Abstract
Reviewing the literature on critical pedagogy (CP) and democratic education (DE) reveals that very little has been written comparing the two (Knight and Pearl in Urban Rev 32(2):197–226, 2000). After reading the Urban Review article by Knight and Pearl (2000)—the only publication explicitly comparing the two approaches to education—I was intrigued to further compare, contrast, and consider the possibilities of connecting democratic education and critical pedagogy. My review of current literature suggests that the authors may offer some misleading claims about the theory, operation, and potential of CP. This manuscript, therefore, attempts to (a) present counterevidence to the claims of Knight and Pearl (2000) and (b) explore possibilities for cross-pollination between CP and DE. To do this, this manuscript presents various aspects of Knight and Pearl’s conception of DE; lays out the tenets of CP by drawing on the most recent work of its theorists and practitioners; and, lastly, demonstrates not only that the two approaches are more similar than different, but also that possibilities for cross-pollination exist in working towards the formation of democratic and social justice-oriented citizens.
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Notes
The other six components of Knight and Pearls (2000) conception of democratic education include: (1) Democratic authority (a teacher, administrator, or councilor leads by persuasion and negotiation), (2) inclusiveness (the classroom welcomes all students as equally-valued members), (3) student rights (“in a democratic classroom students are born with rights and learn to be responsible [p. 211]), (4) informed participatory decision making (it is “necessary to organize classroom activities to create opportunities for all students to develop a variety of citizenship skills [p. 213]), (5) optimum learning environment (classrooms should “encourage a sense of competence, a feeling of belonging, and a sense of ownership” [p. 215]), and (6) equality (“equality in education … is operationalized as equal encouragement” [p. 221]).
It should be noted that there are multiple forms of and multiple names for critical pedagogy. Ellsworth (1994) explains this well:
The literature on critical pedagogy represents attempts by educational researchers to theorize and operationalize pedagogical challenges to oppressive social formations … their different emphases are reflected in the variety of labels given to them, such as ‘critical pedagogy,’ ‘pedagogy of critique and possibility,’ ‘pedagogy of student voice,’ ‘pedagogy of empowerment,’ ‘radical pedagogy,’ ‘pedagogy for radical democracy,’ and ‘pedagogy of possibility’ (pp. 300–301).
As such, this paper focuses on the essential aspects of theory and pedagogy shared by all forms of critical pedagogy.
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Brent Edwards, D. Critical Pedagogy and Democratic Education: Possibilities for Cross-Pollination. Urban Rev 42, 221–242 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11256-009-0129-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11256-009-0129-y