Gregory Gushiken

ENG 405
Prof. Henry
3 March 2016
A Revolutionary Pedagogy
Critical Pedagogy in the Writing Center
Meta Commentary:
In my research, I looked for two key traits: uniqueness and applicability. Basing my
findings around the idea of critical pedagogy presented in Freires Pedagogy of the Oppressed, I
found that many of my sources either directly cited or are intellectually linked to his notion of
criticizing the banking system of education and how we can move past the hegemonic
institutionalization of thought in the academy. However, some of the readings I selected also
were incredibly critical of this, frankly, idealistic goal; while critical pedagogy seeks to criticize
hegemonic structures, the very fact that it is a pedagogy is rooted in relations of power and
dominance. That being said, articles, such as Are they Empowered Yet? are important to this
discussion not because they provide the perspective of the devils advocate, but, instead, because
it accomplishes the very sort of epistemological criticism that Freire hails as golden in the realm
of education. To question and to synthesize new thought is important, and it can become
altogether too easy for the tutor or educator to get caught up in the idea of critical pedagogy as a
pedagogy instead of a revolution wherein the means of academic production are reclaimed from
the social capitalistic hands of the academy and placed back in the grasp of the student for whom
the system is, supposedly, made for. In addition, I looked at Smiths essay on hip hop pedagogies
to better ascertain the ways in which other fields of study outside of composition and rhetoric

interpret critical pedagogy and alternative educational discourses. The audience I sought to
address through this work was not the academic community at large, but, instead, my fellow
tutors in the writing center. Because much of my analysis is situated in the unique culture of the
Hawaiian Islands, I feel that, in addition, it could be relevant as well to other writing tutors
across the islands and even throughout the Moana Nui--the great oceanic highway that links
island peoples together culturally, socially, and, in this way, academically.

Research Summary:
In my research, I allowed myself, for once, to stumble down the rabbit hole; because I did
not know much about my topic, I felt that the best way to become familiar with it is through
wandering around the discourses of critical pedagogy, carefully evaluating each source, and,
most importantly, drawing connections between them. That being said, many will notice that my
sources are very similar and build off of each other. This is mostly due to the manner in which
the research itself was conducted. I started on Composition Forum after reading Freires book
and looked up critical pedagogy. From there, I stumbled upon Wittmans article on biopower
and pedagogy, and, from there, I continued to look through similar sources.
In regards to the actual analysis of the texts themselves, I first read through the works
cited page on each source in order to evaluate its credibility. In this analysis, I looked for several
key factors: credibility of the sources, amount of sources, and the types of sources. I primarily
chose articles that had heavy basises in the academic discourses of critical pedagogies. However,
I did deviate with the article on Hip Hop pedagogies, as I felt that it was interesting and
worthwhile enough to mention. After reading the abstracts, sources, and some of the body
paragraphs of my sources, I then copy and pasted them into a word document wherein I would be
able to edit, highlight, comment, and cross out information as needed. This, I feel, is a great way

for both myself and the students I work with to evaluate research material. While there are
applications that allow students to do this sort of thing, putting in a word document has a sort of
spatial kairos wherein the student is motivated to create, catalyze, and question discourses in
relation to the texts they are reading.
With this in mind, there are also, without question, instances within the texts wherein one
will have difficulty understanding the meaning not because of the intangibility of ideas, but,
instead, simply the complexity of terminology employed by the writer. That being said, I found
myself sitting down with the the Bedford Glossary of Critical and Literary Terms and looking up
at least one word per article. Albeit laborious, I feel that this is imperative to my understanding
of the text, and I feel that even this sort of inculturation is also important to the research process,
as it is impossible to understand and criticize discourse without the vocabulary or framework to
do so.

The following annotated bibliography is a compilation of these sources from which one
may not only come to understand the discourse culture of critical pedagogy, but also synthesize
a means through which one can begin to criticize critical discourse itself.

Freire, Paulo. Pedagogy of the Oppressed. Ed. Donald Macedo. New York: Continuum,
2000. Print.

Freires Pedagogy of the Oppressed provides a framework for evaluating,

criticizing, and providing alternatives for the traditional banking system of education.
To Freire, the relationship between the teacher and the student in a banking system
involves a narrating Subject and patient, listening objects (71). Freire also asserts that,
in classrooms that use critical pedagogy, the studentsno longer docile listenersare
now critical co-investigators in dialogue with the teacher . . . education, as a humanist
and liberating praxis, posits as fundamental that the people subjected to domination must
fight for their emancipation. To that end, it enables teachers and students to become
subjects of the educational process by overcoming authoritarianism and an alienating
intellectualism (81, 86). Moreover, Freire asserts that the role of the narrating
Subject, or the teacher, is to talk about reality as if it were motionless, static,
compartmentalized, and predictable (71), and to, thus, turn students into receptacles.
Through this definition, Freire addresses deeper seeded issues in the educational system
wherein power relations are reproduced, and the oppressed are forced to, ironically,
become sub-oppressors. In other words, the idea that knowledge is material and is passed
down through educational institutions is not only poor practice, but also is crucial to the
reproduction of the conditions of production. With this in mind, Freire proposes an
alternative to the banking system--dialogics, or dialogue. To Freire, dialogic pedagogies
allow people to come to feel like masters of their thinking by discussing the thinking
and views of the world explicitly or implicitly manifest in their own suggestions and
those of their comrades (124). In other words, the creation and defense of thought is
crucial to critical pedagogy, and is, in many ways, an end of critical pedagogy.
Elaborating on a famous quote by Lenin (without a revolutionary theory there can be no

revolutionary movement), Freire states that a revolution is achieved with neither

verbalism nor activism, but rather with praxis, [...] with reflection and action directed at
the structures to be transformed (126). By proposing dialogics and, essentially,
Heidegger's concept of thinking, Freire synthesizes alternatives to the hegemonic
system of education that, even today, we are faced with. In the writing center, I have
found that the idea of banking is a common concept that we, as tutors, grapple with.
There are a plethora of students who come in to work on assignments wherein the teacher
feels as though they have the absolute authority over the student and the generation of
their thoughts. In practice, I thought this book would be useful because it not only
provides a framework for a liberated classroom, but also pedagogies from which we, as
tutors, can speculate about epistemology and the development of thought and, as a
consequence, the world.

Rice, J.A. "Politicizing Critical Pedagogies for the Logic of Late Capitalism." Composition
Forum 18 (2008): n. pag. Composition Forum. Web. 8 Mar. 2016.
<http://compositionforum.com/issue/18/politicizing-critical-pedagogies.php>.
Rice, in this article, criticizes critical theory by asking two questions: to what
extent are critical pedagogies methods and goals commensurate with the restrictive logic
of globalization? Since knowledge production, market applicability, and differential
rhetorics produce a new pedagogical horizon, how might teachers develop strategies that
intervene, and perhaps alter, hegemonic communicative processes? In other words,
Rice is not only questioning the limitations of critical theory and pedagogy, but also
addressing the transient nature of of critical pedagogy itself. In fact, later on he states that
Theory should instead continually return to itself and rethink its own conditions and

limits, including how it might work with globalizing hegemonies. Critical theory, then,
will not revise the world (including itself), as much as it will continually reinvent its
methodological conditions and coordinates each and every time it theorizes. This
collapsed, continued reinvention of theorys processes and goals is precisely the
speculative aspect of critical theory. Rice, in this instance, argues for a globally
conscious critical pedagogy that is always evolving based upon the situation it is placed
in. While this is a difficult concept to grasp, and, in fact, is quite meta, this article is
important because it goes beyond the concept of pedagogy itself and moves more toward
the idea of criticism, instead suggesting that rather than working to build a safe house of
knowledge or incorporate an alternative Other into the contemporary cultural, ethical and
pedagogical scene, this more radical, politicized critical pedagogy constantly aims at
writing change, and does so by constantly risking itself and its goals. In having our
tutees evaluate the hegemonic nature of texts and the conventional practice of writing
itself, I feel that it is imperative that we keep this in mind not only because, as tutors, we
should be cognisant of the idiosyncrasies of the session, but also because the very idea of
having a set critical pedagogy is hegemonic within itself. To truly evaluate power
relations within the institution of the writing center and writing across the curriculum, we
must begin to evaluate various epistemological sources of knowledge that we hail as
revolutionary.
Shor, Ira. "What Is Critical Literacy?" The Journal of Pedagogy, Pluralism and Practice I.4
(1999): n. pag. Lesley University. Web. 08 Mar. 2016.
Similar to the other sources, Shor, in this article, argues that educational institutions seek
to reproduce conditions of production whilst discouraging critical literacy, one of the

main ideas of his essay. Critical literacy is, basically, the idea of being literate in the
practice of criticism--the opposite of what is taught in school. His main point, however, is
that critical literacy thus challenges the status quo in an effort to discover alternative
paths for self and social development. In addition, he also elaborates on how critical
literacy connects the political and the personal, the public and the private, the global and
the local, the economic and the pedagogical, for rethinking our lives and for promoting
justice in place of inequity. However, with this in mind, he goes on to explain that
when we are critically literate, we examine our ongoing development, to reveal the
subjective positions from which we make sense of the world and act in it. Further, Shor
advances that critical literacy takes a moral stand on the kind of just society and
democratic education we want. In this instance, Shor is illustrating that critical pedagogy
is a step away from the hegemonic banking system outlined in Freires book and a move
towards a democratic education wherein students have the right to their own
epistemologies and discourses. This idea of critical literacy is something that can, and
should be, applied to the tutoring session; by encouraging our tutees to question the
hegemonic structure of writing and the prompts from which they write, only then can we
begin to synthesize a dialogue through which critical literacy can become paramount.
Although we are not the instructors of the course, the very act of tutoring is the
reclamation of the development of knowledge; while we may not have the authority to
directly plan lessons that foster this sort of thought, we can, still, nurture it through
Socratic questioning and collaboration. While accounting for the mitigation of
exigencies is a pressing issue in this sense as well, I feel that it is possible to nurture this
thought through utilizing a critical, albeit comprehensive, approach to the academic

practices wherein the student is lacking. For example, explaining to a student the means
through which hegemonic and divisive practices of grammar and syntax are used to
disadvantage those who do not have access to higher education whilst explaining the
ways in which learning this system can assist in the liberation of these very oppressed
groups, with whom they already relate with, can be a way in which we can both teach
grammar and critique simultaneously.
Smith, Erec. "Beats, Rhymes, and Hill, Marc Lamont. New York: Classroom Life: Hip-Hop
Pedagogy and the Politics of Identity." Composition Forum 21 (2010): Composition Forum.
Web. 8 Mar. 2016.
In this essay, Smith critiques and analyzes Hills Beats, Rhymes, and Classroom
Life, which evaluates the value hip hop based education has in critical pedagogy by
providing an ethnographic overview of a case study wherein Hill taught a class on hip
hop in an inner city high school. While one can argue that it would have been better for
me to select the actual text criticized in the article, Smith gives a very insightful reading
into the text itself that, within itself, creates an entirely new train of thought. Related to
my other sources, I found it interesting that Smith states that Hill recognizes that
marginalized societies also have internal modes of marginalization, silencing, and
dominance. This idea is, definitely, a nod to the sub-oppressor defined by Freire, and
is, really, the discourses of his book in application. In addition, this idea of culturally
relevant pedagogy builds upon Wittmans call for localized forms of dialogue and
create, within itself, a new sort of pedagogy--one that is idiosyncratic to race and class,
too. In application to tutoring, what I found most useful is the idea of using these cultural
pedagogies to view and criticize discourse through a lense; by employing these

philosophies and epistemological theories as a toolbox in the tutoring session, I feel that
we can create and catalyze sessions wherein our students can synthesize localized
critiques of discourses whilst examining them through the lense of others. By drawing on
specialized schools of thought, such as indigenous literacy as laid out by kuualoha
hoomanawanui, we can created specialized and localized discourses from which we can
draw our pedagogies from. Because we have such a strong relation to place, it is, then,
imperative that we use it to our benefit, whilst considering the cultural implications of our
writers.

Thomson-Bunn, Heather. "Are They Empowered Yet?: Opening Up Definitions of Critical

Pedagogy." Composition Forum 29 (2014): n. pag. Composition Forum. Web. 8 Mar. 2016.
http://compositionforum.com/issue/29/are-they-empowered.php
Thomson-Bunn, in her essay, argues that the lack of precision in critical pedagogy
is detrimental to it in practice in the classroom. Building upon ideas articulated in Freires
book, Thomson-Bunn claims that critical pedagogy is a continuous invention that cries
out for this kind of communal ownership, and that making critical pedagogy common
property grants students the opportunity to disrupt and challenge it [...] it grants them a
greater stake in determining what the writing classroom is for and allows them to invest
more fully in their own education. This idea, similar to Rices article, articulates what is
often thought but seldom explained--that it is important to be critical of critical pedagogy.
For example, in the essay, Thomson-Bunn criticizes the common application of critical
pedagogy in composition courses, stating many composition courses introduce students
to concepts such as critical thinking, and this generally means that students are
introducedimplicitly or explicitlyto what their teacher has decided that being

critical means. In this sense, the very act of defining what is critical is hegemonic;
although exercises in critical thinking can be beneficial to the edification of the student,
there is also a point at which the student must liberate his or herself from the relations of
power that are so embedded in the academy to actually engage in true thinking. That
being said, the applications to tutoring are many; however, I feel the most important is
that we allow ourselves to be both in and outside of the academy in the creation of
knowledge in our sessions. While, admittedly, we are bound by the conventions of
academic writing in our studies, being an outlet of critical creativity and discursive self
determination are important factors in the tutoring process. Although we, as individual
actors, are incapable of dismantling the hegemonic system we are indoctrinated into
known as the academy, we can provide a sort of solace as tutors wherein students are able
to synthesize and criticize discourse whilst we can employ our fluency in the idioms of
the academy to bring their ideas to academic fruition.

Wittman, John. "Biopower and Pedagogy: Local Spaces and Institutional Technologies."
Composition Forum 15 (2006): Composition Forum. Web. 8 Mar. 2016.
<http://compositionforum.com/issue/15/wittmanbiopower.php>
In this essay, Wittman draws heavily on the political philosophy of Hannah
Arendt and frequently returns to the idea of dialogics and the importance of thought
itself. Similar to Freires work, Wittman addresses the importance of constructing a
critical dialogue; however, he further asserts that we also need to consider ways that we
can construct classrooms to encourage students to engage in critical, dialogic
conversations that have to do with the local, contingent, spatial boundaries that already
define them. Wittman argues that, while it is good to expose students to other paradigms,

he feels that it is imperative that we also provide a framework for criticism, as it can be
argued that generating more thoughtful and open forms of dialogue without attending to
the logic that illicitly motivated nave assumptions about others might, as well,
unknowingly perpetuate destructive cultural logics in the context of resistance. If we do
not attend to these core concepts of what Arendt would call going visiting, then,
according to Wittman, we are truly at a loss, and although students are perpetually
looking outward and at a great distanceengaging in good texts, they are not
necessarily engaging with real human beings. The failure of this system of attempted
visiting is, according to Wittman, the shouting of commonplaces at each other--the arrival
at a point where neither resolve nor even stasis can be reached. In regards to tutoring, this
speaks volumes to actually applying ideas presented in Freires book, namely the idea of
engaging with other real human beings. This idea, in itself, is revolutionary to teaching
pedagogies and, as a result, the advancement of critical pedagogy. Asking our students to
go visiting is imperative when considering the rhetorical implications of writing, and
although their writing may not always be critical, it can also be employed in the realm of
audience, allowing our tutees to go visiting in every session whilst collaborating with a
real human being.