To address the
situation of women in the field of education, a feminist critical approach
seems necessary. Feminist critical pedagogy is the outcome of the feminist
pedagogies that go in line with the feminist strands mentioned in the second
chapter.
The basic critiques and demands
of each feminism bear relevance to this pedagogy which needs to address the
problems women face on account of education.
Liberal feminist pedagogy demanded equal access to education. This demand
still continues to be valid for the existing situation of women especially in
the developing countries of the third world. The radical feminist claim for the
validation of women’s experience is another point to be kept in mind. In their
fight against patriarchy radical feminists emphasize the collective struggle of
women and the need for empowerment sometimes in women only environments. Their
focus on the use of sexual harassment and abuse in all spheres to control women
is still viable as it is one of the most restricting forces on women’s lives.
Socialist feminists took the patriarchy analysis of radical feminists and
equipped it with capitalism analysis (Walby, 1994). The positions of women in
production relations both in the labour force and household are revealed by
their efforts. They are also influential in showing that female pupils from
different classes are affected by sexism in the education system in varying
ways. Postmodern feminists showed the diversity among women and proved that
they cannot be taken as a unitary category.
Different kinds of feminisms and
feminist pedagogies are not passe. In the contemporary world there are feminist
groups and individuals from each strand and women still need to analyze the
world from all these perspectives and device feminist policies accordingly. On
the other hand, when considered in an historical perspective it is even
possible to conclude that these diverse groups of feminisms and feminist
pedagogies are not positioned against each other but they are rather like a
continuum. Each strand took women’s issues from the point the prior analysis
left and filled the gaps by paying attention to the previously ignored points.
These theories are developed in relation to the developments of the time of
their advent.
In the contemporary world, in
which women’s lives are so diverse in various parts of the world and different
classes, feminists need to utilize all these theories. In times of globalism
when capital transcends the borders, it is important that women concentrate on
their similarities by acknowledging their differences to form alliances that
transcend borders. Micro studies that are left unrelated to macro theories
present a fragmented picture of the world and hinder a global perspective for
women, which will highlight the similar underlying causes of women’s
subordination. At this point of the study, it is considered beneficial to turn
to the work that tries to categorize and integrate the feminist and critical
pedagogies under different titles.
According to
Tisdell (1998), there are three categories in feminist pedagogy: Psychological,
structural and postmodern. Psychological pedagogies emphasize empowerment on an
individual basis and they are accepted among liberal and psychoanalyst
feminists. Structural pedagogies have their roots in modern feminist theory
such as Marxist and socialist feminist theories. They analyze the power
relations within social structures. Tisdell criticizes them preventing being
the subject of one’s own life.
Postmodern feminist pedagogy is the outcome of all the others for her.
However, in this study it is averred that critical feminist pedagogy can
address to the needs of women and other subordinated groups for two main
reasons. First, as it was stated above, teachers need to help the students
understand the power relations in macro levels and situate the ways they are
subordinated. This will help them create new meanings for their lives and lead
to an empowerment in the Freirean sense.
Second, the clearly set purpose of social transformation in critical
feminist pedagogy is clearly in line with the main question of the study, which
is ‘ can the teacher candidates act as the agents of change for a more gender
equal society?’.
In this study the main points of
critical feminist pedagogy have been compiled around three central issues.
First of all, critical feminist pedagogy needs to follow the slogan ‘personal
is political’. The feminist critical teacher who builds her instruction on the
experiences of the learners needs to guide the learners to situate their own
positions within the big picture of social power relations. She needs to
caution that without gaining an awareness to analyze one’s own position and
sources of subordination from a critical perspective, the oppression experiences
of the learners will not suffice to empower them (Giroux, 1991, bell in Giroux,
1991). The sharing of experiences will lead to the establishment of empathy in
the classroom. The creation of a safe atmosphere for the students to gain their
voices is necessary but the size of the classroom as well as the physical
setting is important. In a small class it is easier first for the teacher to
pay attention to each student one by one and second for the students express
themselves. The ideal seating is a circular form in which all the students can
see each other. As Tan and her colleagues (1998) state, a large classroom poses
problems in the implementation of this pedagogy.
Second point to be mentioned about critical
feminist pedagogy is its goal of social transformation. Jackson (1997) looks at
the ways the radical and liberatory pedagogies inform feminist pedagogy as well
as what feminist pedagogy adds to them and determines the ultimate goal of
social transformation as the first principal in both of them. In such a context social transformation
refers to a democratic society in all respects. Therefore, feminist critical
pedagogy needs to appeal to all kinds of discrimination at the same time and
create an environment of democracy in the classroom. Democracy is not only a
goal to be attained but a part of the processes in the classroom.
A third point
about critical feminist pedagogy is its emphasis on critical thinking skills
and the process As Shackelford (1992) asserts, “central to the agenda of feminist
pedagogy is empowering students to become critical and creative learners”
(p:570). One of the underlying purposes
of emphasizing critical thinking skills is to help the learners become less
dependent on the authority of the teacher. This way the students are encouraged
to be active agents of learning. The process receives as much emphasis as the
outcome thus the procedures in a classroom are important in feminist pedagogy.
‘The ends do not justify the means’. Therefore, a teacher who has internalized
the values of feminist pedagogy will compromise a model in the classroom by the
egalitarian nature of her or his interaction with the students. In such a
classroom the aims and objectives of instruction are shared with the students
and they have a say in the formation of the curriculum. The teacher
acknowledges their subject positions and the decisions are made all together.
Feminist critical pedagogy is not
devoid of flaws. It has been experienced that the differences and different
kind of subordinations among learners can lead to tensions in the classroom
(Tan et. al., 1998). To overcome those tensions or to minimize their effects
differences among learners need to be acknowledged not ignored. This way
alliance can be formed among them.
0 Comments