Reviews

Teachers as Cultural Workers (Edge, Critical Studies in Educational Theory) by Dale April Koike, Paulo Freire

sabotaje's review against another edition

4.0

I am probably being unfair in my rating as I am inevitably comparing this book with Pedagogy of the Oppressed, which is much more focused. Nevertheless this is a great and inspiring book. Reading Freire’s letters I sense that he was an proponent of intersectionality theory and practice, before we even started using the term. I also enjoyed reading a Paulo Freire that was decades older than Paulo Freire of the late 60s, as his growth as a Marxist who perhaps distanced himself from the more authoritarian and rigid side of such ideology is very much evident. A proponent of liberation theory, Freire was, as is clear when reading his letters, first and foremost and educator, a free thinker, and an anti-authoritarian. His thoughts on education can be translated to our own learning processes, to leadership, and to our day to day lives.

accioemilia's review against another edition

4.0

I love his ideas but the book was a bit choppy for me.

bloodravenlib's review against another edition

3.0

I finished this a couple of days ago, but it took me a while to finally get around to reviewing it. I am giving it three stars, but it is not because it is a bad book. The book can be a bit repetitive, especially if you have read some of Freire's other works, and a few passages can be a little dry. Having said that, there is a lot in this book for teachers and educators to reflect upon. I found myself making notes in my personal journal at various times, jotting down passages and quotes I wanted to remember for later. Freire covers a lot of ground in this book from the teaching of reading to the behavior of teachers, from the teaching act to political action and activism. I think a lot of what Freire wrote in this book is very relevant today if educators would take the time to read the book, reflect on it, then take action. I also think that the book has a lot to say to librarians, who are educators as well, and who often do a lot of teaching (especially if you are an instruction librarian, but even at the reference desk some degree of teaching goes on). Some of it also speaks to our profession in terms of the idea of library neutrality, a topic I have considered before (I have a book just on that topic listed in my GoodReads lists if anyone is interested).

I took this book with me when I went to Immersion (ACRL Institute on Information Literacy for those not in librarianship, an intensive institute for instruction librarians) this past summer. In part, I was looking for a bit of inspiration. I think I also longed to read something that is not necessarily present in the Immersion curriculum (or if it is, it is very well hidden or unacknowledged). I think Freire has a lot that can speak to librarians, if we take the time to listen.

thebooksupplier's review against another edition

4.0

I think I need to add this book to the ones I read yearly. While Friere tends to write in circles, I keep coming back to a few key ideas that he presents, and discovering more as I learn. My favorite letter, the one that transformed my teaching the first time I read it was the one about moving from talking to learners to talking with them and from listening to them to hearing them. I know it comes from a social justice perspective, and maybe it's also social justice in the context of my classroom, but I've learned that I get so much more out of kids if I take the time to listen to what they have to say, then use that to make my book recommendations. It's harder to listen to some kids than others, since they've been so disillusioned by the system that they lack the trust or respect for educators, but that's a no-longer-blind-spot that I'm going to have to deal with as an educator.

aly_ei's review against another edition

challenging hopeful reflective medium-paced

4.75

accioemilia's review against another edition

4.0

I love his ideas but the book was a bit choppy for me.