An Interpretation of Paulo Freire's Theory of Education. Ronald S
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University of Massachusetts Amherst ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst Doctoral Dissertations 1896 - February 2014 1-1-1977 An interpretation of Paulo Freire's theory of education. Ronald S. Goldman University of Massachusetts Amherst Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations_1 Recommended Citation Goldman, Ronald S., "An interpretation of Paulo Freire's theory of education." (1977). Doctoral Dissertations 1896 - February 2014. 3401. https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations_1/3401 This Open Access Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations 1896 - February 2014 by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. For more information, please contact [email protected]. UMASS/AMHERST 31.BQbbD1353aD‘=]5 AN INTERPRETATION OF PAULO FREIRE'S THEORY OF EDUCATION A Dissertation Presented By Ronald S. Goldman Submitted to the Graduate School of the University of Massachusetts in oartial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF EDUCATION October 11, 1977 School of Education (c) Ronald S. Goldman 1977 -All Rights Reserved AN INTERPRETATION OF PAULO FREIRE'S THEORY OF EDUCATION A Dissertation Presented by Ronald S. Goldman Approved as to style and content by: Professor Peter Wagschal , Chairperson of Committee Professor Theodor Slovin, Member 1 t ; . t / Dean Mario Fantini, Department Head Dedicated to the memory of my late father Kurt Goldman V ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This dissertation could not have been written if it had not been for the help of the following people*, to whom I am deeply grateful: Vivien Goldman, Jack Murphy, Bella Halstead, Leonard Suransky, Phil Chanin, Jean Elshtain, Bill DeMuth, Peter Wagschal , Judith Evans and Theodor Slovin. ABSTRACT An interpretation of Paulo Freire's Theory of Education Feoruary 1978 • Ronald S. Goldman, B.A., Hunter College, CCHY M.A., Fordham University Ed.D., University of Massachusetts Directed by: Professor Peter Waqschal This dissertation interprets Paulo Freire's theory of education in three closely related ways, (l) It argues that Freire's theory stands in the tradition of critical theory in general; tnis tradition stands in opposition to that which dominates, including the dominant theoretical mode of discourse--in this case referred to as traditional theory, (z) One form of traditional theory is empiricism. Freire's theory is examined by analyzing what he is net saying. Any effort to incorporate Freire into this tradition domesticates whac is most cutting about Freire. (3) Freive's aoproach to literacy education is attempted within the context of a fresnman Rhetoric Class. Significant changes in a number of students' writings is cleat'ly noticeable. A full report of the three month long educational effort is provided in order to facillitate further understanding of the mode of tnought vfnich one must adopt. "inally rhe disse'-tation attempts to iinderstand why so many ef- t^r- forts to '^reate 'innevative' educational aoproaches result in a that there exists little the- cemenMng of tlie s tatus quo. It 1s argued vii 'theoretical self-consciousness' amongst many such enterprises. This concept is fully explicated. The dissertation contains an extensive bibliography. TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS • ^ ABSTRACT ; Chapter 1 1 II : 9 Paradigms 11 Paradigms and Politics 13 Liberalism 14 Americanism 21 Traditional Theory Paradigm 25 Empiricist Paradigm 28 Critical Theory Paradigm 32 Wholes and Parts 34 Consciousness 34 Dialectics 36 Paulo Freire and Critical Theory 41 Summary 45 Conclusion 49 III 56 Making Sense of Social Reality 69 Empiricist Interpretation 82 Alschuler-Smith Coding System 84 Critique of Empiricist Epistemology 93 Intersubjective Reality 95 Social Literacy Project's efforts to Understand and Act Upon Reality 100 Summary and Conclusions 113 IV 122 Background 133 Preparation 128 The Project I'll The Real Beginning 1^5 Teaching About the Importance of Assumptions 147 Recognizing Student Assumptions and and Re- Presen ting to Them l-'’^ Page V 171 Introduction 172 Why a Need for Theoretical Self-Consciousness 172 The Meaning of 'Theoretical Self-Consciousness' 185 Psychoanalysis and Critical Theory igi Developing an Educational Program based upon Freire's Principles 206 VI 228 APPENDIX I 242 APPENDIX II 246 APPENDIX III 251 APPENDIX IV (A) 254 APPENDIX IV (B) 256 APPENDIX IV (C) 270 APPENDIX V 274 APPENDIX VI 296 APPENDIX VII 299 BIBLIOGRAPHY 304 . CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION This dissertation attempts to elucidate and explicate the works of the Brazilian educator Paulo Freire. The reader may well ask: Why bother to speculate upon and essentially recapitulate what has already been done? Why not let Freire's work stand for itself? First of all Freire's theory has become more and more popular amongst educators in the United States. There exists a realization that education in America is in difficulty from a variety of. points of view; it is the hope of many that Freire's radical pedagogy will be of help in revitalizing our thinking about education. But the problem is that Freire's work is difficult to understand and lends itself to considerable mi s i nterpreta t i on Recently Freire complained that one great disappointment for him has been the bureaucratization of his work.^ How and why might this happen? Anyone reading Freire's work with verstand (with comprehension) would see how carefully he has attempted to prevent this from occurring. He has written a body of theory , not a set of methods. He wishes those v/ho read his work to comprehend how one thinks within the framework of critical educational theory. To provide a set of techniques would only make it possible for the educator using Freire to use his concepts stat- ically. The educator would not be able to generate insight into new problem areas based upon a deep understanding of the fundamental princi- ples crucial to a critical educational theory. It is the central theme of this dissertation that such an understanding 2 can only come as a result of prolonged immersion in the intellectual tradition of which Freire's work partakes. Unless this is done Freire's language will simply be unconsciously translated into an anglo/empiricist tradition in which most of us unconsciously and unreflectively partici- pate. It is almost certain that those who have bureaucratized Freire are those who have never understood him in the sense I am describing here. They have seen words like: reflection, action, critical con- sciousness, dialectic, subject-object, and assumed that the meanings of these words can be obtained without extensive reference to Freire's intellectual tradition--that they can be operationally defined, if nec- essary. The fact is that these concepts are a part of a certain tradi- tion of intellectual discourse--that of critical theory--and a simple translation of them to another mode of discourse--the anglo/empiricist-- will rob them of the meaning intended by the author. The conceots could only come to be read with verstand if one had read widely and deeply within the tradition of critical theory; only then the context in which these concepts have gained their meaning will be known. One cannot hope to understand the concepts independently of this context. They have ac- quired their meaning from the context of debate and explanation which gave birth to them. ...The reader may well ask how I can speak with such certainty about what must surely be a set of debatable facts. This ques- tion provides me with the opportunity to explain the set of problems which provoked this dissertation. Essentially the dissertation attempts two central, interrelated intelligent tasks. One is to examine how it is possible that extremely 3 educational professionals have taken Freire's theory and so radically altered it as to make it essentially and fundamentally difforont to anything he intended — to have in effect bureaucratized his work. They have packaged it, instrumental i zed it, operationalized it.^ They have done this in order to simplify, test and disseminate widely Freire's theories--as they refer to Freire's theory. They have worked with great care, intellectual honesty and commitment, and have at the same time unwittingly, but essentially, vitiated the meaning of Freire's work. This does not mean to say that what they are doing is useless; rather that the way they 'operationalize Freire' is counter to his theory. Since my initial exposure to Freire's work was via these efforts, I have some understanding of them. For many months I attempted to learn coding system techniques, so that when it came time to do a dissertation I would be able to know for certain whether or not the students with whom I was working had become critically conscious. All along no matter how hard I fought myself I was unable to read Freire in this codified manner. I spent months attempting to understand what was in fact hap- pening. In the process I began to read widely in the field of critical theory, and to talk to those who have for years been immersed in this tradition. This dissertation is essentially a report on what I have come to understand at an early stage of this investigation. It is an why effort to describe my interpretation of Freire and indicate hov/ and this others have so radically misinterpreted his work. The purpose of theory (Freire's in- s pecific critique is to show that critical social empiricist tellectual tradition) stands in critical relationship to the 4 tradition and cannot simply be incorporated by it. The dissertation then is meant to represent in style and content the meaning of critical theory, its relationship to traditional theory, ’ and to argue that Freire stands clearly in the former tradition and that his work can only be adequately understood as such .