10 things you need to understand about Paulo Freire
Paulo Freire was a Brazilian philosopher known for using everyday words and ideas to teach the illiterate to read. He stood out due to his radical way of thinking, but at the same time attracted attention with his innovative educational methods.
Freire wanted to generate among his students a critical understanding of reality. He became known worldwide for advocating a “pedagogy of liberation”, as he called it. Paulo Freire caused some controversy mainly because he encouraged students to be active participants and not passive consumers in their educational and life journey.
This controversial thinker left a unique mark on the educational system and how we should approach everyday life. Starting with his book Pedagogy of the Oppressed, the best-selling book of 1970, and ending with the positive impact on the educational system in Brazil, Freire is a character worth studying!
In this article I will share with you 10 things you need to know about Paulo Freire.
1. He was born into a modest family and had to face a lot of obstacles.
Freire was born in 1921 into a middle-class family in Recife, a Brazilian state in the northeast of the country. He experienced many hardships as a child as a result of the Great Depression. At that time, poverty and hunger were the order of the day, which may be one reason Freire was so involved in changing the educational system.
2. Paulo Freire had a hard time in school.
As a teenager, he ended up four grades behind. This had a significant impact on his development as it was an experience that shaped both his way of thinking and his educational outlook. Paulo Freire stated in an interview that hunger and poverty affected his power to learn, and therefore ended up being a slow learner.
3. If he hadn’t struggled in school, he wouldn’t have been so involved in the educational system.
Paulo Freire didn’t get so involved in changing the educational process just because he could. He lived and experienced what it meant to have a flawed system where children cannot develop according to their abilities. His experiences prompted him to dedicate his life to improving the lives of the poor. Freire constantly stated that he knew as a child that he was not stupid, but hunger and poverty led to a complete lack of interest. His social condition did not allow him to have a proper education.
4. After the ups and downs of adolescence, he began to assert himself in the academic world.
Freire enrolled in the Faculty of Law at the University of Recife. There he studied law, philosophy, and the psychology of language. Even though he passed the bar exam with flying colors, he never practiced law. Paulo Freire chose to work as a teacher.
5. 1946 was a key moment in developing his educational system.
Although many people believe that Paulo Freire had always been a resounding voice in the educational system, this did not happen until 1946. It is a key moment because Freire was appointed director of the Department of Education and Culture in Pernambuco. This allowed him to work with the illiterate poor and led to the emergence of his educational dogma.
6. Freire was arrested in 1964.
The 1964 coup d’état in Brazil brought a dark period in the philosopher’s life. The new regime categorized Paulo Freire’s activities as instigating and subversive. Thus, he spent a short time in prison, and after his release, he moved to Chile.
7. Paulo Freire was the first person to receive the King Baudouin Award for International Development.
Paulo Freire overcame many obstacles over time and was often seen as a dangerous force by those who disagreed with his vision. But, there were also people who supported him and nominated him for important awards. Freire was the first person to receive the King Baudouin International Development Award in 1980. He was nominated for this award by Mathew Zachariah, a professor at the University of Calgary.
8. Freire wrote and co-wrote over 20 books on education.
Paulo Freire contributed to the development of the modern education system through more than 20 books. Among the most notable ones are Pedagogy of the Oppressed (1970), Education for Critical Consciousness (1973), and Literacy. Reading the Word and the World (1987).
9. Freire’s main ideas changed the paradigm of pedagogy.
Freire argues that through traditional education, students were dehumanized and needed a different educational model to reaffirm their own humanity. He emphasizes that the oppressed are at the same time oppressed and oppressors, with an internalized consciousness. Because of this ambiguous duality and this internalization of their oppressors, the oppressed seek to become like the oppressors and share their way of life. Therefore, the key concepts emphasized in Freire’s works are the need for education, for humanization and liberation, but also awareness of oppression.
10. Paulo Freire’s pedagogy is more direct than you might expect.
Overall, Paulo Freire’s pedagogy of the disadvantaged is simple. The most important thing in his work and life was his concern with consciousness, the development of consciousness, but also the power of man to transform reality. Freire aimed to teach the world how to live a better life, how to solve the problems facing humanity, but also how to break down the class barriers. The purpose of Paulo Freire’s work was to give people the freedom to express themselves without being intimidated.
Paulo Freire passed away in 1997 at the age of 75 in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
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