Transforming Teacher Education: Embracing Critical Pedagogy for Inclusive and Equitable Classrooms

Abstract

[Instructor Name] Teachers are subjects of oppression in schools and align themselves in the ideologies that they are sources of knowledge in schools, and students are the subordinates. The analogy that teachers are always right has faced controversy hence the need for critical pedagogy and teacher education. Critical pedagogy is philosophical teaching focusing on eliminating the oppression of students. It encourages students to be custodians of their own lives and encourages them to challenge school oppression and society. Teacher educators face adversity in preparing teachers to tackle both academic and linguistic development. According to (Bartolome 2004), teacher educators do not examine the teachers’ assumptions, beliefs, and values which creates unconscious teaching when working with linguistic minority hence politically, economically, and economically subordinate students. Bartolome also discusses the importance of infusing teacher education with critical pedagogy to ensure potentially harmful ideologies in schools and classrooms are eliminated. Ladson Billings, in his book, the dream keepers give an analysis of the methodologies of teaching African American children to achieve culturally relevant teaching. Ladson billings and Bartolome focus on teacher education's essentiality through critical pedagogy philosophy to create culturally relevant teaching. Teacher education is necessary to avoid marginalization based on ethnicity and race in schools and society; teacher educators should embrace critical pedagogy and culturally relevant teaching. Principles of critical pedagogy and skills on culturally relevant teachings are what the methodologies teacher should have to impart to students to create a democratic and harmonious society. Students are responsible for identifying their cultural backgrounds to ascertain the rot and good that lies beneath it. Teachers need to develop political and ideological clarity to increase academic success for all students (Bartolome 2004). To establish the two powerful teaching principles, there is a need for teacher education classrooms whereby teachers can understand political and cultural roles in the perverse, harmful, and dominant educational practices. The to achieve political and ideological clarity teachers should be conscious of the sociopolitical, economic realities and compare with its existing hierarchy in the dominant society. Teacher awareness of racism and marginalization on education processes and culture is a weapon of creating a community that incorporates their views and students. Without assimilation of political and ideological clarity, teachers will be victims of policy learning rather than a culturally relevant learning system. Social class and status derail many students in school, affecting their intellectual abilities and merit. According to (Billings 2009 ), the knowledge tested in school is memory-based and full of meritocracy. Skilful teachers apply critical pedagogy principles by driving students into a world of discovery and innovation. Students can relate with teachers to establish vital and cognitive ideologies. Teacher education on the diversity of culture and the African Americans' adversities is vital in creating...