Paulo Freire
1
FREIRE
William Matthew Losch
American College of Education
Introduction
Introduction
Paulo Freire was born in 1921 and raised in Recife, Brazil. He witnessed poverty firsthand, especially in his work with the Social Security of Industry during the 1940's and 1950's. In the 1960's He began developing an adult literacy program. Implementation of this program was cut short after a coup that forced him to seek exile in Chile, as he was viewed as a radical agent (Roberts, 2016, p. 505). Freire no doubt witnessed the uneven distribution of wealth that was so prevalent in Brazil at that time. There is strong evidence to suggest that he viewed his literacy program as a method to relieve key causes of the poverty. The fact that the government labeled him as a radical person suggests that it recognized he did have the power to enact change. The impact that he ultimately had was not just limited to Brazil, however, as his concepts of social justice impacted the world.
Model of inquiry
Model of Inquiry
Gibson (1999) identifies that Freire was critical of the "banking" concept of knowledge sharing, that students were not just empty vessels to fill with knowledge, but embraced a transformational style where the education leader was deeply involved in the lives of students. These leaders guided students to frame the new knowledge from their own experiences and culture through exploration and experimentation of ideas. This account that Gibson describes is evidenced by Freire's work in social justice.
Grenada Example
Grenada Educational Reforms
Grenada provided the perfect environment for testing the ideas of Freire's ideas to promote change. Post-colonization there was a need to make rapid improvement to the education system. Hickling-Hudson (2014) describes the educational environment of Grenada as fractured, where the traditional UK education was deeply rooted in theory and where the indigenous education was practical, but divested from theory (pp. 526-527). Hickling-Hudson further describes a first-hand account of working with Freire to develop a direction for the newly emancipated island's educational program. Freire himself enlisted the aid of leaders to guide conversations with government officials to collaboratively learn more about the situation and problem-solve as a group. The group leaders then debriefed each day to exchange ideas and discuss what points may arise the next day (pp. 527-528). The fact that Freire implemented his learning model in this pivotal moment in Grenada's history demonstrates his strong conviction to his beliefs about learning and social justice.
Political Ideas
Political Ideology and Social Justice
Though Freire was employed by the government and held political beliefs, there is evidence to suggest that he attempted to keep ideology from hampering learning. Roberts (2016) identifies that Freire wholeheartedly rejected neoliberalism and capitalism, but encouraged students to remain neutral when approaching social justice issues (p. 648). Clearly, when students process information and develop ideas about how political problems can be solved, they are developing political notions, so the process can't be completely free from politics. The banking system of learning, though, likely promotes the status quo. Learning that imposes political ideas is tremendously more conservative than inquiry that explores solutions to social injustice.
Enduring Openness
Enduring Openness
Roberts (2016) describes that Friere always maintained throughout his years a commitment to being open. He was not so open that he adopted every idea at face value, but didn't remain inflexible to new ideas (p. 650). This is important because cultural perspectives may view wisdom as a collection of ideas gained through experience. It is possible that a person's perspectives can become calcified through life experiences, but Friere had the wisdom to remain open. This allowed him to remain objective and adapt to best promote social justice.
Impacts and Legacy
Impact and Legacy
Freire made many valuable contributions in his home country of Brazil and the Carribean. His legacy of social justice continues throughout the world today
Unity
Unity
Roberts (2007) identifies that one important contribution of Freire to the world is the concept of unity in diversity. Rather than becoming divided by differences, we could learn from our differences (p. 507). This is important because social injustices usually stem from those who seek to exploit differences. Whether racial, political or economic, there are countless groups who are oppressed simply because they belong to a different group than the ruling majority. Ignoring differences is clearly not a solution, but unifying with the intent to learn from differences promises to bring about great social change.
Continued Scholarship
Continued Scholarship
Roberts (2007) identifies that a wide range of professionals continue to study the ideas of Freire, especially in the fields of literacy and adult education. Other professionals that study his work include peace activists, nurses and criminal justice experts (p.506). This vibrant study and exchange of ideas continues to advance Freire's goals. Even critical scholars continue to refine the Freireian school of thought by continuing the debate and promoting alternative means to social justice.
Ideal v. Reality
Juxtaposition of the Ideal and Actual Circumstances
One important legacy of Freire is the ability to compare and contrat the ideal and actual circumstances. Freire encouraged thought that attempted to identify and solve injustices. His work in Grenada initially launched a noble model, but one that later collapsed with the internal conflict that yielded the 1983 United States intervention. Gibson (1999) reports that the framers of the educational reforms who were imprisoned later lead a successful literacy program for inmates. He also describes the issues with literacy in the US that may disqualify the nation as a model. This suggests that, given the chance to fully develop, the original model may have fostered social change through education to positively impact the whole country of Grenada.
Conclusion
Closing
Freire remained an active advocate for social justice through education until his death in 1997. He fought for the rights of the oppressed after witnessing the uneven distribution of wealth in Brazil. He developed a literacy program to alleviate the effects of poverty and advance the cause of the oppressed but was forced into exile. He later was able to return to Brazil where he continued to work to promote education. His legacy extends Grenada, as he helped design an educational program that, like his own Brazilian literacy program decades before, never enjoyed full success due to political strife. The ideas he put forward continue to live on, including his call for unifying different people to learn from one another and to build a better society.
References
References
Gibson, R. (1999). Paulo Freire and pedagogy for social justice. Theory and Research in Social Education, 27(2), 129-159. Retrieved from http://richgibson.com/freireTRSSE.htm
Hickling-Hudson, A. (2014). Striving for a better world: Lessons from Freire in Grenada, Jamaica and Australia. International Review Of Education 60(4), 523-543. doi:10.1007/s11159-014-9434-0
Roberts, P. (2007). Ten years on: Engaging the work of Paulo Freire in the 21st Century. Studies In Philosophy & Education, 26(6), 505-508. doi:10.1007/s11217-007-9061-3
Roberts, P. (2016). Paulo Freire and the politics of education: A response to Neumann. Educational Philosophy & Theory, 48(6), 645-653. doi:10.1080/00131857.2015.1104887