The teaching approach we use in the Roots of Success program is inspired by the work of Brazilian educator and activist Paulo Freire. Freire’s pedagogy of literacy education involves not only reading the word, but also reading the world. This involves the development of critical consciousness that inspires and allows people to question the nature of their historical and social situation—to read their world—with the goal of becoming more empowered and inspired to build a just society. For education, Freire emphasizes the importance and need for a constant exchange between teachers and students, where both learn, both question, both reflect, and both participate in discussions, teaching one another and learning from one another. Concretely, this pedagogy requires the teacher to understand the lives of the students and the content to be relevant to the students’ lives. Our structure and our curriculum do exactly this. We believe this is the reason our program has such a positive and transformative impact on the lives of the individuals and programs we work with.
Happy Birthday Paolo Freire!
