Teachers As Cultural Workers: Letters To Those Who Dare Teach (Edge, Critical Studies in Educational Theory) [Hardcover]

Paulo Freire (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0813323045 | ISBN-13: 978-0813323046 | Publication Date: November 27, 1997

Upon its recent publication in Portuguese, Paulo Freire’s newest book became an instant success. This English translation is sure to meet with similar acclaim. In Teachers as Cultural Workers, Freire speaks directly to teachers about the lessons learned from a lifetime of experience as an educator and social theorist. No other book so cogently explains the implications for classroom practice of Freire’s latest ideas and the pathbreaking theories found in Pedagogy of the Oppressed and other treatises.This book challenges all who teach to reflect critically on the meaning of the act of teaching as well as the meaning of learning. Freire shows why a teacher’s success depends on a permanent commitment to learning and training, as part of an ongoing appraisal of classroom practice. By observing the curiosity of students and the manner through which students develop strategies for learning, the teacher is helped in discovering doubts, successes, and the teacher’s mistakes. When teachers open themselves to recognize the different roads students take in order to learn, they will become involved in a continual reconstruction of their own paths of curiosity, opening the doors to habits of learning that will benefit everyone in the classroom.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Portugese

About the Author

Paulo Freire (1921-1997) was a world-renowned Brazilian education scholar. Perhaps the most influential thinker about education in the late twentieth century, Freire has been particularly popular with informal educators with his emphasis on dialogue and his concern for the oppressed. His legacy of commitment, love and hope to American educators can be found in the critical pedagogy which infuses hundreds of "grass roots" organizations, college classrooms, and most recently school reform efforts in major urban areas. Freire was a prolific writer and author of many books. His most important work was Pedagogy of the Oppressed in which he describes the oppressive mechanisms of a capitalist education.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: Westview Press (November 27, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0813323045
• ISBN-13: 978-0813323046
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #583,611 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Teacher Professionalism, May 29, 2010

By 

D. Corll (PA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Teachers As Cultural Workers: Letters To Those Who Dare Teach (Edge, Critical Studies in Educational Theory) (Hardcover)

This book was recommended reading for the professional leadership team of a summer program for highly able, but economically disadvantaged youth. For those of us working in the field of education for several years, it is a wonderful reminder of why we chose this profession.
It is worthwhile reading -- especially for those who are getting 'tired'.

7 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing Rambling, July 22, 2007

By 

Robert Szarka (Norwich, CT USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Teachers As Cultural Workers: Letters To Those Who Dare Teach (Edge, Critical Studies in Educational Theory) (Hardcover)

The presence of the word "letters" in the title should perhaps have warned me what to expect, but as my first exposure to Freire's writing it fell far short of his reputation. I did learn something from the 95 pages of this book, but I could have learned as much in ten were it not for the rambling and repetition throughout. I suspect that starting with Freire's classic Pedagogy of the Oppressed would have been a better use of my time.

Another "problem" with this book is that Freire's critique is specific to the context of his work in Brazil: not just the words but the lessons themselves may require translation. For those who are more interested in a radical critique of education in the US, I'd recommend Schooling in Capitalist America: Educational Reform and the Contradictions of Economic Life as a better starting point.

2 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Required Reading ~ You're killing me, December 9, 2006

By 

TheBetterBagLady "www.TheBetterBagLady.com" (on eBay (of course)) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Teachers As Cultural Workers: Letters to Those Who Dare Teach With New Commentary by Peter McLaren, Joe L. Kincheloe, and Shirley Steinberg Expanded Edition (Paperback)

I get it. Freire's an academic and if it's too easy to read then no one will take him seriously.

Seriously dude, You're killing me. Some of the most important nuggets were lost on me because of all the $50 words used rather than straightforward speak.

That being said there is some value in this work, particularly if you will be teaching any ELL's or children coming from any socialist country. It's good to know what the expectations will be of the new learners and their families.