Skip to content

Books & Theory

With Anna's Archive links!

Core Education Texts

  • Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paolo Freire (all)
    • If you read nothing else on this list, this is THE one. Truly paradigm changing. Freire's framework of education in service to the revolution is incredibly grounded and grounding. I return to this constantly.
  • The Wretched of the Earth by Frantz Fanon
    • What can I say that has not already been said??
  • A Marxist Education: Learning to Change the World by Wayne Au
    • This covers broad territory, including the structure of capitalist education & schooling system. For learning approaches, read Ch. 1 "I Am My Relations: Becoming a Marxist Educator" for authorial context, then prioritize Ch. 5 "'It Is through Others That We Develop into Ourselves': Vygotsky, Lenin, and the Social Formation of Consciousness" and Ch. 6 "Teaching to Change the World".
    • There's some vanguardism here esp. in the discussions of Lenin. (I think Au was in the ISO or at least tangential to it.) Personally I think first grounding yourself in Freire's framework of problem-posing education that originates from within the oppressed is critical to counteracting this.
  • We Do This Til We Free Us: Abolitionist Organizing and Transforming Justice by Mariame Kaba
    • Mariame Kaba is so cool. She is so practical and so clear-sighted about the reality of group behavior, and yet remains so unwavering in her commitment to moving people to action. A truly humanist approach to organizing.
    • Pretty sure this has an accompanying workbook, will try to find a copy

Extra Credit

  • The Collected Works of L. S. Vygotsky: The History of the Development of Higher Mental Functions by Lev Vygotsky
    • Interesting stuff if you like thinking about the science behind how people learn, not so critical for instructional techniques and the immediate concerns of workshop planning.
    • ==Vygotsky's concept of the "Zone of Proximal Development"== shows up in educational theory a lot. The selections from Wayne Au's book above are enough to familiarize yourself with the idea.

Keyana Core Texts

Not necessarily education-focused, but these books and works that have shaped my approach to learning in relation to the theory above.

  • Adhocism: The Case for Improvisation by Charles Jencks and Nathan Silver
    • If you can, get the updated and expanded edition instead of the original 1972 version.
    • Probably the broadest of these recommendations, and maybe the most meta. "Adhocism urges us to pay less attention to the rulebook and more to the real principle of how we actually do things. It declares that problems are not necessarily solved in a genius's “eureka!” moment but by trial and error, adjustment and readjustment."
    • A critical text of the DIY movement and "learn by doing" as a concept
  • The Art of Coaching and The Art of Coaching Teams by Elena Aguilar
    • SO helpful if you occupy the specific nexus of a teacher who teaches teachers. I think branch organizers can definitely be thought of as coaches, so the work applies
    • Aguilar's books are focused/framed around formal education but the majority of the content is easily transferrable to any organization with a vision for social change
    • TONS of free practical tools for more effective facilitation, norm-setting, communication, etc etc etc on Aguilar's website
  • A Feminist Organization's Handbook by the Feminist Center for Creative Work, Los Angeles
    • (Formerly at time of publishing known as the Women's Center for Creative Work)
  • Conflict is Not Abuse: Overstating Harm, Community Responsibility, and the Duty of Repair by Sarah Schulman
    • Full disclosure I hated this the first time I read it and it took me another ten years to reconsider it. Unfortunately: she was correct
  • Love in a Fucked-up World by Dean Spade
    • Another one about building right relationships in a sick society
    • Together with Conflict is Not Abuse these books have informed my view that: If learning is mostly a process of mistakes, and successful learning only happens in relationship to others, and when people feel safe to make mistakes in community, then a pre-condition for learning is safe and rewarding relationships with others. These books show the the "how," and in some cases, the cautionary tales.
    • We are not taught how to function well. Living in alignment with revolutionary values in a capitalist world is hard. Yet it's necessary if we want to actually change things.

Further Resources

Tools

  • Loomio
  • Miro https://miro.com/index/
  • NEED TO RESEARCH POLLING TOOLS
    • https://www.classpoint.io/blog/free-polling-apps-for-classroom-engagement