Anti-oppressive education encompasses multiple approaches to learning that actively challenge forms of

oppression Oppression is malicious or unjust treatment or exercise of power, often under the guise of governmental authority or cultural opprobrium. Oppression may be overt or covert, depending on how it is practiced. Oppression refers to discrimination wh ...

Concept

Anti-oppressive education is premised on the notion that many traditional and commonsense ways of engaging in "education" actually contribute to oppression in schools and society. It also relies on the notion that many "common sense" approaches to

education reform Education reform is the name given to the goal of changing public education. The meaning and education methods have changed through debates over what content or experiences result in an educated individual or an educated society. Historically, t ...

mask or exacerbate

oppressive Oppression is malicious or unjust treatment or exercise of power, often under the guise of governmental authority or cultural opprobrium. Oppression may be overt or covert, depending on how it is practiced. Oppression refers to discrimination wh ...

education methods. The consequences of anti-oppressive education include a deep commitment to changing how educators conceptualize and engage in

curriculum In education, a curriculum (; : curricula or curriculums) is broadly defined as the totality of student experiences that occur in the educational process. The term often refers specifically to a planned sequence of instruction, or to a view ...

pedagogy Pedagogy (), most commonly understood as the approach to teaching, is the theory and practice of learning, and how this process influences, and is influenced by, the social, political and psychological development of learners. Pedagogy, taken a ...

classroom management Classroom management is the process teachers use to ensuring that classroom lessons run smoothly without disruptive behavior from students compromising the delivery of instruction. It includes the prevention of disruptive behavior preemptively, ...

and school culture. There is also an implication that institutional structure and policies must be transformed. Exploring perspectives on education that do not conform to what has become "common sense" must be partaken as well. Anti-oppressive education expects to be different, perhaps uncomfortable, and even controversial.

Practice

Currently, there seem to be four main perspectives in anti-oppression education, as defined by Kumashiro (2000, p. 25) “Education for the Other, Education about the Other, Education that is Critical of Privileging and Othering, and Education that Changes Students and Society”. These approaches come with some controversy, particularly in terms of the potential for upholding hierarchies. Despite controversy, anti-oppressive perspectives are echoed by other social justice writers in education. Both Bell and Benn-John encourage teachers to value and incorporate the narratives and leadership of oppressed and marginalized groups. Bell recommends specific steps, such as being a responsible ally, deconstructing binaries, and analyzing power. Research shows us that in Ontario most teachers are white. This means that it is up to educators to lean into the discomfort of critical questioning. Benn-John reiterates that the work of decolonization begins within each individual.

''Pedagogy of the Oppressed''

Paulo Freire Paulo Reglus Neves Freire (19 September 1921 – 2 May 1997) was a Brazilian educator and philosopher who was a leading advocate of critical pedagogy. His influential work ''Pedagogy of the Oppressed'' is generally considered one of the foundat ...

's ''

Pedagogy of the Oppressed ''Pedagogy of the Oppressed'' ( pt, Pedagogia do Oprimido) is a book by Brazilian educator Paulo Freire, written in Portuguese between 1967–68, but published first in Spanish in 1968. An English translation was published in 1970, with the Por ...

'' (first published in Portuguese in 1968, then in English in 1970), he stated that education is suffering from "narration sickness"; students simply memorize mechanically the narrated content transmitted by the educator. This is the

banking model of education ''Banking model of education'' () is a term coined by Paulo Freire to describe and critique the traditional education system in his book Pedagogy of the Oppressed. The name refers to the metaphor of students as containers into which educators mus ...

, in which the scope of action allowed by the students extends only as far as receiving, filling and storing the deposits. Thus, projecting an absolute ignorance onto others, a characteristic of the ideology of oppression, negates education and knowledge as a process of inquiry. As a result, the more students work at storing these deposits entrusted to them, the less they develop the critical consciousness that would result from their intervention in the world as transformers of that world. As a result, oppressive social controls are never questioned and remain as an integral part of our culture thus, perpetuating oppression in our education systems.

References

{{Freire Philosophy of education Youth Critical pedagogy

Concept

Practice

''Pedagogy of the Oppressed''

See also

References