What Paulo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed can teach us about designing for incarcerated learners

The problem with “pouring knowledge”

Imagine walking into a classroom. The teacher begins reading slides word-for-word. Every activity is pre-decided. Your opinion? Not asked for. Your experience? Not included. Your role? Quietly receive whatever is delivered.

Now imagine doing that every day for months—or years.
Congratulations. You’ve just experienced what Paulo Freire called the banking model of education (you’re welcome).

And if that hit a little too close to home? Good. You’re ready for what comes next.

The jargon you actually need to know

Term: Dialogical education
What it is: A method of teaching through authentic dialogue, where learners are co-creators of knowledge. It’s reflective, participatory, and deeply human.
Why it matters on Edovo: Your course may be self-paced, but it can still feel like a dialogue—if it centers learner experience, reflection, and personal agency.

From oppression to empowerment: what does that actually look like?

Freire’s big idea: Education is never neutral. It either reinforces oppression or fights against it.

Let’s break that down Edovo-style:

If your course treats incarcerated learners like they’ve never had insight, never made decisions, never reflected on life, I hate to break it to you, but according to Freire, that’s oppression in a Canva template.

But if your course says, “You already know things. Let’s build on that”—you’ve flipped the model. 

Let’s look at how.

Freire’s red flags: how oppression shows up in well-meaning content

❌ Endless paragraphs of instruction, with no space to pause or reflect
❌ Telling learners what to think instead of inviting them to connect content to their own lives
❌ Activities that feel like “prove you paid attention” quizzes instead of meaningful engagement
❌ Ignoring trauma, context, and lived experience
❌ Using phrases like “You should...” instead of “What do you think about...?”

How to do it Freire’s way: liberatory design on Edovo

✅ Make your content relational, not transactional.
Don’t just present information—invite the learner into a conversation. Use Socratic-style questions that ask learners to reflect, respond, and connect.

✅ Honor experience.
Even if the topic is new, your learner has wisdom. Ask, “What’s a time you’ve seen this before in your own life?” or “Which part of this feels familiar?” That’s not fluff—it’s brain science.

✅ Encourage critical thinking, not passive acceptance.
Instead of “Here’s the right answer,” try:

• “What might someone do in this situation?”
  
  

• “What are the pros and cons of this decision?”
  
  

• “How would you approach this differently?”
  
  

✅ Design with dignity.
Treat every page like an act of trust. Ask yourself: Would I want to be spoken to this way? Does this reflect the kind of humanity I believe every learner deserves?

What the science says now (and what it didn’t say in 1970)

Freire lit the spark—but today’s researchers are keeping the fire going, especially when it comes to correctional education and digital learning.

Critical pedagogy behind the walls
Turns out, when you invite incarcerated learners to be part of the conversation instead of just passive note-takers, amazing things happen. A 2022 study by Wilson & Deutsch found that when educators used Freire-style facilitation—asking big questions, encouraging real dialogue—learners didn’t just gain skills. They built trust, confidence, and a deeper sense of connection to their own communities.

Digital learning for people often left out
Closed systems like Edovo can actually amplify liberation—if the content is built right. A 2023 study in the Journal of Digital Equity in Education found that when lessons felt relevant, gave choices, and respected cultural context, adult learners stuck with it longer and got more out of it. (Translation: buzzwords don’t boost engagement—real-life connections do.)

Trauma-informed meets critical thinking
Freire’s call for dialogue is powerful—but it lands even better when paired with emotional awareness. Hawkins & Lugo (2021) found that incarcerated adults do best when content pushes them to reflect and gives them safety to do it. It’s not about turning every course into group therapy—it’s about designing with care. Learners are more open to big questions when they’re not blindsided by them.

Freire-Inspired Course Audit Tool

Design check-up: Is your content empowering—or just informing? Use this checklist and scoring guide to find out.

Section 1: Voice & Tone

✔ Is your content written with—not at—the learner?

• I use “you” in an inviting, inclusive way (not judgmental).
  
  

• I ask questions that invite personal reflection, not just recall.
  
  

• I avoid over-explaining as if the learner knows nothing.
  
  

✔ Check your narrator voice:

• It sounds like a trusted guide, not a robot or warden.
  
  

• It reflects respect, curiosity, and encouragement.
  
  

Section 2: Dialogue & Critical Thinking

✔ Am I creating moments for dialogue—even in a closed, digital space?

• I include open-ended questions that invite opinion or experience.
  
  

• I give space for reflection (e.g., Likert scales, open responses).
  
  

• I use Socratic prompts to challenge assumptions.
  
  

✔ Do learners get to think, not just repeat?

• There are questions with more than one “right” answer.
  
  

• Learners analyze, connect, compare—not just define.
  
  

Section 3: Relevance & Lived Experience

✔ Does the content acknowledge the learner’s world?

• I include culturally relevant, inclusive examples.
  
  

• I validate that knowledge comes from experience, not just books.
  
  

• I connect new concepts to everyday realities (e.g., “Stretching five bucks for five days? That’s budgeting.”)
  
  

✔ Is it safe to explore identity, values, or growth?

• I give learners autonomy over what and how they reflect.
  
  

• I avoid trauma dumping or asking for vulnerability too early.
  
  

Section 4: Power Dynamics & Empowerment

✔ Who holds the power in this course?

• Learners are positioned as decision-makers, not passive recipients.
  
  

• The course encourages self-direction and choice where possible.
  
  

• I ask questions like, “What do you think about that?” or “Would you do it differently?”
  
  

✔ Do I avoid accidental hierarchy?

• I don’t speak from a pedestal—I sound like a peer, mentor, or coach.
  
  

• I don’t frame knowledge as something I give and they receive.
  
  

Section 5: Reflection Summary

If your content includes...

• Mostly “here’s what you need to know” language → 🟡 Revisit your tone
  
  

• No personal reflection or connection → 🔴 Add learner-driven moments
  
  

• Socratic questions, affirming voice, real-world relevance → ✅ You’re on the liberatory track!
  
  

Want a score?

Rate yourself for each section:

• 0 = Needs a total rethink
  
  

• 1 = Making progress
  
  

• 2 = Solid start
  
  

• 3 = Fully aligned with Freire’s vision
  
  

Total: /45
(A 36+ score means your content would make Paulo proud.)

TL;DR: Teach like liberation matters

• Paulo Freire wasn’t just writing about schools—he was writing about power.
  
  

• Education can either silence or amplify voices. On Edovo, you get to choose which.
  
  

• Liberatory learning starts when we stop designing content for people and start designing it with them in mind.
  

References

(Just in case you don’t believe us.)

• Brookfield, S. D. (2012). Teaching for critical thinking: Tools and techniques to help students question their assumptions. Jossey-Bass.

• Freire, P. (1970). Pedagogy of the oppressed. Continuum.

• hooks, b. (1994). Teaching to transgress: Education as the practice of freedom. Routledge.

• Mezirow, J. (1991). Transformative dimensions of adult learning. Jossey-Bass.

• Tisdell, E. J. (2008). Spirituality and adult learning. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, 120, 27–36.