Paolo Freire’s “Conscientization”

Abstract

This article surveys several of the key educational concepts forwarded by Paolo Freire, one of the founders and main proponents of the critical pedagogy movement. Freire’s concepts are compared and contrasted with those of Rudolf Steiner, founder of the Waldorf school movement. After a brief survey of Freire’s philosophical, psychological, and political propositions, the article explores various key Freirian educational concepts including his three states of consciousness, his advocacy of problem-posing over problem-solving educational models, and the importance of dialogue in learning. The article concludes with an exploration of Freire’s use of generative themes and coding/decoding strategies, which may be of particular interest to Waldorf educators. The article is not an exploration of Steiner’s critiques of Marx, nor is it a Marxist analysis of Waldorf pedagogy. Rather, it proceeds from the author’s belief that Freire’s overall humanistic outlook, the loving and creative gestures evident in his methods, and his belief in the inviolability of the individual supersede any purely class/identity/group-based, materialistic, or power-relations framing of human consciousness or activity. It is hoped that Freire’s methods and language provide a thought-provoking lens through which to contemplate Waldorf education, especially in terms of the ongoing efforts in many schools to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion.