Critical Education Theory is a branch of Critical Theory applied to the field of Education. It interrogates the social, cultural, political and economic context of compulsory State education to demonstrate how Education serves the dominant cultural interests in any society by creating a community whose members are unable to question or challenge the status quo, and who meekly accept the directives they are given by Authority.
These three PDFs outline the main principles of Critical Education Theory, and chart its history and relationship to the wider cultural/political issues of the 20th Century. They contextualise these principles within the framework of Contemporary Cultural Studies, and show how the forms of knowledge and pedagogy promoted in schools is linked directly to the needs of capitalist production and the status quo power. They suggest (with evidence) that the notion of public education as a force for emancipation and self determination is a myth, and that instead, public education seeks to create conditions of social and political passivity, a fear of collective creativity and resistance. All of this is brought into sharp focus through the example of the campus uprising of 1970 which followed Richard Nixon's "incursion" into Cambodia during the Vietnam War, and the killing of demonstrating anti-war students at Kent State University, Ohio.
Part 1: Education and The State outlines the relationship of the Educational system to the exigencies of capitalist society
In addition to these three PDFs there are several more downloadable PDFs dealing with specific Educational therories and theoreticians, as well as critical analyses of the New Zealand education system. For instance:
To download Education as the Practice of Freedomclick here
To download Hegemony and Education in New Zealandclick here
To download Learning to Change the Worldclick here
To download Semantic Fields, Ideology and Knowledge click here
To download The Educational Theories of Paulo Freireclick here
While these PDFs outline the contextual and theoretical parameters of Critical Education Theory, they also need to be read against examples of Critical Practice which demonstrate how the theoretical analysis delivered here can be developed into classroom pedagogies that effectively educate for social change. To view a list of downloadable Critical Practice projects click here
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I just wanted to send you a quick message to say thankyou for your website and for the free resources.
Im an aboriginal woman from western australia, and Ive decided to go back to university to undertake research which will benefit my community.
Its quite a challenge for me as I have decided to come in under education (my previous degree was a ba in psychology). I am finding the language challenging, particularly regarding theory and policy.
Thankfully I have found your site and am finding it helpful to understand critical theory. While I understand many of the concepts and how they can be applied, I am quite often lost in the academic language, so it is helpful to have other resources that use a more 'plain english' approach.
Im sure your website is a valuable resource for many people. danyoo thankyou
A colleague sent me a blog mentioning me which you had graciously responded to offering your website as a resource on critical pedagogy. Just wanted to thank you for the work you've put into this admirable decoding of the critical end of things...(Ira Shor )
This is a superb resource which forges links between important areas -architecture, sociology and critical education. I shall certainly share this with colleagues/students, friends and family members starting with my daughter who is an architect. It is also a brilliant teaching tool.
Found your site electrifying. Thanks for this wonderful site that I have just discovered. I teach in the University in Nigeria and my background is Theatre and my areas of interests are Theatre for Development and Community Organizing. Recently, I have been looking at Transformative Theatre as a counter revolution to theatre for Development. Your work is extensive I would like to engage with you frequently on your work..
This is one of the best teaching tools in Critical Pedagogy that I have come across as a specialist in the field. I will definitely include the site as a reference in my courses.
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