Paulo Freire: Advocate Of Literacy Through Liberation Summary

Paulo Freire’s theory implies that a student’s ability to read fluently and comprehend what they are reading depends on their level of interest and connection to a text. In the article, “Paulo Freire: Advocate of Literacy through Liberation”, William M. Timpson writes about how he was influenced by Freire’s research and impact on education in Brazil. The article details how Freire’s beliefs and practices changed after being “handed [an] assignment to head up Brazil’s literacy campaign in the early 1960’s”. Timpson explains how Freire hit “pervasive peasant apathy” head on when trying to use his expertise and practices to face Brazil’s literacy problem. In facing this problem, Freire grew as an educator and strove to overcome student apathy.

According to the article, in order to impact student literacy teachers must build a sense of empowerment within their struggling readers. Teachers must help students overcome apathy. The curriculum must be high interest and focus on content related to the students’ reality. Teachers must let go of the need to be right and in control and allow students to speak and be active in their own education. Freire suggests that when students are active participants, “Their language becomes the basis for developing reading and writing skills.”

I agree with this theory. I believe that students, especially struggle students, are more willing to put forth an effort when they see a relationship between the content and their reality. As teachers, it is impossible to help a student begin to comprehend their reading material if they are disinterested and unwillingly to read the assigned material. I also agree that educators and those who support educators need to reconsider how to best reach and teach students. The article referred to this challenge as restructuring