Introducing Freire: A guide for students, teachers and practitioners (Introducing Early Years Thinkers)

The famous Brazilian educator Paulo Freire has influenced educators, teachers and students in a broad tapestry of contexts and countries, as he challenged conventional thinking on how teachers ought to teach and learners ought to learn. By making his ideas accessible and relevant, this insightful and thought-provoking text draws out the relevance and topicality of Freire’s work and applies this to a wide range of educational settings, from adult education, through schools, to early years settings.

Themes covered include:

• the lasting impact of illiteracy;
• the benefits and potential in becoming literate;
• literacy, language and power;
• the differences between banking and dialogic education;
• the social and political nature of learning.
• what kind of teaching and learning do we want?

Using a variety of practical examples and case studies, Introducing Freire is an essential guide to the work of one of the most significant figures in education in the last century. Fascinating and accessible, this book is for anyone interested in teaching and learning, poverty and affluence, power and powerlessness, and society and change.

Sandra Smidt is a writer and consultant in early years education. She has previously written The Developing Child in the 21^st Century (2013), Introducing Malaguzzi (2012), Introducing Bruner (2011), Playing to Learn (2010) and Introducing Vygotsky (2008), all published by Routledge.