Pedagogy of the Oppressed: The Design Theory For Our Future

Pierce Otlhogile-Gordon, Ph.D.
9 min readOct 4, 2020

We need new ways to think about transforming the world. Fortunately, the path was trailblazed half a century ago.

Photo by Jan Huber on Unsplash

Does going to school make you feel empowered?

Think back to the last time you were in a classroom.

We’re not talking about when you walked across the stage, or the few times in your life you used your education at your job. I’m talking about those morose times in a lecture hall, learning about whatever topic you’ll forget at the end of the semester.

Let’s go back. Actively sitting in the seat, listening to a professor, taking quizzes and tests, going to office hours (if you’re that kind of overachiever), Today, sitting in front of the Zoom, How did it make you feel?

Honestly, I haven’t.

Full disclosure: I’ve always been good at school. I don’t get sweaty and anxious during tests. I feel comfortable asking questions and sitting in front of the classroom. If I HAVE to, I can memorize the topics at hand, and I love helping other people through the text they might have missed. But, I have to admit: I’ve never felt empowered by the learning process.

No matter how well I did, school always felt like a circus where I couldn't find the ringmaster. We learned what we were told, we…

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