Critical Pedagogy.

This article presents an overview of critical pedagogy, an educational theory positing that schools are inherently biased and perpetuate social imbalances of power. Often, students internalize these biases based on hidden curriculum, or implicit lessons about behavior, morality, patriotism, and so forth. According to critical pedagogy, teachers must instill in their students critical consciousness—an awareness of these imbalances and a commitment to eradicating them in pursuit of social justice. Yet, in order for critical consciousness to occur, the teaching paradigm must change, from the banking model, in which students are discouraged from challenging authority or thinking independently, to the liberatory model advocated by Brazilian educational theorist Paolo Freire. Classroom applications of critical pedagogy include content analysis of the media, demystifying print, process drama, as well as the use multiple sources of knowledge, such as popular culture and everyday texts.