Freire's Philosophical Views on Education Presenter: Terry Ann Harrison

About Paolo Freire Freire was born in Brazil on September 19, 1921. He was an educated man. 1934 - traditional upper-class boys private high school. University of Recife in Brazil, law student 1959 - Ph.D. Thesis, “Present-day Education in Brazil’’.  Died May 2, 1997 

About Paolo Freire cont’d

Freire was imprisoned following the 1964 coup d’etat for what the new regime considered to be subversive elements in his teaching in exile in Chile where his method was used and the UN School of Political Sciences held seminars on his work. In 1969-70 he was Visiting Professor at the Centre for the Study of Development and Social Change at Harvard University. World Council of Churches in Geneva where, in 1970, he took up a post as special consultant in the Office of Education. Paulo Freire was able to return to Brazil by 1979. Freire joined the Workers’ Party in Sao Paulo and headed up its adult literacy project for six years.  When the party took control of Sao Paulo municipality following elections in 1988, Paulo Freire was appointed as Sao Paulo’s Secretary of Education

Key Concepts Praxis (Action/Reflection) - act together upon their environment in order critically to reflect upon their reality and so transform it through further action and critical reflection  Generative Themes - characterized by a complex of ideas, concepts, hopes, doubts, values and challenges in dialectical interaction with their opposites striving towards their fulfilment.

Key Concepts Easter Experience - those who authentically commit themselves to the people must re-examine themselves constantly Dialogue - question what he or she knows and realize that through dialogue existing thoughts will change and new knowledge will be created.

Key Concepts Conscientization - process of developing a critical awareness of one’s social reality through reflection and action.  Action is fundamental because it is the process of changing the reality.  Codification -  way of gathering information in order to build up a picture (codify) around real situations and real people.  Banking Concept Of Knowledge

Concepts the contrast between "banking" education (in which facts are deposited into the minds of passive students) and problem-posing education; the educational process is never neutral. People can be passive recipients of knowledge — whatever the content — or they can engage in a ‘problem-posing’ approach in which they become active participants. it is essential that people link knowledge to action so that they actively work to change their societies at a local level and beyond.

Key concepts cont’d The notion of conscientization (which is much more than simply awareness-raising); People bring their own knowledge and experience into the process Training is typically undertaken in small groups with lively interaction and can embrace not only the written word but art, music and other forms of expression.

Freire’s Views on education The education system must help learners to develop their own ideas and capitalize on their abilities as being active participants in changing their world. Criticized the dominant in society and did not appreciate the traditional method of the education (Banking Education) in which knowledge is presented by the teacher through a predetermined set of curriculum. Dialogue between the teacher and learner was of paramount importance as this encourages responsibility and autonomy for both.

Freire’s Views on education He encouraged teachers to make their class more democratic - students become active learners while maintaining mutual respect. Empowerment of the learner, encouraging people to be masters of their own destiny. Learners must work towards maximizing their skills and abilities and see how they can change the world in which they live.

Acquiring critical consciousness is seen as a key facet in the education process. To him, learners must realize that their learning is their duty and is of utmost importance for them to properly integrate and function in this contemporary time of the twenty-first century global technological village we called the world.

Application of Freire’s Philosophy in the Jamaican Classroom Teachers should pose problems then allow students to come up with answers. Instead of telling students to do, teachers can allow them to think for themselves by allowing them to think of real world experiences. For example a teacher teaching the concept of clouds instead of telling students the characteristics of the clouds, have them go outside and identify the clouds then tell how they look, therefore they will define the characteristics of each types of clouds for themselves.

Application The teacher-student and the students-teachers need to work together to identify the themes to create the program content or educational units of study. Teachers should not be dictators, rather teachers and students should work as a unit. Teachers should also be opened minded to the fact that they too learn in the process. Encouragement of conversation, or dialogue as critical thinking and dialogue are intimately linked. In order for students to be able to solve problems, they must first become.

conclusion Paulo Freire theorized that education cannot be neutral; it can either be domesticating or liberating. The main principle of Freire’s approach to education is to present knowledge problematically in a problem posing dialogue which offers more opportunities for students to participate actively and to reflect critically. The teacher is no longer an information giver but a co-communicator with students in the dialogue. Both teacher and students should share the responsibility in managing and directing the learning process. Students should get a chance to problem solve and explore various options related to the topic they are pursuing. They should also be able to link information to their everyday life.

reference Paulo Freire Biography. Retrieved from http://www.freire.org/paulo-freire/paulo-freire-biography on January 23, 2015 Freire, Paulo; Pedagogy of the Opressed, Translated by Myra Bergman Ramos, The Continuum Publishing Corporation, New York, NY, 1987. Freire, Paulo; The Politics of Education - Culture, Power, and Liberation, Translated by Donoldo Macedo, Bergin & Garvey, New York, NY, 1985. Freire, P. (1970) Pedagogy of the Oppressed, New York: The Seabury Press.