User:Mr. Stradivarius/PA

The participatory approach is a method of language teaching which focuses on issues that students are concerned with. It was developed by Paulo Friere in the late 1950s to help teach Portuguese to illiterate adults in Brazil.

Background
The participatory approach was developed by Paulo Friere in the late 1950s as part of a program in Brazil which aimed to teach Portuguese reading and writing skills to illiterate adults. The program necessitated teaching people in rural areas and slums, and Friere and his team talked with them about the issues that faced them in their daily lives. From these conversations Friere’s team collected lists of the most important words for the students and used those to teach reading and writing.

Method
The participatory approach aims to develop students’ political awareness at the same time as improving their language skills.

Techniques
The two main techniques associated with the participatory approach are dialoguing and problem posing. The teacher and the students will enter dialogue about issues in their daily lives and