Annotated Bibliography for the Basic Popular Education Library
in a Box for Organizers, Activists, and Community-based Educators
The annotations below are from The Popular Education and Community Organizing Collection Annotated
Bibliography found on www.popednews.org unless otherwise noted. The Popular
Education News would like to thank Suzanne Doerge and Bev Burke for donating
copies of Starting with Women’s Lives, both the English and
Spanish versions. Also we thank Denise
Nadeau for permission to make copies of Counting
Our Victories, both the book and the DVD. Finally thanks to Darlene Clover and Deborah Barndt for permission to
make copies of their books The Nature of
Transformation and Naming the Moment,
respectively
1. BRIDGE: Building a Race and Immigration Dialogue in the Global Economy- A Popular Education Resource for Immigrant & Refugee Community Organizers by Eunice Hyunhye Cho, Francisco Arguelles Paz a Punte, Miriam Ching Yoon Louie, and Sasha Khokha. National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, 2004, 305 pages. www.nnirr.org
This workbook contains tools for
organizers working with immigrant communities to build alliances and find
common ground for action with others fighting for economic, social, and racial
justice. The "toolbox" contains tips, training materials, and
resources based upon a popular education framework. The broad goal is to
analyze and transform power structures and power relationships- especially as
each relate to teaching, education, and to the learning experience.
The book is divided into three sections, each highlighting different tools for popular education around issues of immigration. Section one contains "framing tools," a collection of articles, tips, and activies that will help provide effective facilitation. This section includes a focus on the importance of fostering a multilingual environment, evaluation forms, and activities for facilitators.
Section two is composed of eight workshop "modules" developed by BRIDGE. Each module contains activities, exercizes and discussion questions pertaining to the particular subject area of that module. There is also, in every module, a background article relating to the subject, and fact sheets and resource lists for futher information. The eight modules are as follows: 1. Immigration History 101 2. Globalization, Migration, and Workers Rights 3. Introduction to our Multiple Oppressions, Multiple Privileges 4. Migrant Rights are Human Rights 5. Immigrant Rights and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) 6. Immigrant Women's Leadership 7. Finding Common Ground I: The Changing Demographics of Race and Migration 8. Finding Common Ground II: Transforming Conflict in Community Organizing Module chapters contain bullet-point summary facts, followed by a "workshop menu" that tables the exercise and coinciding time estimate for each activity. A handout is included in every module plan.
The third and final section contains additional resources such as a glossary of terms, organizational contacts, and a list of resources on immigration and popular education.
2. Counting Our Victories Popular Education and Community Organizing by Denise Nadeau. Repeal the Deal Productions, 1996. http://www.americas.org/bookstore/ , http://www.rabble.ca/books
This workshop guide and companion
video is designed to help groups-union locals, women’s groups, and non-governmental
organizations of all kinds-use popular education to broaden organizing in the
post-NAFTA era. The theme is using popular education for organizing in the
context of the social and economic restructuring of the late 1990s.
The main idea remains to create a training kit that can help grassroots groups build their organizations, strengthen their own organizing initiatives and continue to work in coalitions with other groups. The approach taken to popular education owes much to the years of practice and theoretical development of popular education in Central America and Mexico. As well much of the inspiration for the video and guide comes from the work of women organizers from unions, women’s organizations, anti-racist groups, and cultural organizations in Canada.
This kit provides activities and information about popular education and organizing from a wide variety of campaigns. For us, it documents some signs of hope in very bitter times. It shows how the work of organizing for justice and for life with dignity is constantly being renewed. Users are encouraged to use it to help contribute to the rebuilding and re-visioning of social movements and social change.
The training guide is divided into three parts: The Framework made up of three introductory chapters describing the methodology and design; The Modules made up of 11 different areas for focused educational activities -Getting Started, Starting From our Histories and Dreams, Examining our Practice, Doing Social Analysis, Culture, History, and Resistance, Popular Communication, Spirituality, Religion, and Organizing, Design and Facilitation, Applying What We Have Learned, Planning for Action, and Systematization and Evaluation; and Appendices – the four Appendices are called Working Through the Body, Fly on the Ceiling Worksheet, Tips on Using Videos, and Resources.
3. Do it yourself: A hand book for changing our world by the Trapese Collective. Pluto Press, May 2007.
Do it yourself: A handbook for
changing our world weaves together analysis, stories, experiences and
practical how to guides that cover nine different thematic areas in which
autonomous movements are resisting in the here and now- creating everyday
revolutions. From sustainable living, doing it without leaders, health,
food, cultural activism, autonomous spaces, alternative media, popular
education and direct action this book explores current projects, limitations
and potentials of the vast number of ideas that are emerging from global
movements of autonomy in creating other possible worlds. The book has
been the result of work by many different people all working in various areas
and aspects of movements for social change who have contributed to this
publication.
This book is part of a number of growing critiques and proposals emerging from the global movements for autonomy, creation and resistance. What drives these movements is not a single ideology or desire to capture the state. Rather they are driven by a desire from ordinary people to propose and create more environmentally sustainable, non-hierarchical ways of living based upon self-management and mutual aid which go beyond agendas from both the left and right of the political spectrum. Autonomy is a key part of this which at its core is a desire to construct and manage ones own world, free from the constraints of government, consumer society and big business, but holding on to principles like social justices, sustainability and equality. It is a rejection of many aspects of our neoliberal times: the exposure of localities to economic forces beyond their control; subsidies for big business and ecologically damaging activities; repression and surveillance of certain ethnic groups, activists and civil society groups; unaccountable governments and local elites; ecological destruction; a lack of participation in community and political life. What this book seeks to do is to take the many creative proposals which reject capitalism from the margins and put them centre stage to promote discussion, inspiration and action. Trapese Collective, 2006
4. Educating for a Change by Rick Arnold, Bev Burke, Carl James, D'Arcy Martin, and Barb Thomas Toronto Between the Lines Press, 1991. http://www.btlbooks.com/
This is a book for all educators -
and anyone else interested in how education works - who agree that the time for
fuzzy platitudes and top-down practices is over. If you are working for systems
change, you'll find skills and new confidence for challenging the status quo in
this book – plus, tools for transforming power relations and applying the
principles of democratic practice to change efforts as well as daily work.
Running through the book are two important threads: 1) education must empower all people to act for change, 2) education must be based on democratic practice; creating the conditions for full and equal participation in discussion, debate and decision making.
The book is a facilitator’s and organizer’s manual for improving educational work. It not only is filled with examples of participatory, democratic activities that could be in the repertoire of all educators and activists, but those activities are embedded in a coherent theoretical framework reflecting the years of popular education work by the authors who at the time of the book’s writing were identified with the Doris Marshall Institute in Toronto, Ontario. It is the premier source of a full explanation of the spiral model of popular education.
Its chapters include This is Our Chance: Educating Strategically, Working By Design: Putting Together a Program, Shaping Our Tools: Developing and Using Activities, Working On Our Feet: The Practice of Democratic Facilitation, Looking Back: Issues Emerging From Our Practice, and Looking Ahead: Implications For Our Work In The 90s.
This book, written in the early 90s, is based on the notion that the issue of power is central for any attempt to bring change. The authors combine reflection with practical exercises for trainers and facilitators. The book shows two important threads, one is that education is the tool to enable people to act for change; and the other one is that education must be based on a democratic practice with full and equal participation in discussion, debate and decision-making.
The book contains six chapters including strategic factors for educational programs of this nature, design of educational events, concrete educational activities, challenges of facilitating a group, lessons learned from past experiences, and future perspectives and challenges. The book ends up with a postscript on two conversations, one tells about the reflection processes of the five authors of the book, and the other conversation relates to important feed back from external readers to the draft manuscript.
5. Education for Changing Unions by Bev Burke, Jojo Geronimo, D'Arcy Martin, Barb Thomas, and Carol Wall. Between the Lines Press, Toronto, 2003 http://www.btlbooks.com/
Education
for Changing Unions is a compilation of experiences, knowledge, and
reflection on the use of education in unions. It consciously plays with the
word "changing," - to paraphrase the authors in their introduction -
by celebrating the unions that are using education as a strategy of change as
well as supporting activists who are working to increase the will and capacity
of unions.
To quote from the book’s Forward by Elaine Bernard, Executive Director, Harvard Trade Union Program, the books is "One third labour education toolkit, one third autobiography, and one third reflective conversation on the craft of union education."
The five authors are seasoned labor and community educators who have contributed their life work and personal wisdom to this collaborative piece. With thoughtfulness, they outline the complexities, possibilities, pitfalls, challenges, and opportunities involved in union organizing and union education.
Education for Changing Unions is a rich, stimulating, and provocative storehouse of ideas, practical exercises and debate about union education. It is written in a clear and accessible style, designed to inspire and empower working people and activists in many settings and locations. It celebrates the effectiveness of union education in promoting social change and supports activists working to strengthen democracy and participation within unions.
6.
Long Haul: an autobiography, The by Myles Horton with Judith and Herbert Kohl Teachers College Press, 1998.
I was first introduced to The Long Haul as a consequence of teaching a community organization course for which I had not been assigned for over 20 years. I felt I was out of my element. In seeking to prep myself for this course, I consulted key people in the US and my local community. I was prodded to read The Long Haul. I must admit I was not enthusiastic. BIG MISTAKE!
After 30 years of reading social science research monographs, research proposals, dissertations, MSW theses, and textbooks, I would say that The Long Haul is one of the most (and perhaps the most) profoundly important piece of literature I have read addressing the social service arena. Although it is an autobiography, it offers critical insight into the failure of social service delivery. Prior to reading The Long Haul, I believed that the major failure of sociology and social work was the inability to construct a meaningful theory of cultural diversity. Social work's failure to shepherd recipients off of TANF is associated with a lack of cultural understanding. Clearly, what we need is a theory for guidance.
In his autobiography, Myles Horton takes us to the threshold of theory construction. Much of what "works" is counterintuitive. For example, if the police are monitoring Horton's actions because the authorities fear he will instigate a communist upraising, Horton will seek out the police. He would thank them for escorting him to his destination and explain to them his plans. The police move into a state of utter confusion. They are put in a position where they must walk with him rather then concealing themselves. Clearly, he knows what he is doing, but is unable to explain his actions that would enable readers to generalize these actions. The capacity of generalize and to use this generalization for an alternative environment is the heart of sociological theory. We learn how society functions by identifying patterns and see if they exist (or work) in other arenas.
Perhaps theory construction is not possible. Perhaps cultural influences are so uniquely situated that a generalization from one arena to another is not possible. What is the common theme found in all of Horton's successes? I think the answer is LISTENING. However, Horton's form of listening is not the type of listening I was taught nor the kind of listening I read in cutting edge research and respected textbooks. It is, in fact, NOT the empathic listening. I do not believe that words exists which capture the essence of this type of Horton's listening, but I believe the concept of "blind" listening comes close. In addition, sociological frameworks such as Interactionalism and Phenomenology employ terms like "bracketing." Bracketing comes close, but does not hit the bull's eye. Social workers must spend more time understanding Horton's methodology of listening, analyzing what he heard, and acting upon his analysis.
I do not recall reading any book that had such a profound effect on my thinking. This autobiography is not merely the story of Myles Horton's life but rather a roadmap for improved social service delivery and empowerment. Every social worker should read this book -- even clinicians. In fact, I would say that any social work student who does not thoroughly enjoy this book, needs to change majors.
Review by S.M. Marson (From amazon.com)
7. Making Sense of the Media: A Handbook of Popular Education Techniques by Eleonora Castaño Ferreira and João Castaño Ferreira. Monthly Review Press, 1997, 124 pages. (Used copies available from www.abebooks.com )
The idea for this book was born out
of the two authors' years of experience in adult education. In teaching in
various inner-city programs, the duo realized that one of the biggest obstacles
to critical thinking both inside and outside the classroom was media
domination. Thus, in 1993, they began to formulate a popular education curriculum
that would de-mystify the influence of the mass media.
Although this book may be helpful to any reader, it is especially geared toward group facilitators, with instructions heading each subsection or new activity. There is an abundance of charts, diagrams, and cartoons, as well as listed bullet-points and bolded font for important points. The layout is clear and follows a logical pattern of first explaining popular education, then illuminating ways in which the media influences perceptions of self and needs, and, finally, activities geared towards creating greater awareness of self and experiential learning. Part 1: Education for Liberation Part 2: What Popular Education Is…and Isn't Part 3: A Curriculum for Making Sense of the Media Part 4: Popular Communication Part 5: Popular Education and Multiculturalism The book includes lists and diagrams of various "marketing methods" and also provides "democratic alternatives." It breaks down and analyses the messages promoted in various famed and treasured "classic" media tales (such as "Dirty Harry" or "Orphan Annie").
It analyzes multiple aspects of the media, from magazines to newspapers to TV. It seeks a path to solution through the "Paulo Freire methodology in group settings" highlighted towards the end of the book as a three step process: to see the situation as the participants experience it, to judge the situation, and to act to change the situation.
8. Naming the Moment Political Analysis for Action - A Manual for Community Groups by Deborah Barndt with Carlos Freire, Illustrator. The Moment Project, Jesuit Centre for Social Faith, Toronto 1989. http://www.rabble.ca/books
The introduction begins with two
questions: "This moment: it is unlike any other moment in time. How can we
understand what it offers so that we can make the best use of it? How have
people used moments in the past to push toward greater social justice?"
This manual concerns itself with these questions. Through the "moment" approach, it presents ideas, experiences and concepts that can help groups working for social change. The five chapters are outlined as follows: It firstly introduces and defines the idea of political analysis for action, or naming the moment. Second, it supplies a review of the history of the concept and situates the practice in current social movements and structures in Canada. Third, it describes in detail the method of naming the moment and illustrates its four phases ( identifying ourselves and our interests, naming the issues/struggles, assessing the forces, planning for action) together with some examples. Fourth, the manual discusses the two applications of the method: one focused on local environmental issues, the other analyzing the free trade battle.
It suggests different ways to integrate the process of naming the moment process, or political analysis for action, into the daily life of organizations. Finally, it emphasizes the importance of linking analyses across issues and across sectors. Some of the benefits people have found in the moment approach include: a structured reflection among activists; the integration of questions of race, class and gender; the integration of work at short and long term goals; the participatory and collective nature of the process, and the integration of emotional and cultural expression.
The book is completed with three appendices that supply a dictionary of terms, a "Training Program," and resources in both Spanish and English.
9. Nature of Transformation Environmental, Adult and Popular Education, Second Edition The by Darlene E. Clover, Shirley Follen, and Budd Hall, 2000.
This workbook/manual, valuable for
all educators, draws on the experiences from a wide range of workshops across
Canada, in the United States and abroad. It outlines social learning theories
and ways in which environmental issues can be woven into the practice of adult
education whether formal or nonformal. The chapters provide: · A brief
examination of some of the theories of adult, popular, feminist, environmental,
and environmental adult and popular education. · Ideas for organizing workshops
within an ecological context and sample agendas. · Activities that stimulate
critical and creative thinking, use nature and the community as teachers and
sites of learning, weave environmental and social issues, and examine local and
global issues. · Activities from the Philippines, Fiji, Australia and Hong Kong
and a list of other resources to support educational work.
This book links together a social vision, an analysis of power, the importance of passion and emotions and the principles of adult learning to give guidance in designing workshops that are truly participatory. Many of the practical activities and exercises can be put to use immediately in existing classes and workshops, or woven into newly designed education events. One of the book’s strengths is the ability to integrate the social, political, cultural, economic and ecological elements...This is an excellent book for people who are beginning to explore alternative education approaches. Julia Robinson, Peace and Environment News, March 1999
The Second Edition of The Nature of Transformation: Environmental Adult Education draws on the experiences from a wide range of workshops facilitated by the authors across Canada, in the United States and abroad. This resource text outlines social learning theories and ways in which environmental issues can be woven into the practice of adult education whether formal or nonformal. It is targeted towards community-based organisations, educators and people interested in investing in healthy communities and a healthy environment through alternative and experiential education” (Robinson 1999).
This edition: * provides information on principles and theories of feminist, popular, environmental and indigenous education as well as an in depth discussion on adult education in terms of its streams of self-growth and social transformation * provides new ideas and principles of the theory and practice of environmental adult education; * provides ideas on organizing workshops within an ecological context; * contains 50 pages of activities which stimulate critical and creative thinking, use nature and the community as teachers and sites of learning, weave environmental, cultural, economic, political and social issues, examine local and global issues, and deal with a diversity of issues from soil erosion to healthy food, consumerism to gender and race oppression; contains activities from Australia, Philippines, Fiji, and Hong Kong; provides a list of feminist, adult and environmental adult education resources from around the world.
10. Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire, The Seabury Press, 1973
Over twenty years ago Paulo Freire
articulated a powerful message of opposition to such discourses of seemingly
irreversible oppression. Freire reminded the world of the potential of human
agency in the process of social change. In his most celebrated book, Pedagogy of the Oppressed, Freire
espoused a discourse of liberation based on a belief in the possibility of
personal and political transformation. Freire voraciously asserted that a
structure, system, or institution of oppression must not be perceived as
"a closed world from which there is no exit, but as a limiting situation
which the oppressed can transform". In essence, Freire declared that
critical consciousness of reality is imperative to human action and social
transformation. Freire's message of critical awareness, based on a conception
of the dialectical relationship between the world and human consciousness, has
placed Pedagogy of the Oppressed in
the canon of radical educational pedagogy.
The concept of critical awareness is foundational to Freire's radical pedagogy. Critical awareness is made possible through praxis which Freire defines as "reflection and action upon the world in order to transform it". Freire connects reflection and action together as part of the process in the recognition and transformation of social, economic and political contradictions.
Freire's involvement in literacy campaigns during the 1960s reveals his conception of a concomitant reading of the word and a reading of the world. Not only did Freire establish an effective and efficient method of literacy education among the peasantry of Angicos Brazil, he demonstrated a methodology and philosophy of education that was distinctly political. Freire contrasts a liberatory model of education with an authoritarian educational system that he creatively terms "banking education". Based on a mechanized view of consciousness, banking education isolates the learner from the content and process of education. It assumes that the teacher knows everything; the students know nothing. In contrast, Freire promotes a libertarian education, or what he terms 'problem-posing education', that is based upon a democratic relationship between teacher and student. Freire proposes a "partnership" in which both are simultaneously teachers and students. The democratization of the content and method of teaching incites inquiry, creativity and critical thinking which impels the emergence of consciousness and the "constant unveiling of reality". This is an education that begins with the present existential reality of the people's lives.The focus is on the 'here and now' in which people's daily existence and local realities are evident. Problem-posing education seeks to transform structures of oppression by enabling people to "develop their power to perceive critically the way they exist in the world with which and in which they find themselves" Twenty-five years after the first publication of Pedagogy of the Oppressed, Freire's message of liberation and social transformation remains relevant today.
Translated into numerous languages, and having sold more than five hundred thousand copies world-wide, Pedagogy of the Oppressed continues to be read, debated and discussed all over the world by progressive educators and others who seek to embrace Freire's radical pedagogy. The universal appeal of Freire's works is not limited to the arena of education, but also maintains considerable influence in other disciplines such as political science, anthropology, post-colonial theory, liberation theology, international development studies, urban planning, feminism, and sociology. Freire's central thematic concerns espoused in Pedagogy of the Oppressed maintain on-going relevance to these fields of learning and teaching. Freire's conception of a highly politicized education, the unification of action and analysis, the centrality of dialogue in the process of learning, and the significance of critical awareness in social transformation continue to guide and challenge progressive educators throughout the world. Pedagogy of the Oppressed is a powerful book with a message of critical radicalism relevant to the post-modern world of the 1990s and beyond. Indeed, Paulo Freire's belief in the potential for social transformation through the process of critical awareness and action is a message that we who perceive globalization to be an unalterable system would do well to remember.
11. Ready for Action: A Popular Theatre Popular Education Manual by Jennifer Anderson, Jennifer Michol, Joshua Silverberg. Waterloo Public Interest Research Group (WPIRG), (Reprinted by the Catalyst Centre), 1994.
This manual was written by the
Enviromaniacs, a popular theatre group at the University of Waterloo, in an
effort to share knowledge and experience gained by the group in their many
years of pop theatre work. It provides an overview of ideas, materials, and
resources dealing with popular theatre and popular education, and connects and
links the theory to concrete exercises, which comprise the majority of this
book.
But the focus here is on concrete exercises for groups who want to jump into the popular theatre process. It includes energizer exercises, analytical exercises, reflection and evaluation exercises, as well as ideas for doing street theatre and pop theatre workshops. Table of Contents Introduction Overview Who might use this manual How to use this manual Why this manual was written How this manual is organized I. Concepts and Ideas Education and learning Popular Education Pop Theatre: A tool for social change II. Group Process Sharing framework Group Focus and planning The 7 steps of planning III. Popular Education Theatre Activities Play time begins Games format Section A: Initiation warm-up exercises Section B: Movement and vocal exercises Section C: Concentration exercises Section D: Improvisational exercises Section E: On the way to creating plays Section F: Street Theatre Section G: Creating a Popular Theatre workshop IV. Popular Education Exercises The Spiral Creativity model Sharing ideas and experience Exploring and analyzing issues Group building Planning for action and and ideas for action Carrying out action Refection and evaluation Simulation games and role plays Debriefing V. Resources
12.
Starting With Women's Lives
Changing Today's Economy - A Facilitators Guide to a Visual Workshop
Methodology, 2nd Edition by Suzanne Doerge and Bev Burke.
Women's Inter-Church Council of Canada and the Canadian Labour Congress. 2000.
A hands-on manual for women who wish to critically analyze the relationship between gender and the economy and work for social justice and equality. The authors noticed a "shortage of tools to draw upon for doing a gender analysis of the economy, particularly tools which can draw on women's experience and actively involve them in the analysis." This manual is meant to provide such a tool.
The handbook can be used by any group of women to anaylze the effects of economic changes on women, to develop an understanding of the connections between women's daily experiences and national and worldwide trends, and to become involved and active in campaigns for women's rights and social justice. The handbook presents its information as methodology, which is to be learned and experienced through workshop(s).
The method is called 'the wall,' which gives a visual of gender analysis and the economy. The wall itself is used as a metaphor for the economy because "our economy is made up of inter-related parts that build upon one another." Thus, this methodology looks at how the stones in the wall are changing and how women can actively rebuild the wall. The guide provides facilitators with detailed notes, background information, and ideas for adapting this visual methodology for specific groups. The six sections are: * The Overview * The Thinking Behind the Wall * The Facilitator Notes * Adapting the Wall * Preparing to Facilitate the Wall * Resources
13. Today’s Globalization: A Toolkit for Popular Education In Your Community, Second Edition, by Project South Staff and Board. Project South, 2005 www.projectsouth.org
Today's
Globalization is a popular education toolkit. Project South is a
broad-based, community-driven membership organization that develops popular
political and economic education and action research for organizing and
liberation. We develop indigenous popular educators and movement leaders from
grassroots and scholar-activist backgrounds, bringing them together on the
basis of equality to engage in building a bottom-up movement for social and
economic justice.
This toolkit tells a story. For more than 500 years people around the world have fought for their freedom. This toolkit is a piece of those stories. The history and experience of those who have struggled before and alongside us is a story. The key to finding successful strategies for our own freedom lies in learning this story.
This toolkit is laid out in order. It begins with a glossary and some essays that provide an analytical framework, moves to history, then on to the workshop, and finally ends with some additional resources. The primary intended audience is people with an interest in globalization and who are seeking a deeper understanding of it. Some participants may have no understanding at all. Each person may be working on a broad range of issues that, at first glance, don't seem to connect. That's fine. This workshop shows how all these issues are connected on some level. We recommend no more than 25 participants per workshop.
While this workshop can stand alone, we recommend it be linked to others. Globalization is big, and one workshop isn't enough to understand it all. We suggest a series. It is important to link local work to international trends, but it is also important that we do our work strategically. Spend time during each workshop strategically thinking about how local organizing will be impacted by issues presented in the workshop. Remember, use the tools in this toolkit as a beginning - then change and shape them into an educational process that works for you.
14. Training For Transformation A Handbook For Community Workers, Book 4, by Anne Hope and Sally Timmel. International Technology Development Group, 1999. www.amazon.com, www.abebooks.com
This volume, published in 1999, is
the continuation of the series of three volumes on Training for Transformation.
It is a practical workbook for community development workers. This volume
includes a series of highly participatory exercises on five generic themes:
environmental issues, feminist-gender analysis, overt and covert racism and ethnic
hostilities, multicultural understanding, and democracy and governance. Each
generic theme of the book offers several modules with exercises to better
understand, analyze and act to improve communities and peoples’ lives.
15. Uncovering Who We Are: Political Education for Latina Women Curriculum Manual/Descrubriendo quienes somos: Manual de educacion politica para muyere Latinas Includes the CD which contains pdf files for the 187 page manual in both English and Spanish.
This curriculum aims to uncover the
many aspects of a low-income Latina immigrant woman’s life. The central
question of the series is ‘Who Are We?’ Asking this question over and over
results in a deep excavation into the experiences, environments and spirits of
the participants. Through this exploration, the curriculum hopes to build
community, collectivize the experiences in the room, develop a shared analysis
of root causes, envision social justice solutions and to move into action to
make those solutions a reality.
Goals of the curriculum:
• Collectivize the experience of personal hurt caused by oppression and begin a process of healing
• Understand how our collective pain is caused by systems of oppression
• Develop our understanding of leadership to include low-income Latina immigrant women
• Begin to envision solutions to community problems
• Move into action for community change
Tierra Viva’s base consists of low-income Mexican immigrant women from San Jose. The curriculum in this manual is developed with that community in mind. Most of our examples are relevant to this community. The history of the region uses stories familiar to this community. Even the way we talk about gender (machismo) is particular to this community.
However, this manual can be used by anyone who is working with a community to develop the leadership and political analysis of that community. We encourage you to tailor the curriculum you see in this manual to meet the specific needs of your participants.
16. We Make the Road by Walking: Conversations on Education and Social Change by Myles Horton and Paulo Freire edited by Brenda Bell, John Gaventa, and John Peters. Temple University Press, 1990.
We
Make the Road by Walking is a book of compelling passion, politics, and
hope. The dialogue between Horton and Freire opens up new insights into the
meaning of pedagogy, social criticism, and collective struggle. This book
offers hope by demonstrating in the voices and practices of two of the great
educator-activists of the twentieth century the reason for making pedagogy
practical and theoretical in the service of social justice. Horton and Freire
discuss the nature of social change, empowerment and literacy, through their
own unique experiences.
The publication of this taped conversation virtually represents Myles Horton's last testament with respect to his ideas concerning adult education and social change. Myles Horton passed away soon after the two authors' final revision of the manuscript thus, it constitutes a fitting tribute to him. Although Freire undoubtedly makes his presence felt throughout the conversation, it is Horton who takes up most of the space, encouraged, in this regard, by the third anonymous participant who, at times, makes special efforts to bring the best out of him.
Myles Horton and Paulo Freire have a lot in common. Throughout their adult education work, Horton and Freire have underlined the distinctly political nature of educational activity, insisting that there can be no 'neutral' education. They have also promoted the view of the learner as 'subject' rather than 'object' of the learning process. Furthermore, they both devised their adult education strategies within the framework of an ongoing struggle for the generation of radically democratic social relations within the respective contexts in which they worked.
A fundamental difference in the ideas of the two speakers can be noticed. Horton tends to portray the formal system of education, as well as other formal social institutions, in a pejorative light. The message which seems to come across from Horton is that transformative social practices are most likely to occur outside the formal system: Reform within the system reinforced the system, or was co-opted by the system. This explains his focus on adult education and the formation of potential leaders of social movements. Freire argues that one should engage in transformative action both outside and inside the system, and that opportunities to work within the system should not be missed. In his view, one should have one foot in the system and another outside. This seems to have been the philosophy throughout his life as an adult educator and is reflected in his recent work as Education Secretary in the Municipal Government of Sao Paulo where he worked 'within' the system in concert with agencies operating 'outside' the system - the social movements.
Optional Materials in Spanish
(**BRIDGE/PUENTE: Supplementary Edition: Spanish
Handout Translation/Eduición Suplementaria: Versión en Español by/por Eunice Hyunhye Cho, Francisco Argüelles Paz y Puente, Miriam Ching Yoon
Louie, and/y Sasha Khokha. National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights,
2005, 62 pages. (This booklet contains handouts in Spanish for the
activities in the popular education manual on immigration, BRIDGE: Building
a Race and Immigration Dialogue in the Global Economy)
Descrubriendo quienes somos: Manual de educacion
politica para muyere latinas On the CD included with Uncovering Who We
Are: Political Education for Latina Women Curriculum Manual
Educacion
Transforma: Una guia para facilitadoes de la comunidad POR A. Hope, S.
Timmel, & C. Hodzi, I –III, 1984, Primera edición en español, 1992.
Transformando la economía de hoy desde la vida
cotidiana de las mujeres: Una metodología visual
(Guía para facilitadoras) Suzanne Doerge y Montserrat
Fernández Piñón Women's Wall Project , Canada and Puntos de Encuentro ,
Nicaragua , 2004
