Essay, Pages 3 (615 words)
The process of education is a complex one. Pedagogy, which refers largely to the style of the transmittal of education also involves a complex set of processes and procedures. There are times, however, that pedagogy is enforced and that almost all students are expected to catch up with the pedagogy. This approach can sometimes be tedious to those who have learning difficulties. For one, there might be language and other barriers. Given these barriers and difficulties, the learners do have different levels in which they apply the pedagogy effectively.
Because of this issue, it is not only the methods that matter but the situation of the learner instead. In order to implement a humanizing pedagogy, the needs, limitations and style of learning of the learners should be taken into account. Otherwise, it would show that the learners are working for the methods rather than the methods being used for the benefit of the learners. This might take a while before traditional approaches are done away with and finally put in place a humanizing pedagogy that does not only focus on the methods but rather, one that focuses on the learners and their ability to grasp the lessons being taught to them.
This can only be done by recognizing economic, political and social barriers in addition to the educational barriers. Another musing that arises because of this discussion is that education at times functions as a training ground that intends to produce technicians rather than producing well-educated people. As such, pedagogy should enable humans to realize their full potential and that is what is meant when people are talking about humanizing pedagogy.
Almost every aspect of human life is rife with customs and culture.
In this regard, the classroom is no exception. Although the learners who attend these classrooms come from different backgrounds socially, religiously, economic, and political. Yet, when they enter the schools, they manage to create their own culture, which does not necessarily center on the teacher as the focal point. Rather, there are small details of the interactions between learners, between learners and teachers, and there are those processes within the classroom that warranted the creation of such classroom culture.
Given this classroom culture, the teacher should be sensitive enough to employ a pedagogy that makes full use of this classroom culture. Such move will create a level of respectability because of the display of sensitivity on the part of the teacher. If, however, the culture created within the classroom has considerable break with some of the established rules of conduct, it is also the duty of the teacher to gently correct such mistakes and point out the correct way of doing things.
Lastly, there are a large number of innovations going on in the area of Information Technology. Education has not escaped this trend and multimedia products and softwares are now being used to enhance the educational experience of learners. New technologies, however, can only do so much, especially if teachers and students alike are not very familiar with such gadgets. It cannot be denied, however, that new technology is enabling new forms of relationships between the school and students.
The advent of the Internet has made it easier to access information—such has literally become a click away. Excessive reliance on new technology, however, may not be very beneficial in the long run as the skills and talents of individuals will be replaced by the functionalities of the new technologies. No matter what kind of technology is used, what matters is the sensitivity of the teacher about the needs and limitations of the learner.
Darder, A. , Baltodano, M. and Torres, R. (2003). Eds. The Critical Pedagogy Reader. New York: Routledge