De-institutionalizing higher Education? Critical pedagogy in non-classroom educational settings. A study from Greece.

Abstract

This thesis is an in-depth study of aspects of critical education. Through the lenses of distinguished educators that support critical education, the study examines the possibilities that critical education has to offer to all participants in education, as well as the potential for people to think critically about their environment, the inequalities in education and society and about the dominant norms of the financial system. Moreover, the thesis examines the experiences and views of a sample of students and teachers of the academic society of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AuTh), Greece in terms of both critical education and outdoor education. It explores their vision about higher education, in a time where radical neoliberal reforms are changing the status of the Greek Universities. Finally, the thesis describes and examines a series of lessons that took place outside of the norms and physical classrooms of formal education, providing nevertheless high educational standards, changes in the hierarchy and power relationships in education, and fostering more inclusive education and an element of hope. My intention is to explore, through the narratives of the interviewees, whether non-classroom educational settings can achieve educational goals, such as student-oriented education, education of inclusion, outdoor-education perspectives which have long been the target of many educators. Therefore, it focuses on the theory of critical pedagogy, to embrace the dynamic and potential of education in public spaces. I believe that critical education theory can provide a framework, to explore the potential that education has for creating social change. More importantly, this thesis argues that critical education and education of hope is possible, even in difficult moments, to offer a glimmer of hope and an answer to the question; what now? What lies ahead?. The methodology used for primary data collection is interviews and for secondary data, theory research.