Critical Pedagogy: Notes from the Real World (3rd Edition)

Critical Pedagogy: What the heck is it? Why would you want to do it? Do I really need to do another new book on how to teach?
All of these questions I asked myself before I got this book. I would have to say after reading this book I now understand what it is, why I would do it and I really do want this book on my shelf as a soon to be teacher. This book tells the what, why, how and where of critical pedagogy. It is a much needed resource. The book has true to life examples for those who need to see how it affects people. Wink is very excited about Critical Pedagogy and it shows through her book.

Textbooks can be a challenge for some students, but I believe that most students who do not enjoy reading or struggle with reading a textbook will find Dr. Wink's text to be extremely palatable. The text is sprinkled with personal stories and experiences, illustrations, graphs and other visual elements to make understanding a little more clear. However, if you are more akin to just facts and theories, this might not be the book for you. At times, I did find the reading to be a little too light and fluffy (the personal stories were a bit distracting) according to my own personal taste for college text reading, but I must applaud Dr. Wink for bridging the gap well between complex ideas and everyday language that is easy to comprehend and relate to for most people. Regardless of the writing style, I do feel that I did gain a lot more insight and knowledge of what Critical Pedagogy is by reading this text, and also that I have a good foundation of information for building up more knowledge on the subject. Dr. Wink is an absolutely delightful soul to interact with and I enjoyed my course with her very much.

I currently had the pleasure to take Dr. Winks class and was assigned an amazing book; "Critical Pedagogy." This was truly the best book I had read in a while. It demonstrates great information that will benefit not only teachers, but future teachers. You really see the passion of Dr Wink's teaching in her book. This book is easy to read, which I loved. I am very visual and this book contained wonderful graphs and tables. I liked this book because it talks about Dr. Wink's experiences, which I also enjoyed reading. This book does a great job with describing the 3 models of Critical Pedagogy which are: Transformative, Generative, and Transmission. IT'S A MUST HAVE BOOK!!
-Romina (CSUS)

If I could sum my experience of reading the book in 3 words I would say I: Learn, unlearn, and relearn. When you read the book, you'll understand these three words on another level. I discovered a potential within myself to embrace new ideas as people like Dr. Wink share with the world in essence their notes of the real world for aspiring educators and lifelong learners encounter. I read this week that literacy is a threat to what we know because words are alive in that they carry the message, the essence of the author (who they are, what they believe). I prove this to be true as Wink's passion for learning transforms the academic educational jargon of theories and principles into comprehensible input. Dr. Wink's writing will not only evoke you to reflect on those childhood learning experiences but also on those pedagogical mindsets we tend to develop as humans. Interestingly enough, she shares story after story of how teachers, students, and the community are active agents of learning. Each one has a role of their and share a common one: we are all learners. Humbly I acknowledge my need to unlearn many things that have place limitations on approaching learning in a transformative way. Read the book!

-Cruz (CSU Stanislaus)

Throughout my educational years as an undergraduate student, I have heard the term critical pedagogy several times, but I never knew what the real meaning was. Every time I heard that term, I was just so confused because I heard it so much, but I did not know what it meant. I have always questioned it and even tried to look it up in a dictionary, but that was not much help. Then finally when I got this book for one of my classes, I was determined to read it, hoping to find its meaning. I thought it was going to be another textbook that I would fall asleep as soon as I opened it. When I started to read it, my assumption was absolutely wrong. The author, Joan Wink, filled this textbook with lively real life examples, personal experiences, inspiring stories, and even lessons that can be adapted into your own classroom. At first, I was expecting Joan Wink to provide the reader with a simple definition of critical pedagogy, in which I could just remember the definition. But that did not happen. After reading a few more chapters, I had a better understanding of why she did this. Since there is not a simple definition to define critical pedagogy, the authors provides many examples to help the readers come up with their own definition that will be meaningful to them. Reading this textbook has helped me gain a better understanding of critical pedagogy. Like Joan Wink mentioned, "We don't do critical pedagogy, we live it." Critical pedagogy requires an individual to name, to reflect critically, and to act; in which, this process takes time and patience. If you want to make a difference, live critical pedagogy. If you still don't know what critically pedagogy is and want to know more, I truly recommend you to read this book. After reading, you will be sure to have a better understanding. This textbook is a really easy read with lots of inspirational and valuable information.