Regional Critical Education
Challenges: polarisation, inability to listen
Critical thinking is a democratic learning process examining power relations and social inequities. Even though some education systems include it in their curricula from a young age, critical thinking is often only introduced during secondary/academic studies. Before then, students are taught, and required to know, only one specific view. We strongly oppose this approach as it pushes for young citizens that do not question their reality and, consequently, do not expand their ideas beyond those they already know.
We believe that education systems require radical change. In fact, a lack of critical thought is a key element to the fuelling of polarised viewpoints as it limits one’s opinions to the general sentiment. This becomes a major threat to what is at the core of democratic societies through the distrust and disregard of ideas which are different to one’s own, meaning dialogue is excluded and compromise cannot be reached. This increases polarisation, endorses apathy and consolidates inequalities.
Proposal: critical thinking programmes
We propose introducing critical thinking programmes in school from the primary school level until secondary school. This will develop critical thinkers to prepare them to be able to engage and participate in a democracy. Our policy envisions a critical thinking class, once per week, being introduced from the very first stages of education. Inspired by critical pedagogies theories tied to social justice and democracy and by stimulating creativity through arts, music, plays etc., children would start by learning to identify and understand the existence of diversities and similarities, awakening their critical consciousness and awareness. As the students go through their education, critical race, feminist, queer, critical legal and postcolonial theories, how they interact and their contemporary influence, will be introduced. In order for the program to be efficient, the topics covered would have to be understood within circumstantial dynamics, shifting our focus from a global to local level.
Impact: critical thinkers for a conscious community
We aim at creating a safe and open environment in which teachers help and enable students to develop their own ideas. It is to support and promote not one specific view, but exposing them to various perspectives upon which they can construe their citizenship and identity.
By exposing children to different standpoints from a young age, they would grow into citizens who are able to question what they are told and taught, becoming more aware of injustices and capable of resonating with them. Allow and encourage dissent, debate and dialogue for a more understanding and conscious community. In the long run, this creates a community that is able to assess and critically analyse the facts and political concerns of the “grown-ups” world.
Recognizing major issues
Opposition from religious/cultural groups:
Providing multilateral perspectives and critical religious education will be useful in helping young people understand that other discourses exist to make space for more multi-ethnic/ religious ideas . The aim of the proposal is to stimulate different points of view that can inspire new and personal thoughts to be shared in an open environment.
How can it be applied globally?
The policy would tie the topics and curricula to the local dimension. The focus would be directed to the history, state of politics, state of policies of a given society, excluding a ‘universal’ curriculum that would not be feasible. i.e.: The ideas discussed in European countries may not be relevant to South Asian countries.
What about the teachers?
From the experience of critical theory classes existing in different countries, one of the biggest issues is the possibility of reluctance, ignorance or unwillingness on part of the teachers. The positive impact could be observed in the long run, when a new community of socially aware citizens recognize the importance of providing this “destabilising” approach to teaching. Radical change does not occur overnight, therefore the policy could be introduced in specific (maybe non-governmental schools) schools before applying it at national level.
Funding:
Educational programmes require intense research and investment in time and money. There are a range of free resources and workshops that can be accessed online which prove to be a useful guide to developing critical pedagogies and critical learning programmes. A ‘resource bank’ of sorts with free material that can be accessed by schools would be an effective first step, although some sort of funding and focused research would be required to implement the policy.