ABCD-Training-of-Trainers-Tools-July-2013

Conscientization/Experiential Learning
Learning to perceive social, political, and economic contradictions is developing a critical awareness so
that individuals can take action against the oppressive elements in society (Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the
Oppressed). According to Freire, knowledge cannot be gained through the banking method of teaching.
Freire defines "knowledge [as] emerg[ing] only through intervention and re-invention, through the
restless, impatient, continuing, hopeful inquiry human beings pursue in the world, with the world, and
with each other" (Freire 1970:72).
Education, as the practice of freedom, must therefore begin by breaking the conventional roles of the
student and the teacher (oppressed/ oppressor). This can be achieved through dialogue (the encounter
of people in conversation in order to name the world), which has the effect of making the student/
teacher relationship reciprocal as one learns from the other. Freire’s idea of “liberatory education”
makes both learners and teachers of all. We are all participants in educating each other and ourselves.
Liberatory education works against the alienation of people from decision-making processes by
generating themes which encourages reflective and critical thinking. This changes the role of the student
from an ‘object’ to a ‘subject’. It is a process of liberation, of humanization as it encourages people to
make their own decisions, name and explore issues, and challenge their view of the world. Freire
explains, "Liberation is a praxis - the action of men and women reflecting upon the world in order to
transform it" (Freire 1970:79). Problem-posing or liberation education rejects the banking style of
education as it is a style of domination, and moves towards the conscientization of people; a process of
constantly breaking down constructed myths that captivate people in the roles of ‘objects’ in a world
where only ‘subjects’ have power.
3.5. Role(s) of the Facilitator
Facilitators are “artists of the invisible” (Community Development Resource Association)
Within a development context, the facilitator plays a variety of roles, notably:
• Animator
• Educator
• Researcher
• Analyzer
• Catalyst
• Networker
• Broker
• Enabler
• Mediator
The facilitator is also a learning partner as every person has something to contribute and to learn.
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