26-17
The group discussion has 3 objectives, each opening the way to the next:
1. To help awaken people to their personal worth and potential group strength;
to help them gain confidence in themselves as thinking, active, capable human
beings.
2. To help people examine, analyze, and take action to change their situation.
3. To help them obtain the tools and skills they need in order to take charge of
their health and lives.
The use of key words and pictures
In order to help persons look more closely at Themselves and their world. Freire
found it useful to start each discussion by having everyone look carefully at
a specific word, thing, or situation. Careful study needs to be done in advance
to choose words, pictures, objects, or stories that have key significance to the
particular group.
The key word or picture is used to ‘spark’ the members of the group to discuss
themselves, their situation, their abilities, and their problems. Often a single word or
picture will touch off a 1- or 2-hour discussion.
KEYWORD
(or picture,
object,
role play,
song,
or story)
MANY
DIFFERENT
IDEAS
IN MANY
DIRECTIONS
The key word or picture is
like a fan, because it opens
the way to discussion in
many new directions.
It produces many new
words, new pictures,
and new observations in
people’s minds.
The group leader does
not know ahead of time
where the discussion
will lead.
In this chapter we often speak
of key words, objects, or stories as
discussion starters.
Awareness-raising discussions sparked by key words, pictures, or stories can be
used when teaching almost any basic skill: literacy, health, nutrition, agriculture,
etc. The number of key words or pictures used and the number of times the group
meets will depend in part on what skill is being learned.