Return-Path: <nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id j7IDs9G05518; Thu, 18 Aug 2005 09:54:09 -0400 (EDT) Date: Thu, 18 Aug 2005 09:54:09 -0400 (EDT) Message-Id: <7E0B624DDF68104F92C38648A4D93D8F525BBE@MAIL.cal.local> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: "Lynda Terrill" <lterrill@cal.org> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-ESL:11075] A Message for International Literacy Day September 8th, 2005/Crosspost X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Content-Type: text/plain; Status: O Content-Length: 6837 Lines: 143 Dear listers, Below is Tom Sticht's message for International Literacy Day crossposted from the NLA list, which may be of interest. Lynda Terrill Moderator, NIFl-ESL lterrill@cal.org tel 202-362-0700 fax 202-363-7204 ********* A Message for International Literacy Day September 8th, 2005 International Literacy Day and The Legacy of Paulo Freire (1921-1997) Tom Sticht International Consultant in Adult Education >From 1987 through 1995 I had the honor and privilege of working with >Paulo Freire for one week each year when we both served as members of UNESCO's International Jury that selects the literacy prize winners recognized by UNESCO yearly on International Literacy Day Already an international giant of adult literacy education when he joined the Jury in 1987, Paulo brought his philosophy of literacy for liberation and freedom to the evaluation of candidatures for literacy prizes from countries where millions of adults were oppressed. He brought a passion to the evaluation of candidatures often expressed by clenching his hands in a fist, clutching his chest and saying, "I love this program!" He was also quick to provide a critical commentary when he thought that a program had mistakenly claimed that it followed "the Freirean method", and he admonished the Jury that there was no such method. During the Jury's deliberations regarding candidatures, and on our breaks when we would take tea or coffee, I had occasions to listen to him and to talk informally with him about his philosophy of education and literacy, and how he had worked early on in his career with the poor and oppressed peasants of Brazil. Still today, millions of adults and their families around the world live in constant fear that they will not have adequate water, food, health care and security for their very lives. Many live in conditions of economic and political oppression, and they may perceive that they have little chance in changing their lives in any significant manner. For this reason they may elect to stay away from literacy classes. They see no use for literacy in their lives. In these circumstances Freire's approach to adult literacy education, if not a method, as he would claim, is nonetheless an approach that can instill a feeling of confidence in adult learners and motivate them to engage in literacy learning. In his work, Freire developed an approach to education aimed at helping adults liberate themselves from the oppression of others. To do this he first concentrated on teaching adults to "read the world" so they could then "read the word." By "reading the world" he meant helping adults understand the differences between the world of nature and the world of culture. Nature is made by natural forces and is not subject to change by humans. Culture on the other hand is made by humans and can be changed by humans. We "read the world" to know what is nature and what is culture. Oppressive conditions are cultural and hence capable of being changed by humans. Literacy is a technology for helping humans change the cultural contexts in which they live so that they can achieve social justice and is hence worthwhile learning. This line of reasoning was to motivate adults to learn to read and write. To start the process, Freire introduced the use of "multiple literacies," though he did not call his practice that. He used pictures that adult literacy students "read" to distinguish what in the picture was due to nature and what was due to culture, i.e., human actions. In discussing the pictures, the adults demonstrated that they possessed a lot of knowledge about the world, including both nature and culture. This knowledge was drawn on in teaching reading. Freire listened to the adult learners discuss pictures depicting various situations and then chose words that the students used to start the process of teaching literacy. Words with a lot of emotional meaning, such as "favela" (slum) were selected to teach decoding of the written language. The word was first discussed, along with a picture of a situation denoted by the word. Then the word was broken into syllables -FA-VE-LA. This was continued until the word could be read (decoded) fluently. This method of "reading the world" and then "reading the word" was used extensively to build on the knowledge that adults possessed and to teach them to read the language that they used to express their knowledge. Then new knowledge was introduced to stimulate adults to take actions to change their oppressive situations. Freire contrasted this learner-centered, participatory approach in which the adults helped determine the content and direction of their own education with the more traditional, school-centered education in which policymakers, administrators or teachers determine the content and direction of education and attempt to deposit and "bank" knowledge in learner's minds even if they do not understand the value of the new knowledge. In 1975 Paulo Freire was awarded a UNESCO Literacy Prize for his work on the pedagogy of the oppressed. Over a quarter century later, in 2003, a non-governmental organization called the International Reflect Circle (CIRAC) was awarded a UNESCO literacy prize for its work which built upon the work of Freire. The acronym REFLECT stands for Regenerated Freirean Literacy through Empowering Community Techniques. The REFLECT approach to adult literacy development makes use of "multiple literacies", much as did Freire in using pictures and other graphic tools to help adults "read the world." To assist adults in capturing their own knowledge the REFLECT teachers show them how to make maps of their communities, construct matrices, flow charts, and other graphics to analyze their needs and assist them in arguing for needed services and social justice. REFLECT makes use of internet technologies and has formed an international network of some 350 organizations and individuals in 60 nations to facilitate sustainable community development using a participatory and democratic process of reflection by adults in the development of their own literacy education. Through the work of REFLECT and numerous other groups around the world, Paulo Freire's learner-centered, participatory approach to adult literacy education continues to help marginalized, socially excluded adults develop the confidence and abilities they need to not just "read the world," but to change it. This is an enduring legacy of the work of Paulo Freire. This year celebrate Paulo Freire's work and the work of tens of thousands of adult literacy educators and their students around the world on September 8th, International Literacy Day. Thomas G. Sticht International Consultant in Adult Education 2062 Valley View Blvd. El Cajon, CA 92019-2059 Tel/fax: (619) 444-9133 Email: tsticht@aznet.net
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