PrESS Network Meeting September 15, 2004 Bellarmine University
This reflection/recap on our last gathering is an evolving document for which I invite feedback/additions/other perspectives.
15 members of the Network were present, many bleary-eyed from a long day of teaching and class, myself included. It did not take long, though, to become energized by the discussion.
After (re)introducing ourselves, we opened the floor to discussion regarding the first two chapters of Paulo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed. We commented that Freire condensed quite a bit of information into these two chapters and the metaphor of choking (on the quantity of what was there) surfaced more than once. Nonetheless, we also marveled at Freire’s clarity and his call to us as progressives to make change in our schools and community. In terms of critique we examined the duality of the banking method and problem-posing pedagogy and wondered if it was possible to seek some trajectory (or, perhaps better, tangent) that does not depart from an origin related to the banking method or the continuum upon which it lies. We pondered whether Freire’s problem-posing pedagogy was purposefully devised with the banking method in mind, providing us with a reality check of the present condition of schools (given that is where education was for the twenty years prior to Freire’s writing and has been for much of the thirty-four years since—if we use the US as a frame of reference. The case for this problem-posing approach was even more pressing in Brazil under dictatorship).
This led us to think about our lives as educators and/or as change agents in our communities. How tenable is Freire’s plan? How risky? We wondered whether our job would be on the line if we implemented these progressive tactics in our classrooms. We thought about whether we knew of anyone who had been fired for the sole reason of implementing a progressive pedagogy in the classroom. No names came quickly to mind. Practicing teachers in public schools shared provocative stories of their own progressive attempts in the classroom. Freire’s theory came to life. These same teachers also shared emotive stories about the children that inhabit their classroom—both successes and perceived failures. No matter, the group was encouraged and emboldened by the power of these stories as we all felt the struggle inside to seek justice, make change, and care about children and our communities.
Finally, we thought about our future. We wondered how technically we should organize. We consulted Freire and knew we should be cautious, but shouldn’t throw the idea out altogether. We wondered who else we should invite. We are professors, graduate students, undergraduate students, student teachers, teachers’ of record, social workers, Bellarmine University, and the University of Louisville. How big should we become? If we are truly to become a progressive movement, how and with whom should we organize in our respective communities? We considered the possibility of forming a non-profit corporation. We again considered letter writing campaigns to the media and to politicians. And, we also, again, instigated the idea of forming our own local political party. Regardless, there was a palpable sense that we are onto something here and we want to move it forward.
Our next meeting will be held on Wednesday, October 6 at 8:30 in the couch area of Horrigan Hall (next to the Café) at Bellarmine University. We plan to begin our meeting with a discussion of Chapter 3 of Pedagogy of the Oppressed. Please feel free to pass this on to any and all who may be interested. I look forward to sharing with all of you again soon.
Peace.
adam
15 members of the Network were present, many bleary-eyed from a long day of teaching and class, myself included. It did not take long, though, to become energized by the discussion.
After (re)introducing ourselves, we opened the floor to discussion regarding the first two chapters of Paulo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed. We commented that Freire condensed quite a bit of information into these two chapters and the metaphor of choking (on the quantity of what was there) surfaced more than once. Nonetheless, we also marveled at Freire’s clarity and his call to us as progressives to make change in our schools and community. In terms of critique we examined the duality of the banking method and problem-posing pedagogy and wondered if it was possible to seek some trajectory (or, perhaps better, tangent) that does not depart from an origin related to the banking method or the continuum upon which it lies. We pondered whether Freire’s problem-posing pedagogy was purposefully devised with the banking method in mind, providing us with a reality check of the present condition of schools (given that is where education was for the twenty years prior to Freire’s writing and has been for much of the thirty-four years since—if we use the US as a frame of reference. The case for this problem-posing approach was even more pressing in Brazil under dictatorship).
This led us to think about our lives as educators and/or as change agents in our communities. How tenable is Freire’s plan? How risky? We wondered whether our job would be on the line if we implemented these progressive tactics in our classrooms. We thought about whether we knew of anyone who had been fired for the sole reason of implementing a progressive pedagogy in the classroom. No names came quickly to mind. Practicing teachers in public schools shared provocative stories of their own progressive attempts in the classroom. Freire’s theory came to life. These same teachers also shared emotive stories about the children that inhabit their classroom—both successes and perceived failures. No matter, the group was encouraged and emboldened by the power of these stories as we all felt the struggle inside to seek justice, make change, and care about children and our communities.
Finally, we thought about our future. We wondered how technically we should organize. We consulted Freire and knew we should be cautious, but shouldn’t throw the idea out altogether. We wondered who else we should invite. We are professors, graduate students, undergraduate students, student teachers, teachers’ of record, social workers, Bellarmine University, and the University of Louisville. How big should we become? If we are truly to become a progressive movement, how and with whom should we organize in our respective communities? We considered the possibility of forming a non-profit corporation. We again considered letter writing campaigns to the media and to politicians. And, we also, again, instigated the idea of forming our own local political party. Regardless, there was a palpable sense that we are onto something here and we want to move it forward.
Our next meeting will be held on Wednesday, October 6 at 8:30 in the couch area of Horrigan Hall (next to the Café) at Bellarmine University. We plan to begin our meeting with a discussion of Chapter 3 of Pedagogy of the Oppressed. Please feel free to pass this on to any and all who may be interested. I look forward to sharing with all of you again soon.
Peace.
adam
posted by Jon at 12:11 PM
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