Education- understands the application of critical theory to study educational experiences one gets in and out school context

1. Critical Theory
to Study Educational Experiences
In and Out School Context
Semester II
Perspective Course 5: Curriculum studies
Module II, Unit 4: Inquiry into Curriculum studies
Part B
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2. Content
• Critical theory
• Educational Experiences of school
– Inside school experiences
– Outside school experiences
• Critical theory to analyse classroom
context
• Classroom Implications
• Role of teacher
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3. Theory
• A contemplative and rational type of abstract or
generalizing thinking, or the results of such
thinking
• Context specific or generalized. eg. how nature
works
• Can be normative providing "goals, norms, and
standards etc.“ or what ought to be, or can be
systematic body of knowledge
• Dictonary.com - ‘a coherent group of tested general
propositions, commonly regarded as correct, that
can be used as principles of explanation and
prediction for a class of phenomena’
• Webster – ‘an idea that is suggested or presented as
possibly true but that is not known or proven to
be true’
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4. • What do you mean by critical theory ?
• Differences in understanding of the
term critical theory in diverse and
contested ways using various models and
stages of the discourse. Therefor, no one
single or dominant understanding of
critical theory.
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5. Critical theory
• Jurgen habermas defined critical theories
into two clusters, one in literary and
another in Sociology.
• First cluster talks about,
– literary research, attempts to understand
narratives, literary devices, performances,
language etc.
– Looks at all the ways that human, their
activity and cultures are described and
discussed in literature.
•
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6. Critical theory
• Second cluster of critical theory according to
habermas is about Critical social self
reflection.
• This theory of more relational to educational
field
• Its about self knowledge of individual in
relation to border system of which we are
part of. What relation do we have
• How one seeks freedom and autonomy over
life choices in administered society that seeks
own power and control.
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7. Critical theory
• Reflective assessments and critique of society and culture by
applying knowledge from the social sciences and humanities.
• Oriented towards criticizing and changing the society as
whole in contrast to traditional theories which only oriented
to understand or explain it.
• Aims to dig dipper beneath the surface of social life and
uncover the assumptions that keep us from a full and true
understanding of how the world works.
• Developed by group of sociologist at Frankfurt school
(Germany), namely Jurgen Habermas, Herbert Marcuse,
Walter Benjamin, Max Horkheimer, and Theodor Adorno.
• Has two different meanings.
– First, in sociology and political philosophy
– Second, in literary studies and literary theory
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8. Critical theory
• Two core concepts of critical theory are,
– Should be directed at the totality of society
– should improve the understanding of society by
integrating
• According to Max Horkheimer, an adequate
critical theory meets 3 criteria,
– Explanatory (explain what is wrong with current
social reality)
– Practical (identify the actors to change it)
– Normative (provide both clear norms for criticism
and achievable practical goals for social
transformation)
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9. • To sum-up,
– It is systematic critique or analysis of social
experiences and system of human beings to
determine visible and invisible forces or
structures which constrain, inhibit, encourage
or enhance personal freedom.
– It is cluster of theme inspired by quest for
freedom.
– It is searching, seeking, questioning for
freedom against constrains and abolition of
social injustice.
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10. Learning experiences
• Any interaction, course, program, or other
experience in which learning takes place,
• traditional academic settings (schools,
classrooms) through traditional educational
interactions (students learning from teachers
and professors)
• non-traditional settings (outside-of-school
locations, outdoor environments) through
non-traditional interactions (students
learning through games and interactive
software applications, discussions, talk,
watching social situations, TV, Radio, Social
Network etc.).
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11. School context
• Teaching learning process
• Observation of teachers and other students, staff
• Various curricular and extra curricular activities and
hidden curriculum practices
• Teacher students relations
• Social integration
• Opportunity
• Achievement
• Adventure
• General satisfaction
• Negative effect
• Quality of school curriculum
• Classroom environment
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12. Outside school context
• Marketing shopping
• Visits, trips, excursions, picnic, family vacations
etc.
• Travelling,
• Interaction with family, friends and others
• Nature,
• Neighbourhood and society
• Movies, drama, dance, TV etc.
• Print – electronic- Social media
• Internet
• Observations and imitations outside school
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13. Let’s reflect upon
• Who has the power over these situations ?
• How one is forced to suffer from these
situations?
• What power one has to overcomes these
situations?
• Which one is dominating force ?
• How one is objectified, supressed and
pushed down?
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14. Use in education
• Helps to develop Critical pedagogy
• To make students a rational human being
rather than just mute follower of system
• Re-examine and reconstruction of
curriculum
• Power negotiations
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15. References
• http://www.fed.cuhk.edu.hk/~cthk/sc/paper/c
5.pdf
• http://dictionary.reverso.net/english-
cobuild/educational%20experience
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Out-of-
school_learning
• http://www.merriam-
webster.com/dictionary/theory
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_theory
• http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.
cgi?article=1155&context=teachlearnfacpub
• http://www.tonywardedu.com/critical-
education-theory
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