Final paper

CRITICAL PEDAGOGY: A CRUCIAL TOOL TO EMPOWER STUDENTS TO CHANGE THE WORLD

If we do a search through the internet about the Colombian educational model, we will find things like this: The Colombian educational model was designed, to educate people with values and principles. That sounds interesting under any point of view does it not?  In addition, since we are kids, we are told that we go to schools and universities to acquire knowledge. Events such as these become something very important for life. This fact however, is not completely true. Due to the fact that, we live in a globalized world which has been modified over the years in different areas according to the particular interests of a group of people that represent oligarchies and manipulate several things in the country. That is why I am sure that critical pedagogy is the path to put an end to the indoctrination in which we have grown and have become submissive workers without consciousness about our capacities as human beings.

               From the first day that we set foot in a school building, we are smarter, more curious, less afraid of what we do not know. We may even become better at finding and figuring things out, more confident, resourceful, persistent and independent than we will ever be again through our schooling. It is very unfortunate as, in schools, we find teachers that sit us in desks and teach us a set of rules which make us feel like we were a blank sheet for other people to write on or a clean slate.

 As Mr. Giroux mentions in his lecture titled (Where is the outrage Critical Pedagogy in Dark times) “…there is a strong necessity to recall the real role of education, the traditional way has indoctrinated us, becoming us passive individuals in a society which needs people who are able to mobilize and make a big change in the society…”

Moreover, all this is shaping an issue that is misleading people and getting them out from the real function and meaning of what education should be. Schools were not only created with the purpose to teach to children what they need to know. They are also used to provide spaces where individuals feel free and develop their personality and their culture and political viewpoints, an advance form of the Ancient Greek Gymnasium. There, at the beginning, children attended public elementary school in order to get knowledge about the universe.

Later on, in higher levels of the Gymnasium, teenagers were expected to search schools in non-public places. In these places teenagers would debate and discuss their knowledge with peers or tutors. Therefore, all of this was done because of an ideal political and cultural state where men were able to participate in a country's decisions (Democracy).

Nonetheless, in Colombia, the situation presented previously does not happen neither in school or in higher education. On one hand, since the very beginning of the educational process, schools and universities begin to train students to become competitive in the working market. On many occasions they are not conscious about that because we have the same ideal in our mind because it has been sold to us through TV channels and papers. On the other hand, schools or universities do not pretend or have as a priority, the task of educating political subjects who seek to overthrow the oppressive class from power and encourage people to take control of the country and make the right decisions.

As Marx portrait cited by Peter McLaren in his book (Critical pedagogy a look at the major concepts) “schooling simply reproduces class relations and passively indoctrinates people into becoming competitive for the work market and become capitalists” (p.62)

Regardless of these issues, that have been happening in the educational system, there have been noticeable and permanent effects on the teachers’ role. For instance, when we turn schools into mere work or a business, we are taking away the intellectual role that the teacher has in the classroom and making them just instructors. The teachers' role is something above, more crucial than simply transmitting knowledge. Their mission and sole purpose is to build a conscious and a critical person who can think in the society through pedagogy. Thinking is referred to the action to propose and improve the reality or solve a problem. So, as big companies change the educational purpose of schools, teachers' actions become obsolete and their place can be occupied by anyone, even when they may not be the most apt for teaching.

In most of the cases, students have felt oppressed in the classroom by some teachers and the curricular tasks that they have to carry out. Teachers are seen as the person who holds the truth, knowledge and the authority in the class. Students just have to listen and take notes. What’s more, they have to memorize and regurgitate information without having the chance to give their ideas or opinions. Ideas which will ultimately never be discovered as they were nipped in the bud. In order to put an end to this matter, future teachers will have to promote democracy in their classes. Doing this the teacher will start to make a change in their community and also society because having a democratic class means empowering students to express their ideas and opinions. Moreover, the students and the teacher can construct knowledge together, not through conflict or opposition but through a joint effort that sees them as equals. As a result of this teachers will have individuals with critical thought; Thus, achieving their original purpose.

                I cannot believe my eyes, that here in Colombia, we have got some part of the population who were indoctrinate really well, almost as if they were drones. They had been indoctrinated to the extent that they feel proud and happy because they support certain political party. Parties and groups in which all people that integrate that party have power, privileges and have been involved in scandals related to corruption. Sadly, these people feel delighted to be part of the process.  Furthermore, they don’t accept that other people who do not support the same political party. It is not uncommon that the opposing side makes “negative comments” and in some cases rightfully critique them. If the bad political apples hear something bad related to the part, they immediately get mad and argue with the person or take what was said as a fallacy or slander. This whole scenario becomes a giant political circus, full of clowns. The only problem is that these clowns’ jokes aren't amusing. In some cases, they have even ended up fighting.  For me, it is something really crazy, taking into account the social status of the majority of the people that support these political parties.

Since we are kids we have been told by our parents and some teachers, that in the world the truth has been told. Furthermore, that there is not point put a doubt over the truth, we must be good and have blind faith. In addition to this, we have got the media also, promote this idea that make us forget who we are.

I must admit however, that the transition we must go through, the one needed to become social animals, is crucial to fit into society. Schools are the first stepping stone toward a “society”. We need norms, laws, regulations, decrees and so on, to be proper law-abiding citizens. For a society to function as such, we need enforcers of regulations and many teachers are just that. Maybe deep down they mean well, teachers hold their students’ best interests and only hold such structures in mind to prevent chaos from appearing and wreaking havoc in the classroom. It is better to keep quiet and behaved in class than rowdy and opinionated in a jail cell.

 As Peter McLaren (2003) says “knowledge is a social construction, the product of an agreement between individuals who live out particular social relations” (p.63). however, in Colombia almost everything seems to carry out the other way around. Despite of the fact, that almost all the population lives out the same social relations, we are filled with productive knowledge. This undoubtedly makes us live out through too much inequality, and it seems as if nobody matters. That is why we have citizens whose are not able to see what is behind or beyond an issue. They are just right there to unknowingly support and obey orders given by the oppressors. What would happen if we as teachers got rid of the roots of the traditional model of education and started to teach students emancipatory knowledge? And what is emancipatory knowledge?

 This knowledge can be defined as self-knowledge or self-reflection. This involves interest in the way one's history and biography has expressed itself in the way one sees oneself. S person's point of view shapes their roles and social expectations. Moreover, this kind of knowledge is gained by self-emancipation through reflection leading to a transformed consciousness or perspective transformation. According to Habermas. It will help us to create the conditions under which irrationally domination and oppression can be overcome and transformed through deliberative and collective action.

The implementation of critical pedagogy is essential to the development of our society. We as future teachers have an important role of change the way of students see the things that happen around them, we need to create new strategies in order to involve the learners in activities, where they should break down the barriers of thinking. Leaving aside the traditional parameters that focus in memorize and dominated instruction. Designing an education based on the using their imagination and learning of diverse topics politics, scientific, technical, and cultural that encourage them to take part in social issues that transform the world.

I would like to expand on one last thing, despite of the fact that here in Colombia we have been immersed in an indoctrinated environment, which has done much prejudice to people. So far nothing has been done to abolish this issue. It is a kind of legacy that has been transmitted for generations, almost resembling a tradition. In addition to this, the educational field has an enormous influence on politics that have oppressed the development of education in Colombia. The contents that are taught in the schools are the ones that people who have the power want taught. But if we as teachers teach our students using critical pedagogy, we empower students to change the world. Because teachers have a significant role to emancipate students to have the need to think critically, dialogue about social issues or relevant topics that are in their surroundings.

Reference list

Giroux, H. (2019). Henry Giroux: Where is the Outrage? Critical Pedagogy in Dark Times. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAxj87RRtsc

Holt, J. (2019). School Is Bad for Children by John Holt. Rougeforum.org. Available at: https://www.rougeforum.org/newspaper/winter2003/HoltJohn1969.htm

McLaren, P. (2002). Critical pedagogy: A look at the major concepts. In Antonia Darder et al. (Eds.), The critical pedagogy reader (pp. 69-96). New York and London.

Tristan, J., & Giroux, H. (2019). Henry Giroux: The Necessity of Critical Pedagogy in Dark

Times. Retrieved from  https://truthout.org/articles/a-critical-interview-with-henry-giroux/