In Curriculum Development and Evaluation, we have been discussing critical pedagogy, especially the writings of Henry Giroux, Paulo Freire, Peter McLaren, and Maxine Greene. Paulo Freire often refers to the oppressed masses in Brazil because of their illiteracy. By teaching the Brazilian peasants to read, they are no longer oppressed. This has caused me to think about what constitutes oppression. Maxine Greene (1986) says, “his (Freire’s) social vision is not that of our particular democracy. This is not intended as criticism, but as a reminder that a critical pedagogy relevant to the United States today must go beyond – calling on different memories, repossessing another history.” Oppression because of a lack of literacy does not occur in the United States. However, are students oppressed because they do not know calculus or chemistry? How about music? Am I oppressed because I do not know everything? Where is the line drawn between oppression and liberation?
1 Comments:
I think the main form of oppression that we, as teachers, should be aware of is hegemony in the classroom. I think in our advanced society, it is those kind of underhanded and often hard to see actions that effect and oppress us the most. We should also give our students the tools to stand up for themselves and recognize the truth of what is happening in every day life.
Post a Comment
<< Home