Pedagogy review

What I enjoyed most throughout the book is the theme of dehumanization. Being oppressed has its own caveats, respectively, and the book does wonders explaining how this works and how to fix it, yet this comes from the point of view of how to forge the two together pedagogically and dialectically. I also felt that, since I am a big proponent of everything that he says in here, this book is not intended for me. It was almost like as it was “preaching to the choir.” This book should be read by those who are unaware of how they observe their lives, or how they oppressively “manipulate” their lives to create this false pretense. Sure, this might be taken from a teacher’s perspective, and how we need to “humanize this pedagogy” but for those who live these unexamined lives, blind to what they are exuding, this book will help them tremendously - to “liberate them from their oppressing.”
We are all enlivened by this “Democratic Spirit” Freire evokes. DFW speaks of this:
“This kind of stuff is advanced U.S. citizenship. A true Democratic Spirit is up there with religious faith and emotional maturity and all those other top-of-the-Maslow-Pyramid-type qualities people spend their whole lives working on.”
This idea that we can all “work together for the common good” emboldens our desire to work harder. But does what does that entail? Does a teacher believe that they are evoking this spirit by giving students more tests, challenging them, burying them with homework? This “narration sickness” has envenomed the American Educational system for decades. It worked in the 40’s and 50’s because our country was distracted by the blind patriotism of wars, wars in which we were successful (or at least partially successful.) We could afford to dictate information because that was our only agent of dissemination.
Believe it or not, children read and write more than any time in our nation’s history. Blogs, social networks, and schools rife with applications to get into top colleges, garnering attention to the importance of education should be top priority. We must rekindle the importance of knowledge to our children. Freire says: “Knowledge emerges only through invention and re-invention, through the restless, impatient, continuing, hopeful inquiry men pursue in the world, with the world, and with each other.” This book cut a swath with the old ways of teaching, and it is up to us to see that the new way is upon us. With this in mind, we can augment how our children understand knowledge, and how vital it is to their own lives, as well as those around them, familiar or strange. When we can discern that learning is transcendental and that sharing knowledge is transformative, only then will Education in America make a difference.
So, should you read this book? Well, if you are a conscious educator, like me, then yes, absolutely. But I highly recommend it to those unfamiliar with what they do in the classroom. For those that “deposit” information into students’ heads, and hopefully retaining it for test time is their only goal. For those that wonder why they hate teaching, or are sad because their two weeks of vacation time are up during the winter break. These people need this book.

A Third Level to Pedagogy's

I became incredulous to the thorough explications regarding what being "oppressed" and being an "oppressor" was. Then, as it continued, this efflorescent idea of how the "context" of these two function congealed into this heightened understanding of consciousness within worldly examples we all understand from a global perspective. I was ready to move on to the next chapter, expecting to discern how each example works within the precepts of the oppressed and oppressing context as far as "teaching" me, when it said, "now take all of these ideas expanded, and place them into how the teacher works and how the student works." I was blown away! In each primordial existence of one example's counterpart, it is only an integral part of how the teacher exists in its "oppressing" stasis, as well as the student "oppressed" stasis, and how our goal is to fully comprehend how we can move past this "dated" way of thinking about teaching. This third level brought all of the things I think about when it comes to how I perceive the "representation" of the teacher in America, and how "communication" and "trust" bring students to higher learning. Amazing stuff. Will most likely finish this weekend.

Going Slow

I am plowing along in The War, but it is slow going. I still like it. I like the wheels within wheels of the political maneuvering within all parties. I imagine that Llosa is doing the same to the reader, but I don't feel as obviously and as ham-handily manipulated as I have in other novels. I am not looking for transparency where the dream that is the text takes over and I am lost in the text, because I enjoy the break down of language and the archaelolgical work of reading into the craft of the writer. I find much of the meaning in a text can be created in this manner. The repetition of patterns from the story or stories in the novel appearing in the over arching structure of the text. Where the telling of the novel by the author through the telling of the stories in the novel by the narrator becomes yet another layer of storytelling told by the reader to herself as she makes meaning in and with the text.

(I liked that last sentence; I sure hope some of you guys read this blog still).

Restart with the New Year

Ok, let's get this conversation started again. I am unsure when the January meeting is taking place. I put a guess on the books of the RFB column. So far I am enjoying War of the End of the World. It reminds me a lot of current American politics, odd considering it was published in 1981, of course that is when the right started to take control with the beginning of the Reagan Era. I think it will be a great discussion in February when we will have both the Llosa book and Pedagogy of the Oppressed to discuss and compare. Themes are similar, and not just because War of the End of the World takes place in Brazil.

I like the various agendas and viewpoints which come into play. I also like not knowing anything about this time period of South American History other than that they had been tossing out the European powers, and thus have to find their own way politically. I like that Gall is reading the religious rebellion as if it is a rebellion of the underclass. So far he can't seem to reconcile the conflict of his beliefs and what he is hearing out of Canudos.

Anyway, I have no idea if anyone reads this anymore or checks on it. But there you go.

I really love this book group by the way.

Manhood

Wow. This book nails the experience of my life on the head thus far. A balm to my manhood.

Silence

I am sorry I missed the Silence discussion, too. I probably will reveal too much in this post, but I might as well since we cannot conceal even when we try. I read the book last year, so the following are more of my residual impressions than reference to specific textual events or narrative.

Any book where clergy or spiritual leaders wrestle with suffering and faith and God attracts my attention. What is is to give your life away to serving a being that seems so, well, silent? Deus absconditus. The absent God. The hidden God. In my experience, however, I find that doubt and hiddenness drive me to faith and revelation-- to the Ur of existence. It is the theology of the cross, to use a Lutheran theological category. To hide something is to reveal it. Why would God come in the most obvious and predictable anyway for only the high and mighty to see? Why not come via cross? Silence? To speak of God is only to get it wrong anyway, properly understood. And what is it, at least in the Christian tradition, that the God who creates becomes creature, and then suffers? Most of us avoid suffering; but who enters it when you do not have to? The cross, doubt, darkness all remain compelling reminders to me of God's presence. Pomp and circumstance, the glory of kings and presidents, powerful corporations and churches all remind me of evil and pride. Thus, God's problem: How do you convey you are a being of humility and compassion? To announce it calls attention to yourself, undermining who you essentially are (I am more humble than thou art). To not announce it is silent, yet true to character.

I don't know. I just think God seems to be more present where human beings say God is not; and God is less at where people seem to think God is. No wonder Jesus hung around the seemingly most apparently anti-god people of all (sinners!), since that is where God is most at work. True teachers find their deepest meaning and purpose among the ignorant, not the educated.

Silence

I'm sorry I missed the discussion of this book. The few things I've seen in about it seemed to center on questioning the nature of God, or arguing Rodrigues' belief: ie, did he ever truly believe, had he lost his faith before he was tested, etc.

It seems to me that, yes he was questioning the nature of God which is rational vs the total dogma which he had been taught - but he was also questioning that dogma. His 'apostasy' was a result of the realization that God didn't require that of him (or care?), but more along the lines of Jesus' words ".. feed my lambs ..", realized that his duty was to humanity, God's children. From there the question would seem to be 1) was this simply a rationalization on Rodrigues' part, or 2) a true epiphany of God's true will?

Nathan