Freirean critical pedagogy and the decolonization of minds : importance for community colleges in the U.S. higher education system

Abstract

As an important part of U.S. higher education, community colleges provide access to post-secondary education for students commonly underrepresented in higher education and from marginalized segments of U.S. society. These students also carry with them a long history of colonization resulting in domination, oppression and exploitation. They are susceptible to conform to workforce vocational training that emphasizes rote skills acquisition and to fitting into the corporatized society as ‘obedient’ workers. A Freirean critical pedagogy with concepts of conscientização, praxis, and questioning can constitute an avenue for students to decolonize their minds leading to awareness of possibilities and realization of potentials. Employing a Freirean critical pedagogy can also counter workforce vocational training by developing a critical pedagogy of work education as envisioned by Simon, Dippo & Schenke (1991) or a democratic vocational education as articulated by Kincheloe (1999).