Article translated from Periódico Educación
When we talk about criticism in education, we can have different images come to mind. On the one hand, we might understand that implementing critical pedagogy involves the exercise of criticizing, emphasizing negatively everything related to education. However, critical pedagogy does not correspond to this conception. Critical pedagogy aims to understand the reality of education and drive educational and social transformation through actions that seek to improve outcomes and the lives of the people receiving that education. It promotes education that fosters a true critical spirit in society.
Paulo Freire, with his dialogical action and Pedagogy of the Oppressed, and Ramón Flecha, with Sharing Words and Dialogic Society, aimed to transform and advance society through education, contributing to practices that have improved reality in all types of contexts.
In Recife, Freire created and implemented a literacy program with excellent results. Ferrer and Guardia’s modern school has received unanimous historical recognition for its benefits. Santiniketan, Rabindranath Tagore’s school, which produced great students such as Amartya Sen, also achieved significant social impacts through education. Horton founded Highlander, a school that had illustrious students who drove major transformations, like Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King. The Learning Communities project, which emerged in the late 1970s in La Verneda, has driven this transformation, replicated in thousands of schools worldwide. Its driving force is the improvement of results and equal dialogue among diverse individuals (teachers, students, researchers, families), which has only strengthened the will that defines critical pedagogy: the pursuit of better academic, social, and emotional outcomes for everyone.
There is a clear danger posed by those who use the label of “critical pedagogy” solely for selfishness, protagonism, and personal gain. Research has provided us with criteria that help us avoid falling into this trap, with four basic ideas that facilitate distinguishing what is critical pedagogy from what is not:
- It is based on equal dialogue with citizens to achieve real, broad, and deep transformations.
- It has a social impact, improving people’s lives and overcoming inequalities.
- It achieves equality of results for oppressed groups, both in literacy and in feelings and values.
- It is grounded in theoretical and scientific rigor, as it is based on the most valid theories and scientific evidence.
To play a true critical role in society, it must be done from an education that analyzes reality, proposes alternatives that overcome inequalities and adversity, seeks to improve society while considering the voice of citizens, and strives to bring the best education and outcomes to everyone. Therefore, it is essential to use criteria that align with this direction. Ethics and values, which do not justify poor outcomes, high-quality scientific research with social impact, and collaboration through equal dialogue with citizens will allow us, in schools, to move toward that critical pedagogy that frees people to make the best possible decisions.
Adjunct Professor at Universitat de València. His research areas include Successful Educational Practices, Educational Inclusion, New Alternative Masculinities, and the Preventive Socialization of Gender Violence.