Journal 2

 In this second session of the seminar, I learned many interesting aspects and features of the critical theory. One of them is that we constantly are subjugated in different aspects by our gender, race, sex, and economy. We usually dream of being emancipated at all but this is something almost impossible because when we get freedom on something there is still another factor in which we continuing being subjugated. However, it is important to keep working on our empowerment and emancipation. Yet something more interesting is the fact that we as teachers have the power or the role not only to empower ourselves but have others to be empowered or make others to be emancipated. That is, we as teachers can become critical activists. 

Another interesting fact that I learned during this session is the concept of instrumental or technical rationality, which specially focuses on we as humans choose the power and materialistic goals over the values and moral. That does not matter if we hurt someone in the process of accomplishing what I want. This instrumental rationality is also presented in educational settings since the positivist framework is reduced to technical issues that focus on testing and measuring teaching practices and students' knowledge. Likewise, in education, aspects like values and the moral are in a second or even last place after many other things. All mentioned is important for me and for my profession because it is useful to learn and identify all these sources of power in our educational context in order to make a change in my future teaching experiences. 

Glossary:

Enlightenment: To erase the power that some people exercise people over others. Being able to think without any change.

Empower: Have control over something. Be able to propose, have ideas, etc.

Habitus: The culture defines us as to how we are as persons. The values, moral, knowing, those things are constituted our own habitus.

Subordinated culture: It is not allowed to be a part of society. It has no power.

Democracy: To have the power to make decisions about what we want and how. 

Positivist system: It especially focuses on testing and measurement the quality of our teaching, our research, and student learning.