Freirean pedagogy

In an earlier article in this journal, C. A. Bowers suggests that transformative learning, particularly Paulo Freire’s pedagogy, is a Trojan horse of western globalization, by deepening the ecological crisis and colonizing indigenous cultures. He charges that critical pedagogues avoid their own complicity in neoliberal globalization; he advocates for an alliance between conservative politics and environmentalism; and he promotes a ‘‘conserving education.’’ This article will critique the first three facets of Bowers’ argument: first, by agreeing with the critique of the enlightenment underpinnings in transformative learning theory but resolving them in more nuanced ways; second, by explaining the ontology implicit in Freire that Bowers misunderstands; and third, expanding the critical stream of transformative learning by arguing that every sustainability educator needs a strong political economic as well as cultural analysis, combined with honoring local contexts, including indigenous traditional knowledge.

The relatively few studies focused on the inter-ethnic/inter-religious encounter/dialogue initiatives between Israel and Palestine emphasize the failure of these efforts in promoting tolerance and mutual respect. However, with all the tools of the 21 st century to change the recurrent history, we have every reason to be hopeful for a peaceful future. This paper presents an overview of Arab-Jewish dialogue projects in order to reveal future directions towards achieving critical dialogue as a foundation for peace education from the grassroots. For this purpose, the dialogue encounters in the Israel and Palestine are portrayed as they are operated by non-governmental organizations, international third-party interventions, and schools. Next, drawing from a number of dialogue scholars, the notion of Freirean dialogue is presented. Finally, Freirean dialogue is proposed as an effective pedagogy in order to eliminate the barriers undermining dialogue between the two groups for a grassroots peace movement. Özet: İsrail ile Filistin arasındaki etnik/dinler arası karşılaşma/diyalog girişimlerine odaklanan nispeten az sayıda çalışma, bu çabaların hoşgörü ve karşılıklı saygıyı teşvik etmedeki başarısızlığını vurgulamaktadır. Bununla birlikte, 21. yüzyılın tarihi değiştirecek tüm araçlarıyla, barışçıl bir gelecek için umutlu olmak için her türlü nedenimiz bulunmaktadır. Bu makale, halkın arasından yeşerecek ve sürdürülebilir barış eğitimi için bir temel olarak eleştirel diyaloğu etkin şekillerde uygulamaya yönelik imkanları ortaya çıkarmak için Arap-Yahudi diyalog projelerine genel bir bakış sunuyor. Bu amaçla İsrail ve Filistin'deki diyalog karşılaşmaları, sivil toplum örgütleri, uluslararası üçüncü taraf müdahaleleri ve okullar tarafından işletildiği şekliyle tartışılmaktadır. Daha sonra, önde gelen diyalog akademisyenlerinin uluslararası alanyazında kabul gören yaklaşımlarından hareketle, Freire diyaloğu kavramı sunulmaktadır. Son olarak, Freire diyaloğu, halkın arasında filizlenecek bir barış hareketi için iki grup arasındaki diyaloğu zayıflatan engelleri ortadan kaldırmak doğrultusunda etkili bir pedagoji olarak önerilmektedir.

This paper sets out to present project e-ma, a doctoral research project carried out within the school of education at the queen’s university of Belfast. Project e-ma explores the potentiality of the shin-tou artefact e-ma [絵馬] as a means to discuss and engage hope within a specific deprived working-class community of south Belfast; the Donegall Pass. Using the theoretical frame of Paulo Freire’s (1970, 1974) critical pedagogy and an arts-based educational research approach (ABER) which incorporates the methodological frame of Mertens’ (2007, 2010) ‘transformative paradigm’ project e-ma sets out examine whether the key tenets of Freire’s critical pedagogy: dialogue, praxis, transformation, problem-posing, disruption, conscientização, undergirded by democracy and social justice can be explored via the conduit of the votive tablet e-ma, and if so what that might look like.

This article is based on a three-month ethnographic study conducted in a non-governmental organization (NGO) in Beirut, Lebanon. This particular NGO, in conjunction with other organizations, provides educational opportunities for migrant domestic workers: adult language classes for learning English and French. The volunteer teachers have no pedagogical or instructional training, and often no previous teaching experience. By way of participant observation and in-depth interviews, I examine the narratives of volunteer teachers who describe a Freirean pedagogical position that is also evident in their teaching practices. I assert that a Freirean model for NGO functionality can bring about liberatory and transformative education and a successful NGO structure.

Climate breakdown is one of the greatest challenges our world faces. Driven by social, economic, political, environmental and ideological forces, the climate crisis necessitates critical, creative, inclusive and impactful action across multiple levels of society. Adult learning is a core element of societal transitions to a more sustainable future and this article explores Paulo Freire’s 'Pedagogy of the Oppressed' as a valuable resource for understanding processes of, and barriers to, multi-level changes. Drawing on our innovative ‘Creating our Vision for a Greener Future’ project, we situate Freirean pedagogy as a cornerstone of teaching, learning and action for socio-ecological transformation.
Full journal available from: https://www.aontas.com/assets/resources/Adult-Learner-Journal/ALJ%202020/Aontas%20Adult%20Learner%20Journal%202020.pdf

Climate breakdown is one of the greatest challenges our world faces. Driven by social, economic, political, environmental and ideological forces, the climate crisis necessitates critical, creative, inclusive and impactful action across multiple levels of society. Adult learning is a core element of societal transitions to a more sustainable future and this article explores Paulo Freire’s 'Pedagogy of the Oppressed' as a valuable resource for understanding processes of, and barriers to, multi-level changes. Drawing on our innovative ‘Creating our Vision for a Greener Future’ project, we situate Freirean pedagogy as a cornerstone of teaching, learning and action for socio-ecological transformation. Full journal available from: https://www.aontas.com/assets/resources/Adult-Learner-Journal/ALJ%202020/Aontas%20Adult%20Learner%20Journal%202020.pdf