Participatory Approach

1. Participatory Approach

2. Background • In 1960s, Paulo Freire developed a literacy program for peasants in Brazil. • He started the dialogues about problems in their lives. • The dialogues became the basis for literacy development.

3. Background (cont.) • Paulo Freire: “education is meaningful to the extent that it engages learners in reflecting on their relationship to the world they live in and provides them with a means to shape their world.”

4. Participatory Approach vs. Content-based Approach • Widely discussed in 1980’s. • Similar to content-based approach: -begins with content that is meaningful to the Ss. • Different with the nature of the content. Content that is based on issues of concern to Ss.

5. Goal • Help Ss to understand the social, historical, cultural forces that affects their lives. • Help empower Ss to take action and make decision to gain control over their lives.

6. Procedures • Ss discuss the problem in their lives. • T listens and takes notes. • T leads questions with visual aids to get Ss to relate the problem to their experience. • T proposes the question in an attempt to contextualise the problem.

7. Procedures (cont.) • T records Ss’ answers. • Ss writes down what they said and reread it, edit it and revise.

8. Conclusion • Language focus is not established in advance. • It follows from content and emerges from ongoing, collaborative investigations in Ss’ lives.

9. Conclusion (cont.) • Auerbach (1992) “ Real communication, accompanied by appropriate feedback that subordinates form to the elaboration of meaning, is key for language learning.”