Subject: SD and critical pedagogy

Posted by Stephen Crowley on 10/8/2008
In Reply To:SD and critical pedagogy Posted by Eric Stiens on 10/7/2008

Message:

Eric and others,
I would be very interested in pursuing this line of thinking with you. As I teach science to a wide variety of students in Vermont's most urban high school, I find that the metacognitive domain is a critical leverage point, cutting across the enormous range of background and abilities. Exploring the dimensions of systems is a great way to do this.

Your comment reminds me of one of my greatest mentors-in-print, Paolo Freire, the great Brazilian educator and author of "Pedagogy of the Oppressed" and "Education for Critical Consciousness." For Freire, education is an inescapably political act, as is learning. He was effective enough to get himself exiled from his country for a while. In his case, basic literacy achieved meaning for the peasant population when it was coupled with a sense of empowerment and a recognition of their present and potential roles in their world. Understanding systems is about enhancing a grasp of hidden causality and meaning, and in that way is inherently empowering, and becomes a kind of "systems literacy." The tools that allow exploration of interactions can readily lead to an awakening of awareness that opens doors for learners.

Steve Crowley

Follow Ups:

SD and critical pedagogy - Richard Turnock 10/8/2008