Contemporary Alternate Pegagogies as Heralds of a Paradigm Shift

Abstract

Introduction:  Over the last few years, a number of theories have emerged which bring into question some of the established practices in our educational system.  It appears that these theories have resulted from a dissatisfaction with the product-oriented approach to education, the approach that has dominated the practice since public education began.  While theorists such as Dewey (1902, 1938) and Whitehead (1929) proposed a more process-oriented approach to education in the early 1900s, their ideas, with a few minor exceptions, have not swayed the traditional "transmission" approach which is so deeply rooted in our present system.  To explore whether these recent theories are significant enough to contribute to a fundamental shift in the present perspective will require an analysis of their assumptions and their potential impact on educational practices, and an investigation into how these differ from the established assumptions which dominate current approaches to education.  The contemporary theories I would like to consider are the alternate pedagogies that are becoming more prevalent in the literature: the constructivist approach, critical pedagogy and feminist pedagogy.  While it is beyond the scope of this paper to include a thorough analysis of these pedagogies, I hope to review some of the key components of each.