Hirsch, Freire, and Our Pedagogical System
Amber Howell
David Vaughan
Composition II
15 February 2012
Hirsch, Freire, and our Pedagogical System The idea that we are falling behind in the ever advancing race for the highest education rates frightens many Americans. China and Japan have already surpassed the United States in Science and Math, but are they also going to pass us in English literacy rates? Scholars and non-scholars alike have decided that reform is needed to improve our entire education system for the students and our country. English experts have tried to solve our ever declining literacy rates with different theories and years of research. Two of the front runners, Paulo Freire and E. D. Hirsch, have come up with two ideas that have caused agreement and contention between those who are trying to increase literacy rates. Freire gives us the idea that we need to expand on critical literacy and relate our words to our world and our world to our words. He wants students to have more freedom in their learning environment. On the other hand, Hirsch wants a more centralized curriculum to expand our country’s Cultural Literacy. While these two ideas might seem to be complete polar opposites of each other they actually have some similarities. Great ideas can be taken from both of these authors and applied to the reform of our education system desperately needs. There are parts that I agree and disagree with from both Hirsch and Freire, but I believe Freire makes more applicable points. While Hirsch makes the good point that cultural knowledge is required for literacy, I believe that Freire’s critical literacy and “word-world” association would provide a better foundation for pedagogical reform because it is more open for students with different learning abilities and incorporates both culture and personal experience into literacy.
While both Hirsch and Freire have well developed thoughts and ideas, their theories also have some flaws. In his book, Cultural Literacy, Hirsch gives a
David Vaughan
Composition II
15 February 2012
Hirsch, Freire, and our Pedagogical System The idea that we are falling behind in the ever advancing race for the highest education rates frightens many Americans. China and Japan have already surpassed the United States in Science and Math, but are they also going to pass us in English literacy rates? Scholars and non-scholars alike have decided that reform is needed to improve our entire education system for the students and our country. English experts have tried to solve our ever declining literacy rates with different theories and years of research. Two of the front runners, Paulo Freire and E. D. Hirsch, have come up with two ideas that have caused agreement and contention between those who are trying to increase literacy rates. Freire gives us the idea that we need to expand on critical literacy and relate our words to our world and our world to our words. He wants students to have more freedom in their learning environment. On the other hand, Hirsch wants a more centralized curriculum to expand our country’s Cultural Literacy. While these two ideas might seem to be complete polar opposites of each other they actually have some similarities. Great ideas can be taken from both of these authors and applied to the reform of our education system desperately needs. There are parts that I agree and disagree with from both Hirsch and Freire, but I believe Freire makes more applicable points. While Hirsch makes the good point that cultural knowledge is required for literacy, I believe that Freire’s critical literacy and “word-world” association would provide a better foundation for pedagogical reform because it is more open for students with different learning abilities and incorporates both culture and personal experience into literacy.
While both Hirsch and Freire have well developed thoughts and ideas, their theories also have some flaws. In his book, Cultural Literacy, Hirsch gives a
Cited: Cook, Paul G. "The Rhetoricity of Cultural Literacy." Pedagogy 9.3 (2009): 487-500. Freire, Paulo. “The Importance of the Act of Reading.” Academic Universe: Research and Writing at Oklahoma State University. Eds. Richard Frohock, Karen Sisk, Jessica Glover, Joshua Cross, James Burbaker, Jean Alger, Jessica Fokken, Kerry Jones, Kimberly Dyer-Fisher, and Ron Brooks. 2nd ed. Plymouth: Hayden-McNeil, 2012. 281-286. Print. Hirsch, E.D. “Cultural Literacy.” Academic Universe: Research and Writing at Oklahoma State University. Eds. Richard Frohock, Karen Sisk, Jessica Glover, Joshua Cross, James Burbaker, Jean Alger, Jessica Fokken, Kerry Jones, Kimberly Dyer-Fisher, and Ron Brooks. 2nd ed. Plymouth: Hayden-McNeil, 2012. 289-299. Print. Woodhouse, Howard R. “Critical Reflections on Hirsch and Cultural Literacy.” Interchange 20.3 (1989): 80-89. Print