Critical Pedagogy presentation of john gunn

Summary Notes

ADED 7656 Spring 2014

Why is anyone disadvantaged? Can/should we confront and try to change the disadvantages? JRG0028 at auburn.edu or 334.863.0933 for more information, comments, critiques Critical pedagogy (although its tough to nail down) means Henry Giroux, critical pedagogy begins with the assumption that knowledge and power should always be subject to debate, held accountable, and critically engaged.(H.A. Giroux, 2011, p. 145) Use Antonio Gramscis broad definition of intellectuals Gramsci wrote of 'traditional' and 'organic' intellectuals, with the former being more inclined toward the power structures and generally more likely to be formally educated and credentialed. The organic intellectual would usually be more in accordance with the interests of the working class or proletariat. (Mayo, 2008, pp. 425-426) Is why and how a person becomes disadvantaged not appropriate to question? Prisoners <> Prison-Industrial complex, economy, race Veterans <> War, empire, imperialism Poverty <> Power & privilege Homeless <> Wealth concentration, capitalism, banking meltdown in 2007-08 ESL <> immigration policy, exploitation, colonialism Chronic illness <> Health care as a right, disparities of treatment

An important concept for many in the critical pedagogy camp, certainly Giroux, is education about and resistance to neoliberalism. (Henry A. Giroux, 2011) Critical Pedagogy may seem (is?) controversial or dangerous to some people and interests. Even with the Cold War over, aspects of the Red Scare survive. Proceed with critical pedagogy at your own peril. Then again, one possible way to respond to criticism is to ask critics to investigate the building out of the counter-intelligentsia in recent decades. There is no dispute that active efforts at universities and various think tanks exist to advance corporate libertarianism. One such example is the Manuel H. Johnson Center for Political Economy at Troy University. See also Schools Find Ayn Rand Cant Be Shrugged as Donors Build Courses from Bloomberg reporters Seth Lubove and Oliver Staley.

Critical Pedagogy is somewhat relevant to Critical Theory The Frankfurt School (its just a label to the theory rather than the actual name!) or the Institute for Social Research Max Horkheimer, Erich Fromm and Herbert Marcuse were among early voices

Jrgen Habermas and the public sphere His ideas around deliberative discourse can be linked to critical pedagogy. Critical Theory was born in Germanys turmoil with the Cold War to soon ollow Critics of how Soviet system applied Marxism but also critical of the West Marcuses One-Dimensional Man published in late 1960s was a significant text for many in the New Left. Mancuse, however, has resisted being labeled in connection with the group. I would submit the power or success of the New Left was quite limited. Despite this limited change, business interested responded and redoubled their efforts at influencing media, the law, colleges, etc. The best example of this might be the Powell Memo.

Antonio Gramsci > Neo-Gramscian viewpoints are among foundations of Critical Pedagogy Paulo Freire The Undisputed Father of Critical Pedagogy Paulo Freire Institute at UCLA Freire Institute at UCLa (UK)

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. Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed Henry Giroux of McMaster College, Ontario, Canada. Twitter feed @HenryGiroux Girouxs recent interview with Bill Moyers is highly recommended, even thought it is just over 40 minutes long. Additionally or alternatively, his popular writings via Truthout are worth a visit. Other critical pedagogy voices Gloria Jean Watkins pen name bell hooks writes and speaks on feminism and race Michael Apple of the University of Wisconsin, Madison has a focus on K-12 curriculum Peter McLaren of Chapman College in Orange, California and also UCLA is an extremely provocative scholar in the critical pedagogy camp. An example follows:

Contrast Venezuela to the NEA and the AFT teachers unions in the United States, who overwhelmingly accept neoliberalisms definition of democracy and view the world of learning and knowledge production through the eyes of U.S. capitalism (they largely betray the interests of the teachers whom they purport to serve and are happy to collaborate with those leading the charterization efforts currently destroying public education, as long as they get to represent the teachers, i.e., collect union dues). (McLaren, 2011, pp. 377-378) Critical Pedagogy rejects merely banking education (A Freireian term) but its much more

than mere constructivism Critical Pedagogy has an anti-establishment, non-technocratic flavor Girouxs hidden curriculum <> hegemony is never simply domination imposed from above. Instead, it is maintained through the winning of the consent of subordinate groups by the dominant one(s). A major means for winning this consensus involves the universalizing of the dominant groups interests as the interests of society as a whole. (Jay, 2003, p. 7) The hidden curriculum is similar to Noam Chomsky and Herman Edwards propaganda model. In this model, five filters limit what the media chooses to cover and also how news is reported. (Goodwin, 1994)

Critical pedagogy resources for educators Rethinking Schools (K-12 emphasis) American Association of University Professors (AAUP) Auburn University chapter Funding possibly a non-profit path yet top-down vs. bottom up concerns might intrude. Gramsci would probably err on the side of the subaltern (the disposed) if faced with the choice between whether the organic and traditional intellectual would lead. (Reed, 2013) Sustainability of effort matters. Allies and muses Im unaware of purely professional association geared towards critical pedagogy but informal groups exist (dont forget social media) Information o Libraries Public nature fits nicely into critical pedagogy o Alt media like http://www.truthdig.com/ or http://www.alternet.org/ or http://www.propublica.org/ or o Select blogs/feeds from public intellectuals Dont forget educational foundations, the discipline youre teaching, etc. (Bamber & Crowther, 2012)

Conclusion and follow up on critical pedagogy Theory seems somewhat cobbled together, at times over-wrought, to even this CP fan Controversy > risk to practitioners of CP Transmission vs. constructivism debate Motivation via critical pedagogy may be a way to work through alienation as described by Marx. (Martin, 2008)

Bamber, J., & Crowther, J. (2012). Speaking Habermas to Gramsci: Implications for the Vocational Preparation of Community Educators. Studies in Philosophy & Education, 31(2), 183-197. Giroux, H. A. (2011). Neoliberalism and the death of the social state: remembering Walter Benjamin's Angel of History. Social Identities, 17(4), 587-601. Giroux, H. A. (2011). On Critical Pedagogy: Continuum International Publishing.

Goodwin, J. (1994). What's Right (and Wrong) About Left Media Criticism? Herman and Chomsky's Propaganda Model. Sociological Forum, 9(1), 101. Jay, M. (2003). Critical Race Theory, Multicultural Education, and the Hidden Curriculum of Hegemony. Multicultural Perspectives, 5(4), 3-9. Martin, J. (2008). Pedagogy of the Alienated: Can Freirian Teaching Reach Working-Class Students? Equity & Excellence in Education, 41(1), 31-44. Mayo, P. (2008). Antonio Gramsci and his Relevance for the Education of Adults. Educational Philosophy & Theory, 40(3), 418-435. McLaren, P. (2011). The Death Rattle of the American Mind: A Call for Pedagogical Outlawry. Cultural Studies - Critical Methodologies, 11(4), 373-385. Reed, J.-P. (2013). Theorist of Subaltern Subjectivity: Antonio Gramsci, Popular Beliefs, Political Passion, and Reciprocal Learning. Critical Sociology, 39(4), 561-591.