Teaching Philosophy at GCAS

“Education either functions as an instrument that is used to facilitate the integration of the younger generation into the logic of the present system and bring about conformity to it, or it becomes  ‘the practice of freedom,’ the means by which men and women critically and creatively engage with reality and discover how to participate in the transformation of their world.“

-Paulo Freire

Our Teaching Pedagogy

GCAS believes that education changes the world. Our philosophy and our practice are imbued with the commitment and the resources to create a world in which democratic, transformative thinking and action will flourish. Our program is designed to respond to the needs of our planet and our students using an integrated approach- philosophically, politically, ecologically, economically, institutionally or otherwise. We strive to teach the whole student.

With this model of cooperative education, we believe that both students and faculty can engage in thinking and practices that benefit, rather than harm, our physical and social world. We respect and amplify this inherent social dimension of thinking and learning in order to help discover the full capacity of such edifying relationships. This socially-centered praxis includes economically supporting the student with a low-cost education which can lead to co-ownership upon graduation.     

Becoming a teacher at GCAS College Dublin means promoting and guiding this cooperation between the faculty, the student and the world. It means bringing not only your skills as a theorist and practitioner, but also your history as a person and a conscientious global citizen. GCAS College maintains the conviction that academic freedom for teachers is one of the pillars of a free society.  

Coursing through all these endeavors is the principle that education changes the world, not as an after-effect, but because education itself is already in the world, shaping and re-shaping it. We openly invite others who recognize this critical and creative principle to get involved with our school.