Radical Theory of Learning
Education has been historically used to discriminate against marginalized communities based on race, disability, sex, gender, sexuality, and class. Oppressors decide who gets access to education and who does not. Enslaved Africans were not permitted to read. Disabled people were barred from attending higher education via both institutional and physical barriers, and often sent to metal institutions instead. Women were not allowed the right to pursue knowledge beyond homemaking and childcare.
Why? Why is knowledge critical in maintaining the power imbalance within society?
Education, and more specifically learning, is a powerful vehicle for change. It challenges pre-existing beliefs, offers people autonomy, and drives social liberation. Learning empowers individuals to critically consider the world around them and inspires them to take control over their own lives. It enables marginalized communities to understand how their experiences have been shaped by oppression, shows them how to work towards reconciliation and recovery, and encourages them to fight social injustice and inequality (MacKeracher, 2004). I believe the most powerful learning occurs when a diverse range of ideas, experiences, perspectives, and identities are not only considered, but celebrated and shared within communities.
Cognitive Understanding and Critical Reflection
At its core, I define learning as the process of cognitive understanding of content and requires critical reflection of said content. In the context of our society, this means to recognize, interpret, and analyze injustice followed by reflecting on one’s role in the systems of oppression and considering actions to dismantle said systems. These concepts are rooted in constructivist theory (Piaget, 1964), in which learning occurs by building upon past experiences and perspectives to further develop new knowledge and understanding (Cherry, 2023). Constructivist theory relies on the concept of schema, which is a mental framework that processes and organizes information in the brain (Cherry, 2025). Humans learn by building, adapting, and changing these schemas which Piaget and others call accommodating.
I notice powerful connections of constructivism’s knowledge building with Ladson-Billings’s (1995) intentional consideration of learners’ experiences, background, heritage, and culture. Similarly to constructivist theories, Culturally Relevant Pedagogy builds upon past experiences, particularly those related to culture and encourages educators to embrace the learners’ differences. Learning occurs when learners maintain cultural competence and “develop a critical consciousness through which they challenge the status quo of the current social order” (Ladson-Billings, 1995, p. 160). Cognitive understanding and critical reflection form the core of learning, but community and shared empowerment must be incorporated for social change and meaningful learning to occur.
Community and Shared Empowerment
In August of 2020, I started my first year as a Resident Assistant at Moore College of Art & Design. My residence life team and I were responsible for helping residents adjust to living in the dorms, ensuring student safety, and counseling my fellow peers through the horrors of the COVID-19 pandemic. We had to work together, lean on each other, and learn from one another to make it through such unprecedented times. Everyone’s diverse experiences offered valuable insights, perspectives, and creative ideas to solve problems. I learned not only how to better support my fellow students, but also how to engage with and care for my community. This formative experience deeply influenced me and my beliefs about learning: the most powerful learning happens when diverse experiences are celebrated and shared within a community.
Learning occurs in social situations by building the foundation of learning through community (Lave & Wenger, 1991). Within communities, members engage in joint activities and discussions, help each other, share information, and ultimately build relationships (Skills Academia Research & Insights Collective, 2022). This, the situative perspective of learning, was alive and present in my experiences as a Resident Assistant. In addition to learning how to be a part of the system, communities and shared learning are essential to challenge injustice and inequality. Learners who are in dialogue with one another can discuss concerns from their daily lives, examine societal inequities, and take action against oppressive structures (Meriam & Bierema, 2013). This process of conscientization allows learners to critically reflect on their current circumstances and realize they are able to take control over their own life (Meriam & Bierema, 2013).
Autonomy and Social Change
My personal learning philosophy is rooted in radicalism, an extreme extension of humanism. Humanistic philosophies and theories surfaced during the Italian Renaissance to combat the Catholic Church’s widespread belief that humans were inherently sinful (Lange, 2006). Humanism relies on beliefs that humans are inherently good. Radicalist philosophy further expands upon this foundation and states that it is society that is flawed (Lange, 2006). Radicalism challenges injustice and works towards a more equitable, just, and ecologically sustainable society (Lange, 2006). Radicalism calls for a change within the basic structures of society and considers learning to be inherently political (Lange, 2006).
I believe that humans have the potential for growth and “through a powerful analysis of society, individuals can learn to critique the inequality in society and recognize their human agency for creating personal and social transformation within these historical constraints” (Lange, 2006, p. 101). Learners can observe and critically reflect on the injustices in our society. This offers them autonomy and power over their situation, allowing them to find creative solutions and make meaningful change. When learners experience education that is free from Freire's (2005) banking method, and have autonomy over their learning, they can use learning as a tool for social liberation.
Learning plays a crucial role in understanding and deconstructing power roles within the classroom and within society. West’s (1982) prophetic pragmatic approach to learning blends Judeo-Christian beliefs about resisting oppression, European critical theory, American pragmatism, and Black theology to empower people to resist social injustice (Brookfield, 2014). Prophetic pragmatism takes a critically reflective stance towards learning and believes in considering multiple methodologies, experimenting with approaches, and researching different contexts in which people learn in the pursuit of emancipatory learning (Brookfield, 2014).
Conclusion
Learning is cognitive understanding and critical reflection of societal circumstances and how to challenge injustice, inequity, and oppression. Learning is built upon past experiences and is the most impactful when considering a wide range of perspectives, experiences, and knowledge. Learning both occurs within, and builds, communities which can lead to meaningful changes. Learning empowers marginalized communities to resist oppression and fight against injustice by reclaiming their autonomy. Throughout history, education has been weaponized by the oppressors. And throughout history, learning has been at the forefront of resistance.
References
Brookfield, S. (2014). Racializing the discourse of adult education. International Journal of Adult Vocational Education and Technology [IJAVET], 5(4). http://dx.doi.org.proxy2.cl.msu.edu/10.4018/ijavet.2014100102
Cherry, K. (2023). Jean Piaget Biography (1896-1980). https://www.verywellmind.com/jean-piaget-biography-1896-1980-2795549
Cherry, K. (2025). What is a schema in psychology?. https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-a-schema-2795873
Freire, P. (2005). Pedagogy of the oppressed. The Continuum International Publishing Group Inc. https://fsi-ebcao.princeton.edu/sites/g/files/toruqf1411/files/media/freire.pdf
Ladson-Billings, G. (1995). But that's just good teaching! The case for Culturally Relevant Pedagogy.
Lange, E. (2006). Challenging social philosophobia. Thomspon Educational Publishing. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/335377113_Challenging_Social_Philosophobia
Lave, J., & Wenger, E. (1991). Situated learning: Legitimate peripheral participation. https://bibliotecadigital.mineduc.cl/bitstream/handle/20.500.12365/17387/cb419d882cd5bb5286069675b449da38.pdf?sequence=1
MacKeracher, D. (2004). Making sense of adult learning (2nd ed.). University of Toronto Press.
Merriam, S. B., & Bierema, L. L. (2013). Adult learning : Linking theory and practice. John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated. https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.proxy1.cl.msu.edu/lib/michstate-ebooks/detail.action?
Piaget, J. (1964). Cognitive development in children: Development and learning. Journal of research in science teaching.
Skills Academia Research & Insights Collective. (2022, May 26). Communities of practice(Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner) [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmqLyOLIjos
West, C. (1982). Prophesy deliverance: An Afro-American revolutionary Christianity. The Westminster Press.
