Liberation and critical theories of education believe in the political nature of all types of education. 'The school' in the third world is 'oppressive' because it creates and perpetuates 'western-style' class hierarchies. As such, nothing good will be secured at the marginalized groups without a drastic shift in their socioeconomic and political condition. Consciousness-raising non-formal adult education is 'liberation education' aimed specifically for the disenfranchised rural poor. It helps them develop skills to discover the oppressive elements in their lives, become (...) aware of the causes of their destitution, and empower them to take action to transform their realities. Previous studies have demonstrated such programs have been successful in emancipating the poor; this evaluative study of liberation education in southern Ethiopia has also proven to help the target population develop a critical consciousness regarding their impoverished and oppressed conditions and help empower them to work towards changing their lives. (shrink)

In this paper, I define exploratory talk and explore a number of examples that were analyzed using the dataanalytic coding rules delineated by Soter et al.. Then, I propose expanding the rules for exploratory talk outlined by Soter et al. and suggest coding facilitator utterances as substantive contributions to the dialogue not intrusive interjections to the discourse. I argue that this approach recognizes the facilitator as an equal participant in the dialogue who is positioned to model good inquiry, cultivate shared (...) possession of the discourse and redistribute power amongst participants. I suggest that a possible mechanism for realizing these goals is an instructional pedagogy that is participatory, liberatory, democratic and critical, such as P4C, which is defined by a community committed to intersubjective interaction and the productive evolution of ideas. (shrink)

Possibilities for critical social theory and Foucault’s work: a toolbox approach The benefits and constraints of philosophical frameworks using the work of Michel Foucault and critical social theorists, such as Fay, Giroux and McLaren, are examined in the light of their traditions. The reasons nurse researchers adopt these frameworks are explored, as are the tensions between the respective theories. A complementary ‘toolbox’ approach to the research process addresses some of the theoretical and methodological challenges presented by each framework. Such an (...) approach provides distinctive insights into nursing practice that the other has ignored or missed. It is argued that by converging the two frameworks into a toolbox approach, it is possible to examine or deconstruct existing practices, whilst also providing an avenue for nurses to reconstruct or change such practices. (shrink)

Critical pedagogy speaks of teachers as liberating and transformative intellectuals.Yet their voice is absent from its discourse.The emancipatory action research, described in this article, created a dialogue between teachers and the ideas concerning oppression and liberation found in Neo-Marxist pedagogies. It strongly suggests that teachers can contribute to the further development of these ideas. It indicates that Critical Theory’s perceptions of the totality of oppression were largely accepted by these teachers after their own inner-reflective processes.Yet, the teachers rejected the dyadic (...) perception of oppressors and oppressed, and that of the ‘victimization’ of the subject, as they perceived such an approach to weaken the subject and exempt him/her from the struggle for liberation. They also highlighted the problematic aspects of positive utopia, which many of the critical pedagogies share, and offered a modest, yet intellectually rich perception of the struggle for liberation. As opposed to the static positive utopia that many of Neo-Marxist pedagogies offer, they suggested a dynamic and subjective perception of liberation; one that is neither restricted by the past nor by locality. This research suggests that teachers could well make a valuable contribution to the formation of a new counter-education. And that the development of a new pedagogical language in education could benefit by being done with them rather than for them. (shrink)