Contributions of Paulo Freire's pedagogy to La Clase Magica

Abstract

A model of educational intervention named ‘La Clase Magica’ is here presented. Its purpose is to attend communities that require some sort of education to overcome any adversities. University faculty members and undergraduate students participate in this model as well as the receiving units which are, in this case, basic education schools. The model emerged in US with the purpose of helping migrant children to assimilate into the North American culture, and has spread out across other places with different purposes, but always maintaining its orientation towards contributing through education, to the development of people who need it.  In the case of Mexico, it was focused on improving the reading comprehension skill of children from a southeast state.  The model has solid theoretical foundations amongst we will find Paulo Freire’s philosophical-pedagogical tenets. In this paper, the theoretical bases of this model are discussed, in particular, the contributions of this important pedagogue whose ideas are fundamental for the new adjustments that education demands these days.