ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on transformatory learning for individuals and collectivities in the context of social action in communities. In a world where technical reason is dominant and politics is separated from ideology educational processes need to develop ‘organized intelligence’ and to challenge the way institutions currently operate. Social action programmes are intrinsically spaces for learning. Drawing on the work of Dewey, Illich, Gramsci and Freire the author argues that critical learning involves a process of ‘Reflection-Vision-Planning-Action’, which to be successful requires some degree of critical space to occur. There is no simple way to achieve this and the author provides different examples of successful popular education occurring in practice.
