Paulo Freire was a Brazilian educator and policy maker largely credited as the father of many of the concepts that make up Development Education. Born into an impoverished family, Friere was well aquainted with the effects of socio-economic status on education and every day life at a young age. Freire wrote several books, his most famous entitled "Pedagogy of the Oppressed". While initially concerned with the problem of illiteracy in Latin America, this book is now extremely well known for it's assertion that education can conquer oppression and is a means for liberation and social change. Below are a few key concepts that Friere emphasized in his work.
1. DIALOGUE- Instead of the teacher despositing
information to the student, discussion based around
the principle of respect would take place, wherein the
teacher would often become the student and the
students teachers
2. PRAXIS- Dialogue would lead to action and making a
difference in ones world. Students are given the tools that lead to informed action- Learning about letter writing, learning how to get involved in the community etc.
3. CONSCIENTIZATION- a process by which the learner
advances towards critical consciousness- one of the main goals of Dev. Ed.
4. CULTURE OF SILENCE- dominated individuals
lose the means by which to critically respond to the
culture that is forced on them by a dominant culture. This is what happens if conscientization is not happening.
5. LANGUAGE - through the gathering of a list of terms
used in daily life in the community, the teacher can
learn to understand the reality of the people and
speak in a language that all understand. Making words
relevant to the lives of the people helps to build a
conscientization among students
6. COMMUNITY and CULTURAL CIRCLE - all members of the classroom,
regardless of class need to work together in order to
achieve goals. The formation of a community in the
classroom is called a ‘cultural circle'
7. CULTURAL SYNTHESIS- The rocognition and respect afforded to different cultures. An extension of the mutual respect among learners in a discussion based classroom