The participatory approach to ESL curriculum design has, at its core, the imprint of Brazilian educator Paulo Freire. Freire believed that the achievement of literacy and the empowerment that resulted from education were not merely personal goals, but social objectives that can only be attained when people work together. He contrasted this to traditional banking education in which teachers, the holders of knowledge, simply deposit information in students' minds. Freire saw the roles of teacher and student as reciprocal ones in which information is exchanged. Elsa Auerbach, a leading figure in participatory curriculum development in adult ESL programs, describes participatory curricula as emergent, cooperative efforts at learning through themes that learners identify as being relevant to their lives.
Critical reflection leads to plans for transformative action.
When students have a voice in what they learn, that control and confidence extend to their personal lives. Involving the learners as agents of change in their personal growth through education impacts the curricular process. In following a predetermined curriculum, the teacher tries to find the most effective ways to convey the information to the students. However, this is a one way process. In contrast, participatory curriculum development is interactive and ongoing.