Participatory

Learning and

Action

Key principles of Freire

1. Education is never neutral

Maintains status quo – reinforces values / culture of dominant class or….

designed to liberate, enable creative, critical thought that challenges societal norms

Education should aim to transform not instil conformity

2. immediate relevance

Need to encourage people to identify key issues for themselves

Easier to motivate / involve people over issues that generate strong emotions eg anger, fear, excitement, anxiety

Apathy not natural condition happens when we feel blocked / culture of silence

3. Problematising v problem

solving Participants -

accredited - thinking, creative people – act for themselves

Problem solving involves ‘experts’ – participants passive, disengaged

Problematizing involves immersion into issues, working alongside not as ‘educator’ but learning with community participants

4. Engage in a critical dialogue

Conscientization –critical consciousness - how world works / tackle world’s problems

Engage in critical dialogue / questioning / collective action

Critical consciousness process…..mutual learning

5. education for ‘liberation’ v ‘domestication’ or ‘banking’

approach

Education - mutual learning process not transmission of knowledge from one to another

6. Reflection + action = praxis Involves ‘stories’ /

critically reflecting on actions / learning /

Involves theorising / relating theory to practice / practice to theory

Abstract + concrete knowledge = praxis

Takes time / small incremental changes

What is PLA?

Participatory Learning and Action is a

community-based approach to

consultation that gives precedence to the

views and attitudes of local people as

experts within their own communities.

What is PLA?

Through PLA, local people can explore and share

their knowledge of life and local conditions as

well make decisions, and plan and carry out

actions to effect change within their communities.

What does PLA do?

Focuses on methods of communication

which are not exclusive and enables those

whose voices are rarely or inadequately

heard to participate actively and share

information.

The Big Shifts

Teaching → Facilitating

Extracting → Empowering

Closed → Open

Written → Verbal and Visual

Individual → Group

PLA Timeline

PA principles

It is highly participative and interactive

It is inclusive

It will be a process (not just a ‘one off’

event)

It is community led

it will be action oriented

It is flexible and adaptable

PA Ground Rules

• Give everyone the opportunity to participate

• Respect what people say

• Don’t dominate

• Be on the same level as the participants

• Don’t make assumptions

• Don’t rush

• Learn from each other

• Learn from mistakes

• ‘Hand over the pen’

• Fun

Process

A good process will be inclusive and move

through information gathering, analysis,

prioritisation and action planning, to

decision-making.

Good PA...

Further Reading

Pretty, J., Guijt, I., and Scoones, I. (1995)

Participatory Learning and Action - a

Trainer’s Guide. International Institute for

Environment and Development.

Chambers, R. (2002) Participatory

Workshops - a Sourcebook of 21 sets of

Ideas and Activities. London, Earthscan.

Save the Children Publication (2002)

Participation - Spice it Up! Practical tools

for engaging children and young people

in planning and consultations.

VSO Publication Participatory

Approaches: a Facilitators Guide (2004)

Participatory principles methods and

tools.

Caldwell, C., McCann, G, and Flower, C.

(2003) Have you been PA-d? Using

participatory appraisal to shape local

services. Oxfam, Glasgow. Copy

available from:

http://www.oxfam.org.uk/resources/ukpo

verty/resources.html

Jones, P. S., Awate, E. and Zgambo, G.

(2004) Making Waves in Walsall: Learning

from the success of the Walsall

Participatory Appraisal Network. Copy

available from:

http://www.oxfam.org.uk/resources/ukpo

verty/resources.html

Buhaenko, H., Butler, V., Flower, C., and

Smith, S. (2004) What men and women

want: a practical guide to gender and

participation. Copy available from

http://www.oxfam.org.uk/resources/ukpo

verty/resources.html

Participatory learning and action, mainly

in the developing world, available via:

http://www.ids.ac.uk/ids/particip/index.ht

ml

http://www.participationworks.org.uk/

http://participationcompass.org

http://www.communityplanningtoolkit.org

/sites/default/files/Outcomes.pdf

http://www.participatorymethods.org/

http://www.communityplanningtoolkit.org

http://www.planningforreal.org.uk/

http://cdf.org.uk/

http://www.neweconomics.org/publicati

ons/entry/community-empowerment-

discussion-toolkit

http://www.neweconomics.org/publicati

ons/entry/participation-works

http://www.savethechildren.org.uk/resour

ces/online-library/diy-toolkit-improving-

your-community-%E2%80%94-getting-

children-and-young-people

http://www.manchester.gov.uk/downloa

ds/download/172/community_engagem

ent_toolkit

http://www.involve.org.uk/wp-

content/uploads/2011/03/People-and-

Participation.pdf

http://www.ids.ac.uk/go/research-

teams/participation-team

http://openspaceworld.org/

http://www.carnegieuktrust.org.uk/public

ations/2010/power---a-practical-guide-

for-facilitating-social-

http://policy-

practice.oxfam.org.uk/publications/have-

you-been-pad-using-participatory-

appraisal-to-shape-local-services-112393

https://www.publicengagement.ac.uk/sit

es/default/files/publication/cbpr_ethics_g

uide_web_november_2012.pdf

3Ps - People Promoting Participation

Roger Newton

35 Queenswood Grove

York

YO24 4PW

t: (01904) 703929

m: 07875 124590

e: roger@3Ps.org.uk

w: www.3Ps.org.uk