People, Policy, and Praxis

Freirean pedagogy in adult education programs that embrace an open dialectic can be responsive to situations where ambiguity in policy implementation results in discrimination and disenfranchisement. The case presented below comes from my experiences as an educator in a Freirean, Spanish-language, high school equivalency (HSE) program in New Jersey during significant national changes to HSE credentialing in 2014. It describes policy implementation in the local context within the relationships between governing institutions, service organizations, and the people policies are meant to govern. The case constructs a narrative for the relevant policy environments and actions at the time through the assemblage of primary sources, such as policy documents and internal organizational reports, as well as an analysis of 25 news reports and commentaries taken from 2013-2014. I argue that all policies, even those initiated at the national level, are ultimately enacted locally through the dialectic relationships between policy makers, administrators, program staff, and students at a variety of public and private organizations. I show how Freirean approaches to program design and operation respond to political, policy, and programmatic complexities to address discrimination and disenfranchisement. In conclusion, I discuss implications for educators seeking to adopt a Freirean framework into their own program design and implementation. These include the development of local praxis within an analysis of larger oppressive structures, thoughtful design and critical flexibility to work closely with students in program operation, and engagement in dialectic relationships with existing or potential collaborators.

Egressas da Licenciatura em Educação do Campo: caminhos na mudança da forma escolar

This study analyzed the practices of alumnae from the Undergraduate Rural Education Program (LeCampo) at Minas Gerais University (local acronym FaE/UFMG). It aims at contributing to discussions on changes in school shape. The analysis was based on theoretical and methodological debates about Rural Education, Socialist and Freirean pedagogy. Data were obtained from qualitative research which comprised document analysis, interviews, and participative observation. Results show significant steps taken towards changing school shape. This movement was produced by the alumnae and the education institutions in which they work. Schools develop projects that allow inserting the student in their environment, with a view to criticizing them, understanding social, cultural and work relations and, thus, aiming at an omnilateral education. The conclusion was that these changes cause most effective transformation when the alumnae are engaged in social movements and rural unions that encourage and support the alumnae’s pedagogical practices, which, in turn, stimulates the alumnae to be more deeply engaged in these movements.

A EPISTEMOLOGIA EM FREIRE E SUA RELAÇÃO COM O CURRÍCULO DA CIDADE DE SOROCABA

O presente artigo, realizado durante o período de uma pesquisa de mestrado, esta vinculada ao programa de pós-graduação em educação da UFSCar, campus Sorocaba, tem como problema a epistemologia freireana e o currículo de Sorocaba, tendo em vista que os documentos pertencentes ao currículo municipal possuem fundamentações freireanas e que parte da fundamentação epistemológica da pedagogia freireana se formulou nas obras Pedagogia do oprimido (1981) e Extensão ou comunicação? (1983). Questionam-se quais são os principais referenciais epistemológicos dessas fundamentações e quais implicações possuem na sistematização de tais documentos. Tal processo seguiu o caminho de uma revisão geral. Em primeiro lugar, visitam-se as obras supracitadas do autor, recortando trechos importantes para os conceitos freireanos e comparando-os com excertos de Marx, com quem Freire já demonstra alguma proximidade, buscando legitimar, então, as possíveis influências. Em segundo lugar, realiza-se uma pesquisa documental, visitando os documentos que compõem o currículo da cidade de Sorocaba, para buscar se estes, ao seguirem a obra de Freire, também se comprometem com seus fundamentadores e seus objetivos políticos. Até atual estado da pesquisa, notou-se que há divergências entre as propostas práticas de tais documentos com as fundamentações filosóficas que Freire utiliza. Palavras-chave: Categorias de Freire; Currículo Freireano; Epistemologia. the epistemology in freire and its relationship with the curriculum of the city of sorocaba Abstract This article, carried out during the period of a master's research, is linked to the postgraduate program in education of UFSCar, Sorocaba campus, has as its problem the freirean epistemology and the Sorocaba curriculum, since the documents belonging to the municipal curriculum have Freirean foundations and that part of the epistemological foundation of Freirean pedagogy was formulated in the works Pedagogy of the oppressed (1981) and Extension or communication? (1983). It is questioned what are the main epistemological references of these foundations and what implications they have in the systematization of such documents. This process followed the path of a general overhaul. In the first place, the above-mentioned works of the author are visited, cutting important passages for the Freirean concepts and comparing them with excerpts of Marx, with whom Freire already demonstrates some proximity, seeking to legitimize, then, the possible influences. Secondly, a documentary research is carried out, visiting the documents that make up the curriculum of the city of Sorocaba, in order to find out if, following Freire's work, they also commit themselves to their founders and their political objectives. Up to the current state of the research, it has been noted that there are divergences between the practical proposals of such documents with the philosophical foundations that Freire uses. Key Words: Freire’s Categories; Freirean Curriculum; Epistemology.

Environmental Education in Brazil and the Influence of Paulo Freire

In Brazil and around the world, the ideas of Paulo Freire have impacted the field of environmental education, at least since the 1970s. It is possible to observe and associate the influence of Paulo Freire, when environmental education emphasizes the political dimension of any and all pedagogic activity, as he so emphatically stated. Another central aspect of Freirean influence relates in particular to the objective that environmental education should make “participation” possible, as advocated by the first documents produced and disseminated by UNESCO. Although the topic of environmentalism, in its best-known sense and definition of the protection of nature and natural resources, was not initially at the core of his pedagogical thinking, a strong concern with the theme can be seen traversing his work in the 1990s. In this sense, the international academic institutionalization of environmental education and the support that this pedagogic and political movement received after the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, was crucial for consolidation by means of public policies and projects elaborated by NGOs as well as by the theoretical production and curricular changes that took place in universities around the world, with different thematic priorities, theoretical and methodological focuses, and impact on the population and on the natural and social environment. Since 2009, especially in Brazil and other Latin American countries, dissertations and theses have leaned toward this production, identifying and analyzing the increase of Freirean pedagogy in connection with environmental education, defined as “the political education of citizens.” Political actions in everyday pedagogical practices for social and environmental justice, alongside various other rights (e.g., cultural), are urgent issues to address. The connections between environmental education and Freirean pedagogy have contemporized both, as they clarify the central arguments of Paulo Freire’s political and pedagogic thought, which reaffirmed throughout his extensive production that access to education is a universal right, and that it is by means of education (including the environmental dimension) that political processes for the construction of just, democratic, and sustainable societies are solidified.

Creating transnational, intercultural arts’ interactions: African diasporic dialogues

Painted with broad as well as, highly nuanced brush strokes, this is a comprehensive essay. Initially, it traces and later weaves within the larger discussion, the influences of Marcus Garvey’s philosophy and his lasting contributions to Africans in the diaspora. As importantly, the essay highlights the exceptional works of two Jamaican-born artists who reside in the USA. Thirdly, the essay explores some of the Miami-based Diaspora Vibe Cultural Arts Incubator’s, (DVCAI’s) intercultural exchanges, in which artists challenge dominant Western perspectives. Fourthly, the essay summarizes key aspects of DVCAI’s international cultural exchange in Jamaica. The recent, transcultural arts’ exchanges exemplify, reciprocal dialogues between the DVCAI’s representatives and the Jamaican arts community, specifically, with artists who adopt a Freirean pedagogy and focus on significant social justice issues in a postcolonial country.

The poetic-prophetic dimension of Freirean pedagogy to imagine another world possible

One of the important but often neglected aspects of reading Freire's work concerns his vision of the human being and the world deeply inspired and validated by his Christian faith. Although this dimension, for the most part, is not explicitly elaborated in his writings, a closer reading may reveal an interesting relationship between Freire's work and the Christian prophetic tradition. This article attempts to contextualize the religious dimension of Freire's social and educational philosophy. In addition, it proposes the poetic-prophetic dimension of the Freirian educational practice as a paradigm to face the challenges we are collectively experiencing in our world today.