Embedded Files
My journey in education began twenty years ago. I still recall my first day nervous and unsure as the head teacher led me to my classroom and opened a door that, even after two decades, remains open for me. I see it as a gateway to building a future community. Over the years, although I have worked with various age groups, my core goal has remained the same: to develop critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and resilience among learners, while strongly advocating for social justice.
My journey in education began twenty years ago. I still recall my first day nervous and unsure as the head teacher led me to my classroom and opened a door that, even after two decades, remains open for me. I see it as a gateway to building a future community. Over the years, although I have worked with various age groups, my core goal has remained the same: to develop critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and resilience among learners, while strongly advocating for social justice.
I believe education is a powerful tool for empowerment and transformation. Teaching, to me, is not about transferring facts but about nurturing critical thinking, empathy, and agency. My philosophy stands on three pillars: honoring each learner’s uniqueness, committing to social justice, and fostering lifelong learning.
I view the classroom as a community rather than a hierarchy. Each student brings a unique set of experiences, strengths, and challenges. As a facilitator, I strive to create a safe, inclusive space where every voice is valued, every question matters, and diversity is celebrated. As Jean Piaget (1936) noted, children are not "empty vessels" to be filled with knowledge. True learning happens when students engage, question, and connect ideas to the world around them. Vygotsky’s theory of the Zone of Proximal Development (1978) further emphasizes the importance of social interaction in enhancing learning, reinforcing my belief in collaborative education.
Midway through my career, I was deeply inspired by Paulo Freire’s work (1970) which strengthened my commitment to social justice. I now center my teaching on critical pedagogy, encouraging learners to examine societal structures, power dynamics, and their own capacity for change. I aim to inspire students to not only achieve personal success but also contribute positively to their communities.
I believe teaching is about planting seeds of curiosity that grow long after students leave the classroom. In a rapidly evolving world, facts may become outdated, but skills like inquiry, reflection, and adaptability endure. Therefore, I emphasize not just content mastery but also nurturing critical thinking, creativity, and resilience.
Ultimately, my philosophy is rooted in hope…the hope that education can build a more just, compassionate, and vibrant world, one learner at a time.
References:
Piaget, J. (1936). Prof. Jean Piaget: A Moving Picture World. The Science News-Letter, 30(805), 167. https://doi.org/10.2307/3912950
Vygotsky, L. (1978). Mind in society: the
Development of Higher Psychological Processes. Harvard University Press.
Freire, P. (1970). Pedagogy of the Oppressed. Penguin Books.
From Rote to Revolution: Reimagining Pakistani Education with Paulo Freire
From Rote to Revolution: Reimagining Pakistani Education with Paulo Freire
Paulo Freire’s critical and revolutionary pedagogy is a seminal work in the field of education and social justice. He emphasized the need of a pedagogy that empowers the oppressed to achieve liberation. Freire criticize the traditional education system which he describes as “Banking Education” where learners are considered as empty vessel where as teachers are depositor of knowledge. He proposed "problem-posing education" where through dialogic process, teachers and learners are engaged to think critically reflect on their reality and working in collaboration to transform it.
If we examine the key points of Freire’s "Pedagogy of the Oppressed" which explores several profound themes there are many similarities in context of Pakistani education system. When we study about oppression and liberation it clearly matched with the situation in our system, its phenomena of true liberation clearly indicates that situation can be handled if oppressed are active participant in their own education .Our education system currently showed a true picture of Freire’s Banking model of education where teaching and learning practices are teacher centered and there is no advocacy for learners. Hence his model of Problem – posing education seems more appropriate according to our needs, which enhance the critical thinking and dialogue between teachers and learners. In Pakistan only hope to change this oppressed system is "dialogic learning" .According to Freire vision dialogue is a center point of education system. Whereas this dialogue is beneficial for both teacher and learner. The concept of critical consciousness, encompasses social, political and economic awareness which leads to take action against oppressive elements of the society, which in turn developing awareness about social justice. In Pakistani context individuals are deal like an object which are unable to think. Freire’s pedagogy give us a road map to be followed to bring changes in our education system and enables learners to engage in learning processes to enhance their critical thinking and make them aware about the problems .
Freire's work continues to inspire educators and activists around the world to rethink the role of education in promoting social justice and empowerment.
Reference:
Freire, P. (1970). Pedagogy of the Oppressed. Bloomsbury Academic.
Paulo Freire - An Incredible Conversation.
Paulo Freire's last public interview, given to Literacy.org in 1996. Embedded from YouTube.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse