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Description
This project examines the resistance to engaged pedagogy. I am responding to what I see as the central crisis of the U.S. educational system: antagonistic relationships between teachers and students. Operating on the assumption that instructors do, indeed, desire more effective classroom environments but that they are skeptical of employing engaged pedagogy out of fear, I set out to reveal three obstacles that stand in the way of improving education. I begin by looking at student resistance in the classroom and show how instructors misread this behavior rather than responding to its cause. Thus, I go on to establish how educational institutions have historically been in place to control specific populations through Louis Althusser's discussion of Ideological State Apparatuses and Paulo Freire's theory of the "banking system." Instructors are hesitant to see themselves as a part of oppression but by aligning themselves with the concerns of students, they can take the first step in ameliorating tensions between students and teachers. Next, I address instructors' tendency to create a hierarchy between them and students by calling into question the legitimacy of "Truth" as a basis for education. Insisting that teachers have a responsibility to impart universal Truths to students creates an exclusionary and incomplete education. Attacks on liberal educators by people such as Lynne Cheney are shown to be rooted in fear and are counterproductive to the best interests of education. Instructors rely on Truth because it grants a level of control over students and although this dehumanizes students, without it there is the fear that the classroom will result in chaos. Therefore, my last chapter looks at how teachers resist engaged pedagogy's ability to create an embodied education, one that utilizes chaos to educational advantages. Western education has split the mind from the body and has censored body, desire, and genuine interaction out of the classroom. bell hooks and Jerry Farber provide valuable insights on how embodied education enriches the classroom. Uncertainty and discomfort do not have to be avoided, but can be harnessed for a more holistic educational experience. Ultimately, I show that, while instructors' fears of progressive pedagogies are understandable, they are not necessary. I want to illustrate the harm that has been done by the educational system, but more importantly, I want to demonstrate the great potential for healing and empowerment that education holds.
