Themes of a Critical/Feminist Pedagogy: Teacher Education for Democracy
Abstract
Themes of a Critical/Feminist Pedagogy: Teacher Education for Democracy Grace E. Sikes Scering, Thornton Elementary School, Indiana Critical/feminist pedagogy provides a framework for teacher education in a democratic society. It involves future teachers in development of pedagogical relations supporting the acquisition of the skills of democratic participation. In this article, I discuss these themes and provide a frame- work for implementing teacher education support- ive of the democratic purpose of schooling. Themes of Critical/Feminist Pedagogy Critical/feminist pedagogy has its source in critical and feminist theories. It has emerged in reaction to the technocratic perspective (Adler & Goodman, 1986, p. 2) and associated control- oriented pedagogy dominating educational thought and practice. Critical/feminist pedagogy challenges the emphasis on efficiency and objec- tivity that perpetuate the domination of mascu- line rationality (Apple, 1990; Giroux, 1988b; Goodman, 1992). Critical/feminist pedagogy is a different way of thinking about the relationship of schools and society and the hierarchical social relations for teaching/learning contexts (Aronowitz & Giroux, 1985; Giroux, 1983, 1988a, 1988b; Goodman, 1986, 1987, 1992; Grumet, 1981; Hicks, 1990; Weiler, 1988). Schools and Society The role of schools in perpetuating unequal social, cultural, political, and economic realities is a central theme of critical and