Pedagogy of the Child: Play as Humanizing Praxis

• In Event: Freirean Praxis in Dehumanizing Times

Abstract

That we must do something to challenge the deep-seeded racism, sexism, anti-Queer and other forms of violence and hatred that are currently being openly expressed and translated into policy is clear (Stanley, 2021). Paulo Freire (1970) and Marx before him (1961) articulated a world in which dehumanizing processes alienate us from our very nature as human beings. Critically conscious teachers can begin to use play as humanizing praxis to begin to shift our consciousness toward valuing human capacities found in play, including creativity, curiosity and dreaming. It is our hope that analyzing the implicit, and sometimes explicit, meanings behind typical teacher narratives and practices will shed light on and challenge us to be more humanizing in our pedagogy.

Authors

• Lilia D. Monzo, Chapman University

• Katie Kitchens, Chapman University

• Elena Marie Marquez, Chapman University