Thanks for a great prelude to Thanksgiving Break. I enjoy our time together (whether on the screen or in person) and I am proud of the connections and sense of community we have gained over our time together thus far. Thanks to Giselle for a thoughtful engagement with the seminal work of Paulo Freire. I am glad we made this stop on our reading roster, as his ideas are so formative to any discussion of equity in education.
“The oppressed, instead of striving for liberation, tend themselves to become oppressors.”
We took the moment to consider education as a practice of freedom versus education as a practice of domination. Paulo Freire is one of the most important critical educators of the twentieth century, and he is considered one of the founders of “critical pedagogy”. He envisions an approach to education that aims to transform oppressive structures by engaging people who have been marginalized and dehumanized and drawing on what they already know. “Education either functions as an instrument which is used to facilitate integration of the younger generation into the logic of the present system and bring about conformity or it becomes the practice of freedom, the means by which men and women deal critically and creatively with reality and discover how to participate in the transformation of their world.” Giselle presented the material from his first chapter with an eye towards our own teaching and learning experiences. How can we imagine a pathway to freedom when confronted with the profound complicity of an educational system that perpetuates the oppressive elements of society itself? Freire believes that part of the purpose of education is to help children develop the ability “to ask good questions.” Teachers are at the frontlines of this struggle to open up a critical eye to the world, guiding new generations to think in complex and dynamic ways in response to a world foreclosed. It is through this ability to think critically that education can help guide us in our journey towards liberation and freedom.
Jump starting your Final Group Project
The final group project is purposely left open for your collective determination. We began the process of identifying a plan for this project with in-class workshopping. And we will continue the work through writing reflections, in-class negotiations, and by building up to a consensus about what matters most to all of you as a small group.
Some key dates for the remainder of the class:
11/22: Workshop #1 (second half of class)
11/29: Workshop #2 (second half of class)
12/6: Workshop #3 (second half of class)
12/13 Workshop #4 (the entire class period)
12/20: NO CLASS. Submission deadline for the group project and the completion our ENG 5020 work – Self-Assessment & Class Portfolios
Your to-do list for 11/29:
Read for next week Ricki’s selection: Bad Ideas About Writing – edited by Cheryl Ball and Drew Lowe (pgs. 333-364)
Blog #10 Due: A reflection post on Ricki’s reading selection above. In addition, please include your early thoughts on the Group Project – what specific ideas are emerging for you? Be specific as possible.
