Toward a Richer Theory of Feminist Pedagogy: A Comparison of “Liberation” and “Gender” Models for Teaching and Learning

Abstract

This essay articulates two distinct sources for the set of teaching practices that have come to be called “feminist pedagogy.” The separate contributions of liberation pedagogy and of feminist theories of women's development are described. It is argued that neither approach taken by itself is adequate to produce a feminist pedagogy that fully challenges the androcentric universals of conventional teaching practices. By synthesizing the two approaches, however, feminist pedagogy can be developed in a way that will have a strong influence on contemporary education.