The Pablo Freire Method

The Pablo Freire's Method consists of a proposal for the alphabet of adults developed by the educator Pablo Freire, who criticized the traditional system that used Cartilha’s teachings as central tool of the didactics for the education of the reading and the writing. Cartilhas taught the method of repetition of untied words or bred phrases of form "forçosao" (that ordinarily it is called as language of Cartilha, for example Eva saw the grape, the ox dribbles, the bird flies, amongst others.

tages of the method

* Stage of Inquiry: it co-searches between the professor and pupil the words and more significant subjects of the life of the pupil, inside of their universal vocabulary and the community where they live.
* Stage of Tematização: moment of taking the consciences of the world, through the analysis of significant social aspects of the subjects and the words.
* Stage of Problematização: stage where the professor defies and inspires the pupil to surpass the magical and critical vision of the world, for an acquired knowledge position.

The Method

*The generating words: the process considered by Pablo Freire is initiated for the survey of the universal vocabulary of the pupils. Through informal colloquies, the educator observes the vocabulary most used by the pupils and the community, and thus he selects the words that will serve for the base of the lessons. The amount of generated words can vary from 1,823 words, approximately. After the composition of the universally generated words, one presents them in posters with images. Then, in the culture circles a discussion is initiated as to their meaning in the reality of that group.
* The syllable: Once identified, each generated word is passed to be studied through the syllable division, similar to the traditional method. Each syllable is unfolded in its respective syllable family, with the change of the vowel (i.e., BA-BE-BI-BO-BU)
* The new words: the following step is the formation of new words. Using the syllable families now known, the group forms new words.
* The awareness: a basic point of the method is the discussion on the diverse subjects appears from the generated words. For Pablo Freire, to alphabetize, it cannot be restricted to the processes of codification and decoding. Of this form, the objective of the alphabetizing by adults is to promote the awareness concerning the daily problems, the understanding of the world and the knowledge of the social reality.

Application of the method

Freire applied his method in the five following ways
* 1^ary phase: Survey of the universal vocabulary of the group. In this phase the interactions of mutual knowledge occur, as well as the notation of the words in the language of the members of the group, respecting its typical language.
* 2^ary phase: Choice of the selected words, following the criteria of phonetic wealth, phonetic difficulties - in a gradual sequence from simplest to most complex, of the pragmatic length of the word in the social, cultural reality, and politics of the group and/or its community.
* 3^ary phase: Creation of characteristic existence situations of the group. They are about situations in the local society that must be argued with intention to open perspectives for the conscientious critical analysis of local, regional, and national problems.
* 4^ary phase: Creation of the fiche-script that functions as script for the debates, which will have to serve as subsidies, without however following a rigid lapsing.
* 5^ary phase: Creation of fiches of words for the decomposition of the corresponding phonetic families to the generating words.

History

Freire publicly applied the method for the first time in the Center of Culture Olegarinha Owner, a Circle of Culture for the Movement of Popular Culture. It was applied initially with 5 pupils, of which three had learned to read and to write in 30 hours, others two had given up before concluding. Based in the experience of Angicos, where in 45 days 300 workers were taught to read in write, Goulart João, president at the time, called Pablo Freire to organize a National Campaign of education. This campaign objective was to teach 2 million people, in 20,000 circles of culture, it counted on the participation of the community - in the state of the Guanabara (Rio De Janeiro) if they only inscribed 6,000 people. But with the Blow of 64 all this social mobilization was restrained, Pablo Freire was considered subversive, imprisoned and later was exiled. Thus, this great project unhappily was abandoned. In its place the MOBRAL appeared, an education initiative, however, viscerally distinct of the freirianos ideals.

Notes and references

*Educação Como Prática da Liberdade (Education As Practicality of the Freedom). Rio De Janeiro, Peace and Land, 1967 (19 ed., 1989)
*Brandão, Carlos Rodrigues; "What it is method Pablo Freire"
São Paulo, Brazil, 1981.

ee also

* Popular education
* Liberating education
* MOBRAL