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Critical pedagogy is a teaching concept that encourages educators to educate students to analyze power and oppression structures. It is based on critical theory, which entails being aware of and challenging society norms. A teacher utilizes their own enlightenment to urge pupils to examine and fight inequities that present in families, schools, and society in critical pedagogy.

Because of the way it analyzes systems that are typically taken for granted, this educational concept is considered progressive and even radical by some.

With the IB PYP being implemented at Eastwood International School, the path to applying critical pedagogy in the classroom became clear and simple. The IB PYP system is designed around transdisciplinary themes that are followed by central ideas and lines of inquiry. Such central ideas and lines of inquiry can be dissected and analyzed whichever way the teacher or students find best. This flexibility allows our students to delve into topics they have always questioned or criticized but have never been given the resources or proper facilitation to do so.

In a Grade 1 class, under the theme of “How the World Works” and the central idea “The components of the solar system impact life on Earth” the students redirected a class into a discussion on aliens and the question of their existence. As a teacher, I found it to be a great opportunity to prompt the students with questions like: How do scientists know what they know? Are there certain people who get to know information that we don’t? We dissected privilege in science through a concept that they find amusing and interesting.

Another great example would be in Grade 5, under the theme of “How We Organize Ourselves” with the central idea “Leadership systems impact opportunities for decision making and problem-solving.” A topic related to governments was bound to create conversations around power, leadership traits and social issues like racism, sexism and the environment. Through the key concept of connection, we analyzed how such can exist because of prevailing government systems and leadership traits and how our systems sometimes do not allow for change to occur.

Obviously, adopting critical pedagogy in different disciplines will look different, and what works in one class may not work in another. A history teacher, for example, may dispute a usually progressive event, whereas a literature instructor may query a popular cultural stereotype seen in a book. A science teacher, on the other hand, may push pupils to consider how scientific findings affect underrepresented populations. As the critical approach is not limited to a single field of education or culture, this will frequently include identifying common threads throughout courses.

One of the most integral components of leadership is leading with integrity, doing the right thing even when no one is watching. Our leadership values necessitate transparency and accountability in all interactions.

Our leadership approach is transformational. We aim to lead by example, to inspire a common vision, to challenge the status quo, to enable others to act, and to, most importantly, lead with care and support. Our leadership team is varied and approaches tasks in a collaborative manner, acknowledging the importance of each member in ensuring that the process and deliverables are of a top quality.

In light of the dynamics of Lebanese society, youths in Lebanon are readily mobilized. However, these mobilizations highlight the politicized and heated character of the situation. This continues to pose a problem to Lebanon's young. Political affiliations impact teenage perspectives of their own society, which is saturated with messages of intolerance and the desire to be inferior to others (Khouri et al., 2010).

As a result, it was critical to establish a program and a set of values that brought individuals from many backgrounds together to work on shared concerns and achieve positive outcomes, because some Lebanese young recognize the corruption of former and current political leaders.

In a July 2007 study of 1500 Lebanese adolescents conducted by Catholic Relief Services (CRS), half of those polled identified "capacity to work together" as the most crucial trait of an ideal leader (Khouri et al., 2010).

Faour and Muasher (2011, p. 13) claim that "the political commitment to generate autonomous, creative pupils has been lacking in Arab countries for reasons of self-preservation—doing so would produce people capable of confronting authority—whether political, religious, or traditional." Essentially, well-informed, independent-minded students pose a tremendous challenge to a government's standing commands, and this is still common in the country of Lebanon.

As a result, in order to rebuild Lebanon's civil society, it is necessary to empower young people in Lebanon to be independent-minded and critical thinkers in order to become societal innovators capable of leading their own lives and communities. In order to act on this conviction, social values must be reinforced in educational settings where young people are beginning to develop and prosper in their societies.

Aside from the leadership model we practice at Eastwood International School, we have set programs that explicitly teach students leadership qualities with the John Maxwell Foundation called “I Choose to Lead with EIS”. After its tremendous success, we transitioned to teaching these skills to our very own teachers with the same organization titled “Leadership in Crisis” but also we offered them a chance to take an online course called “Leaders of Learning” on HarvardX.

One of the most essential components of growth is to give back to the community and its surroundings, to provide a beacon of hope amid chaos and uncertainty. We acknowledge that the learning process is composed of a give-and-take mechanism.

The IB Primary Years Programme prides itself in creating a curriculum that students can relate to in real life and apply in their communities. At the end of each unit, our students create a project that sums up their learning.

Here are some examples of taking action happening in our classes at Eastwood International School:

At the end of Unit 2, KG2 created their own campaign to teach their classmates how to protect their senses. Grade 2 students planted a seed at the end of Unit 2 to apply their knowledge of plants and agriculture and to promote a greener school community. To finalize Unit 3, Grade 4 learners held a mini-exhibition in which they presented an explorer of their choice, followed by an artistic act. At the end of Unit 2, Grade 5 showcased their learning on identities and social movements through a public event where they each gave a talk about a story regarding their identity.

Inspired by our very own learners, we decided to reinitiate community service with our grades 3, 4, and 5. Students are asked to complete 25 hours of community service by the end of the year. We have modeled and explained what community service is about. We have also discussed some opportunities with our students.

We launched this program by taking our students to Live Love Recycle in Mansourieh. Grade 4 hosted a bake sale on school grounds, whose funds were later donated to a charity. Grade 5 partnered with Grade 1 to read together and later partnered with KG2 for a beach cleanup.

It is critical that younger kids learn about community service.
It instills empathy in children at a young age and exposes them to situations other than their own. Children are encouraged to collaborate and work as a team to achieve a common objective of bettering the lives of individuals other than themselves. Outside of the classroom, real-world life skills come to life. For example, health and nutrition knowledge taught in science class might help students prepare care packages for homeless people in need of food and basic hygiene goods.

Who would have thought that students as young as three years old could guide some of our practices at Eastwood International School. We are in the process of fostering a play-based environment that alleviates morale and provides teachers with more creativity and flexibility in approaching their day-to-day tasks and duties. These play opportunities are provided to Eastwood educators in the form of workshops. The best way to learn is through play, whether we are three years old, ten years old, thirty years old, or more!
I frequently hear from teachers that the joy of teaching is non-existent. I frequently observe pupils simply being cooperative learners in courses that can only reach students in the middle and upper grades. When I compare these circumstances to the previously stated notion of happiness, they do not match. Students of all ages are plodding through school, not experiencing learning situations in which they are recognized for what they already know or in which they may interact and learn from their classmates. Students are not being placed in learning circumstances that allow them to reach their full potential. Putting children in groups, allowing them to learn from one another, and cooperating toward a shared objective lays the groundwork for equity, not to mention restoring happiness to the classroom.
Teachers were long thought to be the heart of the classroom. They were doing all of the preparation, gathering materials, teaching the classes, grading the assignments, and then being upset when it didn't pay off! When, at the end of the process, teachers were unsure of what the kids had learned and how they might apply it until the assessment (pick one- common assessment, end of unit, benchmark, state standardized). It's no surprise that instructors claim that happiness is no longer present in the classroom. Pouring your heart and energy into a well-developed unit only to have just 45 percent of your students perform at proficiency is soul destroying, especially when you add all of the additional "teacher obligations" on top of that.
How can we transition from conventional teacher-centered classrooms to team-centered classrooms where autonomy is honored and everyone's potential is seen, therefore restoring joy to teaching and learning?
This occurs when teachers discover the power of "letting go!"
They limit direct instruction to 10-minute periods and allow their pupils to assimilate the knowledge as a group (Scaffolded Learning).
We give frameworks for students to engage appropriately inside this student team (Team Talk/Team Ownership/Supportive Teams).
Teachers give mechanisms for teams to use in resolving disagreements and learning from one another.
Last but not least, teachers provide students a work or activity in which positive conflict happens and students learn as a result (Purposeful/Rigorous Task)!
Teachers gather evidence (formative assessment) to determine if students need more assistance with the topic or whether they are ready to go on and go deeper with the curriculum as they verify that students are learning. Teachers are taking action in the moment during core instruction, which is narrowing the achievement gap on a daily basis.
Teachers are not tired by the fact that they are the only ones with all of the information; instead, they are seeing the fruits of their hard work in action. They're putting their knowledge to the test as they use what they've learned to guide their next moves. Most crucially, they are decreasing the achievement gap on a daily basis—and they are doing it by being able to forecast student success on any testing (pick one- common assessment, end of unit, benchmark, state standardized). Now that love and happiness have been reintroduced into the classroom, it is time to teach!