The People Speak Their Word: Learning to Read and Write in São Tomé and Principe

1981 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paulo Freire

Paulo Freire reflects here on his role as consultant to the Adult Literacy Program in the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Principe—a role whose political nature, he argues,must be recognized. Repudiating purely mechanical approaches to teaching literacy,Freire advocates a theory and practice that links reading the word to "reading" the context. With the aid of primers, referred to as Popular Culture Notebooks, and the learners' own generation of words and terms relevant to their daily lives, adults learn to read and write through critical reflection, thus enabling them to realize their rights as human beings and to transform themselves and history.

1970 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 205-225 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paulo Freire

Dr. Freire writes from a Third World perspective, but with obvious implications for education in general. He rejects mechanistic conceptions of the adult literacy process, advocating instead a theory and practice based upon authentic dialogue between teachers and learners. Such dialogue, in Freire's approach, centers upon codified representations of the learners' existential situations and leads not only to their acquisition of literacy skills, but more importantly to their awareness of their right and capacity as human beings to transform reality. Becoming literate,then, means far more than learning to decode the written representation of a sound system. It is truly an act of knowing, through which a person is able to look critically at the culture which has shaped him, and to move toward reflection and positive action upon his world.


1999 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 123-137 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rakesh Popli

In this article, three different descriptions of curricula for scientific literacy (SL) are summarized, compared, and critically reviewed from the point of view of their suitability for all citizens. Science for All Americans, a publication of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, envisages giving every citizen a thorough exposure to the world of science, technology, and mathematics; the report Towards Scientific Literacy, published by the International Institute for Adult Literacy Methods, recommends a phenomenological approach to science designed to make science useful for people in their daily lives; and a similar curriculum, Minimum Science for Everybody, published by a voluntary organization in India, provides a detailed alternative conceptual framework for SL in which community traditions and knowledge systems are interfaced with science. The three reports are seen to differ from one another not only in respect of the contents of the curricula recommended, but also in their approaches, and the world views underlying these different approaches are brought out. It is suggested that SL curricula in both “developed” and “developing” countries be reviewed in the light of the ideas contained in all three reports in accordance with the needs and circumstances of the people. The article argues for the need to review the nature of science from the perspective of the common citizen.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (86) ◽  

Culture is the values that constitute the unity of life, thought and belief that a society creates in the historical and social development process. These values, which determine the lifestyle of a nation, people and society, have been passed down from generation to generation. The unique life models, art, morality, laws and order of the society determine the culture of that society and shape the daily lives of the people who make up the society. When the social structure and life of different nations are examined, it is noteworthy that the cultures differ significantly and diverge from each other. While human beings adapt to all kinds of changes with the instinct of survival, they consciously or unconsciously keep pace with their social life in order to continue their social life within the changing cultural structure. Fikret Mualla, a Turkish painter, was born in 1903, until his mid-thirties naturally lived and produced works by being influenced by Turkish culture and society. Although he went abroad for a short time many times during this period, he went to Paris in 1939 and lived there for twenty-six years. During this long period, his art, like himself, was influenced by the culture he lived in, and he reflected the daily life in Paris and artistic expression forms on his works. Cafes, circuses and streets in Paris have become the main subject of the artist's works. To analyze the effects of contemporary life in the context of cultural change through artists and works of art; It is aimed to contribute to the relevant literature by examining the changes brought by the French culture and life in Fikret Mualla's works. In addition, it is aimed to examine how the cultural difference affects the works of the artist in question in terms of subject and technique. Qualitative research methods and techniques were used in the study in which general scanning model was used. Keywords: Culture, Turkish Art, Fikret Mualla


1998 ◽  
Vol 68 (4) ◽  
pp. 476-522 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paulo Freire

In this article, Part I of Cultural Action for Freedom, Paulo Freire rejects mechanistic conceptions of the adult literacy process, advocating instead a theory and practice based upon authentic dialogue between teachers and learners. Such dialogue, in Freire's approach, centers upon the learners' existential situations and leads not only to their acquisition of literacy skills, but also, and more importantly, to their awareness of their right as human beings to transform reality. Becoming literate, then, means far more than learning to decode the written representation of a sound system. It is truly an act of knowing, through which a person is able to look critically at the world he/she lives in, and to reflect and act upon it. (pp. 480-498) In this article, Part II of Cultural Action for Freedom, Paulo Freire explains the process of conscientization as an intrinsic part of cultural action for freedom. He rejects the mechanistic and behaviorist understanding of consciousness as a passive copy of reality. Instead, he proposes the critical dimension of consciousness that recognizes human beings as active agents who transform their world. He makes specific reference to the political and social situation in Latin America in the 1960s and 1970s, discussing the need for cultural action in order to break the existing "culture of silence." (pp. 499-521)


Author(s):  
Jana Janisauska ◽  
Valdis Bernhofs

Human beings exist within a perpetual sound environment, where ambient noises, work environment, conversations, music in supermarkets, cafes and other public establishments, as well as other sources of sound create a complex soundscape. To be able to navigate this environment, to receive timely warning signals and to participate in the communication process with the people around us, constant listening is required. Listening is our way to experience, sense, understand and coherently react to this world. Although the term “listening” by which we define this activity affects almost the entire scope of our daily lives, one of the aspects that has been of interest to a wide spectrum of specialists, including philosophers, scientists, theoreticians and teachers is the listening to music. During the last decade, the interest in the research of several components of this activity has increased also in the field of music psychology, especially in the context of neuropsychology. However, until now, no in-depth analysis of the interaction of perceptual aspects of music listening has been conducted.The purpose of this article is to provide a theoretical overview on the latest findings in the analysis of the perceptual factors in music listening, defining their mutual interaction. The findings of this article substantiate the statement that music listening can be viewed as a continuous and individualized interaction of perceptual processes that on various levels of cognition are fostered by the individual’s musical experience. The entirety of findings invites deeper analysis of the complex nature of this dual concept. 


2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 97-107
Author(s):  
Melanie Boltzmann ◽  
Thomas Münte ◽  
Bahram Mohammadi ◽  
Jascha Rüsseler

Abstract. In Germany, 7.5 Million individuals between 18 and 64 years are considered to be functionally illiterate (Grotlüschen & Riekmann, 2012). Functional illiterates have only rudimentary literacy skills despite attending school for several years. Although they can use written language to a very limited extent, only few functional illiterates attend literacy courses for adults. In addition, most adult literacy courses primarily aim at promoting basic reading and writing skills. Offers specific to workplace literacy are scarce. This review gives an overview of the definition of functional illiteracy. Afterwards, a specific literacy program (AlphaPlus) and its effectiveness will be presented. The reviewed studies indicate that learning to read in adulthood is associated with structural and functional brain changes.


Author(s):  
Victoria N Osuagwu

Human beings have always left signs of their activities behind them. These signs take both tangible and intangible forms, including buildings, sites, sculptural works, antiquities, rock art paintings, belief systems, and traditions. The people of this millennium have recognized the remains of our fore-bears namely archaeological, architectural monuments, sites, and cultural works as an integral part of the cultural heritage of all humanity. They also recognized the fact that heritage is an invaluable source of information about the lives and activities of human beings and their artistic and technical capabilities over the centuries. The Nigerian Ancient Art Tradition which spans eight thousand years is a product of diverse artists from Dufuna, Nok, Igbo-Ukwu, Ife, Owo, Benin, Tada, etc. Also remarkable are the sculptural works created by late Susanne Wenger (an Austrian) and her New Sacred Art Movement in Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove, which gave meaning to open spaces within the grove. This paper examines the role played by these artworks to project Nigeria to the global art world. The benefits to Nigeria and the global art traditions and recommendations on how to revive this dwindling economic resource will also be examined. The approach used was to study the artworks produced by some of these artists. Some of the findings were that the works were carefully done with suitable materials that have withstood climate change.


2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-29
Author(s):  
Alexandra Carleton

Constitutionalism may be gaining ascendancy in many countries in Africa. Yet thorough investigation of the extent to which current constitutions accord to the people their internationally recognised right to governance of their mineral wealth under Article 1(2) of the ICCPR has been lacking. Understanding the existing framework of rights which may support claims to land and natural resources is important. Constitutions of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of Zambia demonstrate the reality of multiple, overlapping land interests and the limitations upon a people's claim to freely govern their mineral wealth.


Author(s):  
R. R. Palmer

This chapter considers the prevailing notion in the eighteenth century that nobility was a necessary bulwark of political freedom. Whether in the interest of a more open nobility or of a more closed and impenetrable nobility, the view was the same. Nobility as such, nobility as an institution, was necessary to the maintenance of a free constitution. There was also a general consensus that parliaments or ruling councils were autonomous, self-empowered, or empowered by history, heredity, social utility, or God; that they were in an important sense irresponsible, free to oppose the King (where there was one), and certainly owing no accounting to the “people.” The remainder of the chapter deals with the uses and abuses of social rank and the problems of administration, recruitment, taxation, and class consciousness.


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