In respect for the tentative ways of knowing critical pedagogy, I choose not to define the notion, but rather discuss it from my point of view. It is easier to begin by discussion on what critical pedagogy is not: Critical pedagogy is not prescriptive way of teaching. It is not teacher-proof because it invites teachers to make their own decisions. It is expected to be student-centered but does not prioritize that the student has more to say than the teacher. It is respectful of different traditions, different ways of seeing the world. I would say that critical pedagogy is couched in literacies and, in a non-academic sense, it is couched in the notion of Paulo Freire’s notion of reading the world... the word becomes less important than the world, once one understands the world, cultures, societies, people actually do read the word better. For the purpose of this essay, I embed quotes from Freire’s work to include his voice within the text.

There’s no such thing as neutral education. Education either functions as an instrument to bring about conformity or freedom.
-Richard Shaull, Foreword in Paulo Freire, 1972