Education as a Quest to Freedom: Reflections on Maxine Greene

Abstract

This paper critically analyses the conceptions of Maxine Greene on education. It is a theoretical paper based on secondary data that seeks to contribute to the growing body of knowledge in education. Education is crucial in the realization of Kenya’s Millennium Development Goals and it is one of the key issues in the social pillar of Kenya Vision 2030 which seeks to have a just and cohesive society enjoying equitable social development in a clean and secure environment. The paper discusses education as a pursuit to freedom for both the individual who is educated and them community/society he/she lives in. The significance of this paper is that educators can relook at the curriculum with a view to changing it to realize education as a quest to freedom. This can be done by changing the teaching approach as well as the attitude of the general public so that education, which is currently exam oriented, becomes all encompassing for the learner and the society as a whole. The discussion is based on Maxine Greene’s philosophies on the use of imagination and the arts to learn as well as the role of education and the role of the teachers in enabling the learners (all human beings) to acquire freedom. It emphasizes experiential education that enables people to see the world from broader and multiple perspectives with regard to society, through the coming together in community, asking questions and critiquing and through consciousness.