Paulo Freire Teaching For Freedom And Transformation

The primary mission of this text is clarifying many of the misconceptions about Paulo Freire’s theories, concepts and his implications for education. It revisits his ideas and explains more fully the philosophical influences that shaped concepts such as problem posing, conscientization and praxis. The fundamental thesis, then, is that the present absence of in-depth philosophical analysis leaves an unacceptable void in the literature addressing Freire’s work, while also promoting frequent misconceptions and superficial understandings about his relationship to contemporary education. Indeed, the philosophical assumptions contributing to Freire’s critical pedagogy require identification, unravelling and ultimately evaluation on the basis of their epistemic and moral tenability. Most existing applications of Freire’s pedagogy are unfortunately superficial because they simply sloganize terms such as banking education, conscientization, praxis, and humanization. A slogan in education popularizes a concept or idea in a positive way, but offers very little in terms of critical reflection or analysis. In order to understand these terms and their origin and apply them as Freire intended, a far richer and more in depth examination of Freire is desperately needed. This text will provide precisely that type of examination.

Two world renowned educators, Paulo Freire and Ira Shor, speak passionately about the role of education in various cultural and political arenas. They demonstrate the effectiveness of dialogue in action as a practical means by which teachers and students can become active participants in the learning process. In a lively exchange, the authors illuminate the problems of the educational system in relation to those of the larger society and argue for the pressing need to transform the classroom in both Third and First World contexts. Shor and Freire illustrate the possibilities of transformation by describing their own experiences in liberating the classroom from its traditional constraints. They demonstrate how vital the teacher's role is in empowering students to think critically about themselves and their relation, not only to the classroom, but to society. For those readers seeking a liberatory approach to education, these dialogues will be a revelation and a unique summary. For all those convinced of the need for transformation, this book shows the way.

This book displays the striking creativity and profound insight that characterized Freire's work to the very end of his life-an uplifting and provocative exploration not only for educators, but also for all that learn and live.

In this volume, we have chosen to highlight the importance of education to human rights by reprinting two articles written by Paulo Freire (1921-1997) in 1970 for the Harvard Educational Review. These articles contain many of Freire's original ideas on human rights and education--issues that are central to his work. Freire was a pioneer in promoting the universal right to education and literacy as part of a commitment to people's struggle against oppression. As Jerome Bruner recognized after Freire's death in May 1997, Freire left as a legacy his commitment to basic human rights: "He was a brave man as well as a far-sighted one. He made us aware of our mindless cruelties, and now the challenge to all of us is to do something about those cruelties." (e-mail communication to CREA Research Center, University of Barcelona, May 1997.) By Paulo Freire, with an introduction by Marta Soler-Gallart and Bárbara M. Brizuela

First published in 1994. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

This book brings together a range of global and local themes inspired by the work of Paulo Freire. Freire believed in the possibility of change, rejecting the neoliberal discourse that presents poverty as inevitable: his core principle emphasised the prerogative of transforming the world, rather than adapting to an unethical world order. This responsibility to intervene in reality as educators is explored in detail in this edited collection. Including such diverse themes as pedagogical approaches to globalisation, social mobility, empowerment and valuing diversity within communities, the volume is highly relevant to pedagogical practice. Sharing the transformative power of ‘being’ through popular education and the solidarity economy, this innovative book will be of interest to scholars of Paulo Freire, transformative education and diversity in education.

This book explores the implications of world renowned educationalist Paulo Freire's theories for educational practice and how his ideas can help in bridging different genres and traditions. It addresses themes, questions and issues that have received little attention to date, including Freire's conception of the critical intellectual, the problem of defining literacy, and the possibility of a Freirean response to debates over political correctness. Roberts also relates Freire's ideas to those of other writers: Israel Scheffler, Fyodor Dostoevsky and Hermann Hesse, among others. Paulo Freire in the 21st Century makes a distinctive contribution to the international literature on Freire's work.