The application of Critical Theory to the practice of teaching-learning. It is an element of Critical Education Theory and views education as an opportunity for social transformation by challenging received notions of legitimate knowledge and by seeking to democratize the learning process and environment. It recognises the existence of power relationships within the learning environment and makes these the object of study.  Most articulate theorists of critical pedagogy are Paulo Freire ,  Henry Giroux and Peter Mclaren. See: Giroux, H. A., Teachers as Intellectuals - Towards a Critical Pedagogy of Learning, Bergin and Garvey, 1988. See also Giroux, H. A., and McLaren, P., Critical Pedagogy - The State and Cultural Struggle, State Univ. of New York Press, 1989