Critical Rhetoric and Pedagogy: (Re)Considering Student-Centered Dialogue If students are going to learn how to take risks, to develop a healthy skepticism towards all master narratives, to recognize the power relations that offer them the opportunity to speak in particular ways, and be willing to critically confront their role as critical citizens who can animate a democratic culture, they need to see such behavior demonstrated in the social practices and subject positions that teachers live out and not merely propose. (Giroux, 1992, p. 141) In practice, critical rhetoric seeks to unmask or demystify the discourse of power. The aim is to understand the integration of power/knowledge in society—what possibilities or change the integration invites or inhibits, and what intervention strategies might be considered appropriate to effect social change. (McKerrow, 1989, p. 91 In general, a principle aim of critical2 approaches to pedagogy is the creation of conditions within which students are able to develop a critical consciousness. The pedagogical process of developing critical consciousness (or Paulo Freire's notion of conscientization) 3 involves showing students how to recognize and evaluate structures of power. This pedagogical focus on developing critical consciousness means that students can begin to understand themselves as active agents, enabling them to identify and/or create conditions for the possibility of change in oppressive sociopolitical constructs. As part of this pedagogical approach, student-centered dialogue is cited as essential in facilitating the development of critical consciousness (Friere, 1970; Giroux, 1992; hooks, 1994; McLaren, 1997; Shor, 1997; Tayko & Tassoni, 1998). However, since critical dialogue is most easily facilitated within a relatively small, seminar-like class structure, larger class populations present a considerable challenge. The absence of critical pedagogy literature that discusses this challenge points to a need for theorizing how critical consciousness might be developed with a large number of students. I aim, in this essay, to contribute to that literature by presenting a case study analysis that demonstrates how critical consciousness development can be enabled in a classroom with over 100 students. The case study analysis presented in this essay suggests that student-centered dialogue is not the only--nor is it an essential—means for helping students develop a sense of critical consciousness. Utilizing Raymie McKerrow's (1989) theory of critical rhetoric to analyze the strategies of one teacher, I focus on how the development of critical consciousness is possible without a central focus on student-centered dialogue. In the first section, I offer a brief overview of critical pedagogy as it relates to student-centered dialogue. Outlined in the second section are McKerrow's praxis-oriented aspects of a critical rhetoric. In the third section, the various teaching strategies presented in the case study are analyzed via McKerrow's concepts. In the last section, I suggest possible implications for theorizing critical pedagogy when student- centered dialogue is not a viable option. My hope in offering this example of critical pedagogy-- performed in a context generally deemed inadequate to support such an approach--is to underscore how critical consciousness development does not depend on an . priori focus on student-centered dialogue. Critical Pedagogy & Student-Centered Dialogue In g，英语论文网站，英语论文 |
