Paulo Freire - Critical Pedagogy

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Critical Pedagogy

  • The quote, "transform the curriculum so that it does not reflect biases or reinforce systems of domination", stood out to me. Up until I started teaching, I didn't realize how biased curriculum and better yet, how biased Standardized Testing could be. The SAT uses vocabulary that is biased and full of dominance. The Standards in the NGSS are also biased. The Summit Learning Platform we use is biased. All these things have been written for privileged white students, not the students I teach. I am constantly trying to find ways that my students can fit into these curriculum and systems. Shouldn't it be the other way around! Where is the curriculum for my students. When I use these biases systems, the deficit model is the outcome... which is very upsetting.. This needs to change! 
  • Banking Education is exactly how I was taught when I was a student. Now as a teacher, I never teach the way I was taught. At first this adjustment was difficult, my instinct was to just spend my time having my students sit and take notes. We do what we have experienced. Does this mean that my students will be better teachers than we are-- probably!  
  • In the video this quote was said, "reflect on day to day occurrences and reflect, act and change what is not working or advantageous for people in society".  I find this idea very interesting because right now, as part of my students education is to reflect on their work, decide what is going well and what isn't, and then make helpful changes. This idea is clearly not only useful in school but needed for success in the "real world". 

Comments

  1. UnknownMarch 27, 2018 at 11:22 AM

    Hi Ellie,
    Thanks for bringing up an important issue that affects students in various ways: The SAT. I also think that the SAT is biased, and that is designed for the group of students the school system expects to succeed. In the other hand, students with learning disabilities or English learners most of the time don't do well in these tests. This leads me to question : How are we giving every student a chance to succeed, if a test such as the SAT, which is necessary to enter college is biased and full of dominance? Clearly, this needs to be change or we must ensure that every student receives the support needed to do well in the test.

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