THE WORK OF PAULO FREIRE

Abstract

Paulo Freire was a Brazilian educator and philosopher whose work is central to critical pedagogy and popular education. His most famous work is "Pedagogy of the Oppressed", published in 1968, where he presents his revolutionary ideas about education as a liberating practice. Freire argues that education should be a process of awareness and liberation, in which students are not just passive recipients of knowledge, but active subjects who actively participate in the process of learning and social transformation. Freire developed the concept of "problem-solving education", in which educators and learners critically investigate social reality, identify problems and seek collective solutions. He also emphasized the importance of dialogicity in education, arguing that authentic dialogue between educators and learners is essential for the construction of knowledge and the development of critical awareness. In addition to "Pedagogy of the Oppressed," other important works by Paulo Freire include "Education as the Practice of Freedom," "Pedagogy of Autonomy," and "Cultural Action for Freedom." Her approach has profoundly influenced education around the world, inspiring educators to adopt more participatory, critical, and liberating practices.