PLA Notes CD-ROM 1988-2001 10 Using PRA for a radical new approach to adult literacy

Document begins: PLA Notes CD-ROM 1988­2001 10 Using PRA for a radical new approach to adult literacy David Archer Introduction Freire's work is notoriously difficult to read. A good foundation in political philosophy helps before reading key works "Pedagogy of the One of the often-quoted roots of PRA is the Oppressed" or "Cultural Action for Freedom" . work of Brazilian educator Paulo Freire whose own predominant focus of work was in the field It is thus not surprising that most people who of adult literacy. It is thus surprising that refer to Freire have not actually read his work. developments in PRA have not fed back into This has led to widespread distortions and advances in adult literacy methodology. abuse. ActionAid is now attempting to close the circle Distorted Freirean practice by drawing on the principles and visualisation techniques of PRA within three adult literacy programmes in Uganda, Bangladesh and El Most literacy programmes around the world Salvador. that claim to use Freire's methods are in fact seriously distorting both his theory and his Freirean theory methods. These pseudo Freirean programmes have reduced his method to the use of a literacy Freire is now almost universally quoted as the `primer' ...