Paulo Freire Critical Pedagogy and its Implications in Curriculum Planning

This study tries to investigate Paulo Freire critical pedagogy and its implications in curriculum planning. Freire critical pedagogy, which has been influenced by Frankfort School, has introduced a new approach in contemporary educational issues. Freire lays a particular emphasis on the role of critical understanding to remove deprivation and injustice from societies. He also believes that development of an educational plan, which is in line with the redeemer education, can pave the hopeful way for a basic evolution in education. The present study, first reviews the history of Freire critical pedagogy, then it introduces philosophical fundamentals of Freire critical pedagogy, and explains some principles of curriculum planning based on Freire critical pedagogy. There are several important principles in Freire curriculum planning. These include attention to traditional and indigenous context of society, coaches’ and students’ participation in educational plan development, attention to the political position of education in curriculum planning, the role of cultural segments in curriculum planning, and the direct relationship between curriculum planning and economic production process. Also educating adults with focus on giving education to emancipatory people is considered as one of the main priorities of Freire’s curriculum planning. Keywords: educational planning, critical pedagogy, emancipatory education, adult education, Paulo Freir