Critical Pedagogy as a Pathway to Learner Autonomy

• In Event: Fairmont Roundtable Session Fourteen
  In Roundtable Session: The Importance of Freire's Legacy to Transform Educational Practices in Times of Crisis (Table 17)

Abstract

Critical pedagogy holds promise for restructuring the oppressive power relation within the traditional teacher-directed classroom. Little connection has been made between critical pedagogy and learner autonomy, an important predictor of student success. This paper discusses the potential of critical pedagogy for fostering learner autonomy. Learner autonomy and critical pedagogy have important connections in that both share the goal of the empowerment of students and a more democratic social order in the classroom. The paper demonstrated the tangible ways that critical pedagogy can open ways to promote learner autonomy by challenging the traditional power dynamic in the classroom. The findings of this paper have practical implications for future interventions designed to improve learner autonomy.

Author

• Xue Wang, Johns Hopkins University
  Presenting Author