Reflection 4: Our Critical Pedagogy Approach to High School

Critical pedagogy is an approach to education that challenges the current banking method and encourages students to question what they are being taught, and be active participants in the learning exchange between teacher and student. It encourages the recognition of how knowledge and power are intertwined in education, and emphasizes recognition of the student voice. After reviewing Paulo Freire’s theories on education and criticism of the banking method, as a class we participated in an activity where we designed our ideal high school using a critical pedagogy approach.

In class we examined the current educational system and the heavy emphasis on the banking method of education, which oppresses students and discourages critical thinking. We then brainstormed ideas and took a critical pedagogy approach to determining what our ideal high school would encompass in terms of curriculum, teaching styles, and infrastructure. We focused on attributes that enhance student participation and decrease oppression in schools.  This activity itself served as an example of critical pedagogy in terms of teaching styles where we as students were asked our opinions and ideas on what the ideal high school should be like. As well as that the professor served as a facilitator of the students brainstorming their ideas rather than a dictator of the information. This activity had us as students, drawing on our experiences within the educational system in order to determine what might work better. The activity was interactive, with each student able to participate. It also drew on different types of learning with the pictures that were drawn on the board to represent different attributes, which helps students who are visual learners. The professor determined the topic of the activity, but the students determined the information that was compiled to create the final product. This activity served to challenge the accepted design of educational systems and to question what is assumed to be working. It prompted students to examine what they have been taught and to investigate whether improvements could or should be made.

            As a class we compiled the components of our ideal high school using a critical pedagogy approach to curriculum, teaching methods, and infrastructure.  We compiled our ideas on curriculum such as the idea that curriculum should be decided upon by community members, parents, and students, as well as educational professionals, so as to include topics that are considered valuable to each group. We also decided the curriculum should include more diverse cultural and ethnic history to include minorities and so that students can identify with the material and apply their own unique history in their work. Individualized learning plans would recognize students’ individual strengths and reward these in their grades, as well as giving the student more control over the outcome of the class and which activities are most valuable to them.

            Teaching methods that we determined were needed in the ideal critical pedagogy high school were more hands on learning opportunities, so students can relate the subject matter to real-life situations. Also we decided as a class that using technology more in the classroom and as communication tools between student and teachers would be beneficial. If students were able to electronically connect with their classmates and teachers on assignments, it would allow for more frequent communication and quicker addressing of questions. We determined that teachers should outline the topics, but spend as much time addressing students interests and questions as needed to ensure topics are understood. Students should be encouraged to lead discussions, question information, and lend personal experience to the subject matter. We discussed that teachers should not create an atmosphere in which they are the boss and that students do not have their own knowledge to contribute, but be approachable and open to learning from the students as well as teaching them. In our ideal high school, teachers would ensure assignments encompass a variety of learning styles and skills so that a student has opportunities to develop other skills, while being rewarded in the areas that they do well in already.

The infrastructure of our ideal high school included classrooms organized in a circular form, allowing for more interaction within the school. Also we decided class rooms should be grouped based on subject rather than grade level, to encourage learning from others with different experience levels. We decided that circular organization of seating in the classroom without desks as barriers would encourage participation by students and encourage questions. This could also create a more equal atmosphere where the teacher is not necessarily at the head of the class addressing the students and commanding their undivided attention. Outdoor classrooms would enhance hands on learning and physical fitness components of education in our high school.

Our ideal high school would be a highly interactive environment that emphasize student experiences and knowledge, and recognizes and values individual learning through curriculum, teaching methods, and infrastructure. The activity of designing our own ideal school based on a critical pedagogy approach was itself, an example of critical pedagogy in the educational system. By allowing students to be an active part of their learning process, and recognizing their own backgrounds in the material, students are able to create new ideas, challenge existing views, and learn more than they are allowed to in the current banking method of education.  They would no longer be seen as empty vessels for the teacher to deposit information until it is time for the information to be withdrawn and reiterated on tests, but be able to use their existing knowledge, recognize it’s value, and apply it to new situations.