Education as a Practice of Social Change

Donovan Autajay, Sophay Duch and company in LA in an IDEPSCA  youth leadership training

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

Popular Education 2.0

The Craft of Critical Teaching

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