Pedagogical Listening as an Activator of Critical Thinking:

Freirean Dialogues and the Reconfiguration of Science Education

Abstract

This critical theoretical essay investigates pedagogical listening as a founding principle for the reconfiguration of science education, focusing on the activation of critical thinking. Based on a hermeneutic analysis of a selected
bibliographic corpus, the study traces the genealogy of the concept, from the Montessori silence to the Malaguzzian sensitive listening, in order to then deepen its radicalization in Paulo Freire’s dialogical thought. It is argued that listening, understood as an ethical and epistemological act, constitutes the necessary condition to overcome the transmissive paradigm, transforming the classroom
into a space for collective problematization. The analysis projects these premises onto the field of science education, demonstrating how listening qualifies the treatment of socio-scientific issues and demands teacher training centered on the development of the listening-teacher, capable of managing dialogue and uncertainty as axes of learning.