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Teaching as a political act: The role of critical pedagogical practices and curriculum

Abstract The present paper is an inquiry into the role of the teacher in the context of the dominant Indian value system, an imposed curriculum and teacher-students interactions from the social psychological and critical interdisciplinary perspectives. The role of the school in the present modernist worldview is to frame and impart knowledge which may lead to economic growth. In this context, the role of the teacher is observed as being limited to a bearer of information rather than a leader who visualizes change and develops critical ability among students. Based on the theoretical framework of postformalism and collective/social identity, the current work argues that the role of the teacher is not limited to passively following and communicating mainstream values but involves constructing a new participative identity through critical pedagogical engagement and by acting as an active agent of social change.