Uncovering a Pedagogy of Persuasion in the Letters of John Baptist De La Salle

Alfred K. M. Pang

ABSTRACT

This paper analyzes the letters that John Baptist de La Salle wrote to his Brothers by historically situating their correspondence as a creative means of stabilizing a fledgling lay community to educate poor children, a need that was inadequately met in a highly cleric-centered Church in France during the 17th century. It proposes a pedagogy of persuasion that lies beneath the method of De La Salle’s letter writing. The author suggests that this pedagogy consists of three dimensions: conversation, accompaniment, and role modeling. The paper concludes by considering briefly the contemporary implications of a pedagogy of persuasion in the formation of teachers in Catholic educational institutions.

KEYWORDS

De La Salle; Lasallian pedagogy; letters; pedagogy of persuasion; teacher formation

FULL TEXT

Uncovering a Pedagogy of Persuasion in the Letters of John Baptist De La Salle

PRIMARY SOURCES

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