Critical Pedagogy and its Implication in the Classroom

Abstract

One of the most significant goals of teaching is to promote the critical thinking capability of students and thus, to create good citizens for a just society. Classroom teaching must also awaken the values of justice and equality in student minds. Critical pedagogy is a vital teaching strategy, one designed to strengthen the awareness of learners about justice and social equality, while improving their knowledge. Teachers today are busy in the classroom; they prepare the student for high stakes testing and, in the process, work to save the school from closing. As a result, teaching is most often test-oriented rather than knowledge-centered. This paper aims to provide a few examples of how several teachers use critical strategies in the classroom and how these teaching methods affect student thinking and learning positively. Lastly, the paper argues that classroom teachers should employ critical pedagogy in the classroom to prepare students to gain critical thinking skills and to help create a just society.