Education: A Vehicle for Maintaining the Status Quo and Force for Social Change - Essay Example

Download file to see previous pages... Critical pedagogy is basically concerned with comprehending the relationship between knowledge and power. Knowledge is totally rooted in power relations and also socially constructed according to critical pedagogy. It asks why and how knowledge is constructed the manner it does and the reason why some reality constructions are justified by the dominant culture while other construction are not. Critical pedagogy inquires about the social meanings of knowledge (Windschitl & Joseph 2000). According to the critical pedagogy perspective, the people in high status and power are normally at the top of society and have power over the rest of the society and education is used to perpetuate this. Critical pedagogy focuses on the function that school play in up keeping societal social stratification and the chance for social change through the academic institutions. Progressive teachers adopt this approach to get rid of disparities on the basis of social class (Texeira 2001). In some societies, the critical pedagogy perspective is applicable and education is used by those in power to maintain status quo and bring about social change. The approach brought about a wide range of anti-racist, anti-homophobic, and anti-sexist policy initiatives and classroom based curricula, which indicate that education was used as a tool for maintaining status quo and discriminating certain groups in the society. Critical pedagogy focuses on the most important and forth knowledge. It also enquires on the knowledge that should be taught and the way the school structure contribute to the social stratification in the society. The purpose of school and its role in guaranteeing democracy and maintaining status quo and supporting big business is also examined in critical pedagogy. Shor (1992) argued that when curricular policy and pedagogy mirror democratic goals, educators accomplish what education can because they use desocialization to counter socialization; they pick critical perception over commercial perception; they favor societal transformation over inequality reproduction; they study authoritarianism and endorse democracy through practicing it; they also challenge withdrawal of students using participatory courses; they shed light on the myths that support the privileged societal hierarchy; they hamper with the pedagogic disabling of scholars using a significant literacy program; they raise attentiveness about the language and thought that is articulated in daily life; they distribute censored information and research skills which is important for investigating policy and power in the society; they also request students to think socially on their conditions and to think about overcoming limits. In any level of schooling, teachers of education curriculum or programs have to reflect on promoting equality in the society. Shor (1992) argued that once people accept the role of education as challenging myths and inequality as opposed to socializing students into their status quo, they will have a base required to formulate practical methods. There is a need to embrace critical pedagogy raising awareness and societal critique (Acker 1988). This approach values the voices of students, honors the needs of students, and also individuality which allow students to be really participatory society members who can create and re-create the society in addition to belonging to the society; this ...Download file to see next pagesRead More