Teaching conformity through coercion limits students' willingness to take risks and make decisions regarding their learning. In contrast, a Foxfire classroom environment that meets psychological needs empowers students to make choices about their learning, eliminates fear of failure, allows students to establish their own standards of achievement,…

Highlights ideas of Paulo Freire that are relevant to the meaning of democratic teaching. Freire believes that the traditional curriculum leads teachers and students to conform, and he advocates "conscientization" or a democratic approach to teaching in which the learner actively participates in understanding and defining the personal…