The dialogical approach: education for critical consciousness

Abstract

[EN] In this paper I will try to present an alternative approach to teacher-training that is based on the Freirian dialogic approach. The goal of this approach is to raise the students' awareness of the reality in which they live and to provide them with tools for critical analysis of that reality. Instruction that is based on respect for the students and on belief in the capacities and knowledge that they bring with them is instruction that combines the students' personal experiences with the study of existing theory in the field. The combination of personal experience and theory leads to the production of new knowledge. In this paper I describe my personal experience as a lecturer in the Oranim Academic College of Education in Israel. The description includes an explanation of the courses, the manner of instruction, the topics addressed, the main issues that come up as the students bring their experiences to the classroom, the students' response to the courses and my own perspective of this experience: what can be learned from it and how it can be applied.