Back on line after my modem died last week. I wanted to talk about Paulo Friere. He was an educator in Brazil, where he was born into a middle class family. The great depression in 1929 saw his family lose everything. Friere learned many lessons in the 'university of life' after that. He discovered that many people couldn't read or write and became conscious of the fact that with literacy being a requirement for voting, these people could not be involved in any political decisions being made in their country. When Friere's family's misfortunes turned around he went to University and over time developed a method of learning. I don't want to go on about it but he was imprisoned as a traitor during a coup in 1964. He later published a book Education and the Practice of Freedom and his famour Pedagogy of the Oppressed. Don't rush out and buy these books as they are very difficult to read. As with Joyce's Ulysses, there are reading circles who meet to discuss Frieres writing. Anyway, I discovered Friere while studying for my social work qualification and being aware that I would avoid becoming merely an agent for the State, was delighted to find Friere. I completed my final practical placement in Edinburgh where I intended learning more about the practice of his learning. While there I discovered a project, The Adult Learning Project, who used Friere's method in their project. I began to use it myself and was hooked. It is so simple and yet the most powerful way of raising people's consciousness. Friere's method is chiefly about consciousness raising and the use of 'praxes' i.e. reflecting on an issue, taking action to improve the situation and reflecting on the outcome, moving on to take further action and reflecting on that etc etc. Have you all gone to sleep after that rant? My next blog will see me use Friere's method within a group. Cheers for now.