Critical Pedagogy in the Sociology Classroom

Abstract

Although critical pedagogy has been discussed in the Teaching Sociology literature for nearly twenty years, dialogues about the difficulties in practicing and implementing critical pedagogical strategies in everyday classroom life are less common. In this note, we discuss a predominant theme of our workshop: challenges and concerns that may arise when one attempts to do critical pedagogy. We focus on both challenges and potential solutions for learners, instructors, and institutions of higher education. Understanding what some of these obstacles are and how they manifest in institutions of higher learning goes a long way in devising strategies to assuage their deleterious effects.

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“…Research on the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) has promoted collaborative teaching, including reflection and pedagogic inquiry, for improving teaching and learning (Gosling, 2006;Hamilton & Pinnegar, 2013;Loughran, 2010). The focus of SoTL has traditionally been to enhance the student learning experience (Fobes & Kaufman, 2008;Trigwell & Shale, 2004). We also found that our own teaching was significantly enhanced.…”

Teaching for Social Justice

“…The challenges of practicing liberation pedagogy in the real world of classes, courses, and institutional constraints also have been examined in considerable detail (Gimenez 1998;Long 1998;Sweet 1998aSweet , 1998bFobes and Kaufman 2008;Kapitulik 2013). These issues continue to resonate in the years following the Great Recession of 2008 and the rising levels of inequality currently found in American society.…”

Aprendiendo a investigar en el grado de Relaciones Laborales y Recursos Humanos

“…En este proceso buscamos producir acuerdos, evitando lo que advierten Braa y Callero (2006) respecto de muchas estrategias pedagógicas que tienden a reproducir las jerarquías existentes. Un ejemplo de la reproducción de hegemonía social es la enseñanza de las prácticas que sitúan a instructores e investigadores como expertos infalibles sobre el tema objeto de estudio y a los estudiantes como repositorios en blanco-pizarra del conocimiento (Fobes y Kaufman, 2008). Buscamos crear un «espíritu de conocimiento» que involucre tanto a estudiantes como docentes.…”