Breaking Free

Book Overview

"Breaking Free: The Transformative Power of Critical Pedagogy" was conceptualized with the central purpose of serving as an introduction to the field of critical pedagogy. It offers readers several editorial supports to facilitate their understanding of the complexity of such work. At its most basic, critical pedagogy provides a lens through which educators are better able to examine and interact with the politics of education. By "politics" we do not mean the "Republican/Democrat" type of politics, but, rather, the real, underlying power relationships that structure our world: for example, how we make meaning of commonplace events, the purpose and goals of public education, how schools are structured, the type of preparation teachers receive, the way students are perceived and treated, the curriculum we use, and so forth. "Breaking Free: The Transformative Power of Critical Pedagogy," a collection of essays originally published in the "Harvard Educational Review," was conceptualized with the central purpose of serving as an introduction to the field. It offers readers several editorial supports to facilitate their understanding of the complexity of such work. Chapter One, "Context and Culture: What Is Critical Pedagogy?" provides an explanation of the central concepts and theories that are generally grouped under the term "critical pedagogy." The remainder of the book is divided into two parts. The first part offers various perspectives on the larger social and political context within which educational policies and practices exist. Part Two focuses on the role of teachers and students in the process of learning and teaching. from the Introduction by Pepi Leistyna, Arlie Woodrum, and Stephen A. Sherblom"

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0916690296
• ISBN13: 9780916690298
• Release Date: January 1996
• Publisher: Harvard Education PR
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 1.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.8" x 10.1"

Customer Reviews

A Classic Before Its Time

It's hard to believe that a book that was released in 1996 by the Harvard Educational Review is already a classic. Providing the necessary tools to understand the complex critical works of scholars such as Maxine Greene, Donaldo Macedo, Henry Giroux, William Tierney, Cameron McCarthy, Joe Kincheloe and Shirley Steinberg, Paulo Freire, Roger Simon, Noam Chomsky, Peter McLaren, and Dennis Carlson, Leistyna et al. have made a major contribution to educational theory and practice. The book's introduction, section intros, suggested reading list, and glossary are extremely helpful in assisting readers into the praxis of critical pedagogy. Already in its third reprint, Jonathan Kozol describes Breaking Free as, "A powerful, provocative collection that may help to end the pattern of de facto censorship that has eclipsed the brilliant work of Freire, Giroux, and many others for at least two decades". Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot adds, "In this provocative and illuminating volume, the authors challenge the frameworks and rhetoric of the current discourse on school reform. They urge us to enter a much more difficult and inclusive conversation that seeks to expose and name our national obsessions and blind spots". As so many books disappear into the cacophony of a publish or perish industry, the enormous impact of Breaking Free's contribution to democratic education will be felt for many years to come.