Pedagogy in Process: The Letters to Guinea-Bissau (Bloomsbury Revelations)

and studied, in a privileged situation, must "die as a class" and be reborn in consciousness-learning always even while they teach, and working always "with" (not "on") the nations and the people that invite their aid. ("Collaboration, " as opposed to "cultural invasion, " is the crucial term.) In view of Freire's conviction of the need for a militant and revolutionary stance on both sides of the pedagogic coalition which he first proposes, then creates and finally records, readers may find it paradoxical that I have described him as an "affectionate" and "gentle" human being. It is Freire himself, however, who provides the answer to this seeming paradox. In one of his frequent references to Che Guevara-a man he has described, in earlier work, as one of the great models of a self-effacing teacher-Freire draws upon one of the phrases first identified with Che: "Let me say, with the risk of appearing ridiculous, that the true revolutionary is guided by strong feelings of love. "\* It is the triumph of this motivation, above all else, in the work and in the life of Paulo Freire, that render his unevasive revolutionary posture so disarming to those who otherwise would cringe at the first recognition of his true intent. It is that same motivation-revolutionary passion, born of the most selfless love-that makes his newest book the one which is most certain to extend his vision and his consciousness of pedagogic struggle to those in every continent, in every land, who need that vision and that consciousness the most. "I would like to engage in dialogue with you and your coworkers. . . . " Freire has spoken words like these, no doubt at least a thousand times by now, in starting a workshop, seminar or simple conversation. In "The Letters to Guinea-Bissau, " he broadens the dialogue at last, to reach more than a highly educated few. It is, therefore-while not his classic workunquestionably his most accessible. By my own taste, it is also his most powerful-and human. "Pedagogy in Process presents a first-hand account of the most comprehensive attempt yet to put into practice Paulo Freire's theory of education within a real societal setting. When Guinea Bissau on the West African coast declared independence in 1973 the rate of illiteracy in its adult population was ninety percent. The new government faced the enormous task of educating its citizens. With Freire as collaborator and advisor the government launched a huge grass-roots literacy campaign and this book is Freire's memoir of that campaign. Those familiar with Freire's work will identify his ongoing insistence on the unity between theory and practice, mental and manual work, and past and present experience. This is essential reading for anyone interested Freire's revolutionary ideas on education and the transformative power they hold when applied to society and the classroom. This edition includes a substantive introduction by Michael Apple who is Professor Emeritus of Curriculum and Instruction and Educational Policy Studies at the University of Wisconsin?Madison, USA."-- Title Page Copyright Page Contents Foreword Introduction Background and Assumptions of the Education Project The First Emphasis: Learning History from the Commission on Education and Other Leaders Activities Already Taking Place in the Field of Adult Literacy The Second Emphasis: Visits to the Older Liberated Zones The Third Emphasis: Making Plans for Future Collaboration The Educational System of Guinea-Bissau The Maxim Gorki Center at Có A Visit to a Rural Area Activities in Adult Literacy Education in 1975–76 Chapter 1 The Letters to Guinea-Bissau Coding and Generative Words Chapter 2 Postscript The Relation between Education and Production Activities in the People’s Revolutionary Army (FARP) Notebooks for Learners A Visit to the Maxim Gorki Center at Có Chapter 3 Final Word Notes Introduction Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Pedagogy in Process presents a first-hand account of the most comprehensive attempt yet to put into practice Paulo Freire's theory of education within a real societal setting. When Guinea Bissau on the West African coast declared independence in 1973 the rate of illiteracy in its adult population was ninety percent. The new government faced the enormous task of educating its citizens. With Freire as collaborator and advisor the government launched a huge grass-roots literacy campaign and this book is Freire's memoir of that campaign. Those familiar with Freire's work will identify his ongoing insistence on the unity between theory and practice, mental and manual work, and past and present experience. This is essential reading for anyone interested Freire's revolutionary ideas on education and the transformative power they hold when applied to society and the classroom -- Back cover.