now to reflect on how critical pedagogy will impact how you teach in the future. You will make it!
Hi Khushboo,
I think this is a great reflection on critical pedagogy. With most things, it can be difficult to know where to start or how to begin when concepts are new. BUT, I would say that a great place that ALL of us can start from is one where we aren’t afraid to admit we don’t know everything. As soon as we say those words to our students, we remove the wall that separates the teacher from the students. In that moment, we open up with an invitation to be the “learning community” that we’ve been talking about all semester. Those words also show the student that their questions and observations are welcome, so they will be more engaged with the course–because they immediately know that “we’re all in this together.” Critical pedagogy may seem difficult because it can feel like a lot of responsibility–and it is–BUT, the work is so worth it! I think you are smart to spend time figuring out what critical pedagogy will mean for you as an educator–what we do in our classrooms has direct impacts on society.
I like where you are talking about the need for critical pedagogy to be introduced to students earlier in their academic careers. I agree. That would be great, but I wonder if maturity doesn't have a lot to do with why it is that we don't actually (typically?) see critical pedagogy until the graduate level. Graduate school certainly isn't too late, but it's not ideal for an adult to spend years of adulthood not knowing. I think that we should be prepared to introduce critical pedagogy to our students (at the very least a version as it applies to our disciplines, embedded in the pedagogy and course content), because if they haven't seen it before now, it's up to us to make sure they don't spend another day in the dark.
I liked your comments about the role of a teacher: “I believe that the role of the teacher is to facilitate and enable the conversation to take place among peers, establishing norms for dialogue, and re-examining assumptions through prompts.”
This sentence is a great way to conceptualize how a teacher must both teach (by setting standards and guide the classroom) and yet avoid the pitfalls of banking education (by allowing students to engage in conversations and peer-to-peer dialogue).
Thanks Table 4! This looks really cool but I can’t figure out how to open the image and zoom in to be able to read each note. I hope we discuss your ideas in class tonight.
