Freire taught literacy using learners’ own words, not alphabet drills

Evidence

According to Williams (2009), “The heart of Freire’s literacy framework is found in his problem posing, dialogical approach” (p. 3). That is, learners learn to read not only the word, but also their world (Freire, 1998). Participants do not begin by learning the alphabet and phonics or how to sound out words. Rather, as Freire spent time in the communities noting what was important to the people there, he used the people’s own words, phrases, and sentences to teach them how to read with what he characterized as generative themes. — James D. Kirylo (ed.), Reinventing Pedagogy of the Oppressed, 588

Categorization

• DEFINE: Defines generative themes: the learners’ own words, phrases, and sentences gathered from living in their communities.
• XREF: connects to: Freirean cultural circles progress through investigation, thematization, and problematization — James D. Kirylo (ed.), Reinventing Pedagogy of the Oppressed:…, 591; Defines literacy as a decolonizing practice of named social commitment — James D. Kirylo (ed.), Reinventing Pedagogy of the Oppressed:…, 1445; Freire taught reading through learners’ own words rather than standard alphabetic order. — James D. Kirylo (ed.), Reinventing Pedagogy of the Oppressed:…, 588