Education as a Practice of Social Change
Donovan Autajay, Sophay Duch and company in LA in an IDEPSCA youth leadership training
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Back in 1979 I became part of a group of grassroots leaders creating a US-based popular education inspired by Freire and movements in Latin America and the global south.
I’m still refining concepts and practices that we've been practicing over the years. With the help of many wonderful teaching partners, I developed a method called
Education as a Practice of Social Change( inspired by Freire's monograph
Education as The Practice of Freedom).
Here is a snapshot of the basic structure. I've included a simple overview of its elements and a diagram of the components of the
problem posing process.
The elements of Education as a Practice of Social Change
Accords
Social Biography
Dialogue
Problem-posing
Participatory Research and Study
Personal Transformation: Healing, Recovery, and Re-emergence
Praxis
Accords
The
Accords provide an ethical framework for participation in the culture circle. They are:
Confidentiality
Step up; step back
Amnesty
Right to Pass
Try it On
Mutual Respect
Take only your own inventory
No capping (insults; 'put downs')
Dialogue
A with B = communication
> < intercommunication
Relation of "empathy" between two "poles" who are engaged in a joint search.
Matrix: loving, humble, hopeful,trusting, critical.
Born of a critical matrix, dialogue creates a critical attitude (Jaspers). It is nourished by love, humility, hope, faith, and trust. When the two "poles" of the dialogue are thus linked by love, hope, and mutual trust, they can join in a critical search for something. Only dialogue truly communicates.
(Education for Critical Consciousness, 1973)
The Social Biography
The Social Biography: the social context of my life and my life as a transformer of the social context. An ongoing inquiry and construction of the narrative of one’s experience and identity as an individual and member of social groups. It has multiple values: it generates themes and codifications; it is also a process in which each person learns to represent her or his story as a person in social, political, economic, historical, and spiritual context; it challenges one to research their ethnic heritage/ consider gender experience/ affirm sexual orientation/ understand class experience/ etc.
Participatory Research and Study
Participatory research and study challenges participants to deepen their understanding of issues, structures, and systems. The participatory approach makes it accessible and demystifies the traditional disciplines.
Personal Transformation: Healing, Recovery, and Re-emergence
Personal Transformation: Healing, Recovery, and Re-emergence acknowledges need and provides opportunities for individual growth, healing, values development and clarification, overcoming internalized oppression, and building confidence and self-esteem.
(In the
Critical Faith project, Spiritual Discipline is the personal transformation component: spiritual practice, community building, critical study and reflection of religions and belief systems, meditation, healing, prayer, and celebration.)
Problem posing
Problem-posing is the core element of the method. It involves analysis- the understanding of problems by examining their effects and exploring root causes. This 'act of knowing' is a radical act, as in the process persons realize that they
possess knowledge about things both abstract and complex; that they
have the ability to know- and that knowledge does not come only from 'experts;' that their knowing implies that they
can act on their perceptions; and that they can
know how they came to know, by mindfulness about the process itself.
Problem-posing starts with an introduction to dimensions of social experience: social---political--- economic---historical---spiritual. This matrix provides a framework from which we can comprehensively consider the causes and effects of a 'problem' or 'contradiction' that has been identified by using
codifications (drawings; skits; photographs) based on
generative themes developed through investigative dialogue about everyday life and the sharing of social biographies. Each 'dimension' is particular, and enables the perception of layers. For example, we pose the question "What are the
social effects and causes of immigration?" This focuses on experience and motivation. "What are the
historical aspects of immigration?" "What are its
economic causes and effects?" What is its
political nature? What are its
spiritual aspects? Together, they contribute to demystify the causes of contradiction as well as provide the multilayered framework necessary to address and overcome the contradiction.
1. Dimensions of social experience
SOCIAL POLITICAL
ECONOMIC HISTORICAL
SPIRITUAL
Each problem (or cultural innovation) is examined, first in dialogue and inquiry based in the group's individual and collective knowledge and experiences. Then it is studied through participatory research, field education, reading, and projects.
2. Problem-posing matrix
identify the effects of the
PROBLEM or INNOVATION
ANALYSIS of the root causes
research and study existing
STRATEGIES
and
RESPONSES and invent new ones
participate in
DIRECT ACTION
CRITIQUE the effect of the direct action
and the process as a whole
identify the 'new'
PROBLEM that emerges from unresolved or new contradictions
Each component of the matrix is explored in each of the five dimensions (social/political/economic/historical/spiritual) of social experience.
IDENTIFYING THE PROBLEM (or INNOVATION) involves describing the effect it
has upon a targeted group and the community and greater society around it.
ANALYSIS involves investigating the social, political, economic, historical
and spiritual factors (e.g., causes and effects of injustice against immigrants)
RESPONSE/STRATEGY is examining existing theories, policies, and actions that address
this problem, and developing new synthesis to propose more effective, overarching action.
DIRECT ACTION involves actions transforming the social, political, economic, historical,
and spiritual conditions necessary for a just and humane world that addresses the roots of
migration and the humanity of migrants.
CRITIQUE is the process of assessing the results of the direct action. How did it deal with the social dimension of the problem? Did it address economic realities? Did it respond to its
historical underpinnings? Did it correctly assess the greater political context and structures?
Was it able to lift up new spiritual possibilities?
Praxis
Meaningful
praxis is active participation in political and cultural action that effectively address the contradictions, problems and innovations of immediate concern that have been identified by the participants. In this example, a group has posed the contradiction of injustice against immigrants in the problem-posing process. Upon completing an
analysis and researching a
response and strategy, they joined a student solidarity campaign which included ongoing support for the
Dream Act, a bill proposed to grant legal status to undocumented college students. Following a series of actions over an extended period, they critiqued these actions, posing many critical questions:
Was the overarching strategy coherent? Did we address the overarching issues of globalization and migration? Were undocumented students at the center of the effort? How did this issue relate to others- racism, the economic crisis, or lgbtq oppression and rights?
Coming Soon: In-depth on Education as a Practice of Social Change
