Judging by the intensity of the group’s concentration on their subject and their well-reasoned exchanges, it would be difficult for an outside observer to guess that few of the participants in this conversation have ever attended school and that only one can read and write. In Haiti, where the majority of adults are illiterate and less than two percent graduate from high school, it is not difficult to gather a group with this sort of educational profile.

Perhaps the most extraordinary thing about this gathering is what is not happening. The one literate Haitian in the group, a 33-year old university graduate, who is literate (and conversant) in no less than four languages, is not standing before the class lecturing and instructing the others. In fact, it would be difficult for a visitor to pick him out from the others in the circle.

His name is Frémy César, and as a Beyond Borders associate, he is quietly leading the development of a new Reflection Circle book designed for people who have not yet learned to read. Instead of texts, the new Reflection Circle book uses a combination of images and Haitian proverbs.

The images are black and white copies of drawings and paintings from various cultures and periods of history. The Haitian proverbs are short and widely known in Haiti but are filled with a rich ambiguity. Like the texts in other Reflection Circle books, these proverbs and images each serve as a catalyst for an open classroom discussion that gives participants the chance to question, reflect, and share their thoughts on a wide range of important issues.

Today in their fifth meeting, this group is discussing Death and the Miser, a painting by the 16th century Dutch artist, Hieronymus Bosch. In their previous meeting, they discussed two Haitian proverbs: “You can’t eat gumbo with a single finger,” and “A goat with many masters dies in the sun.”

After the discussion, Logema Celice, a 67-year-old woman who is a member of the group, explained part of what makes Reflection Circles distinct from other discussions. “I’ve participated in a lot of meetings in my life. In those meetings, usually only one or two people did all the talking. But in our Reflection Circles, everyone is encouraged to participate. The Reflection Circles help everyone get over their fear of speaking and sharing their thoughts in front of others.”

According to Steven Werlin, cofounder of the Reflection Circle Project and Academic Dean at Shimer College, “Many of the learners we work with in Haiti are more than ready to profit from classroom conversations, even before they are able to read. This book opens the door to the pedagogy of conversation to non-readers for whom the door has traditionally been closed.”

It isn’t only non-readers who benefit from this door being opened, though. When a society silences people who cannot read and write, it loses access to their wisdom and questions. “This experience,” Frémy explains, reflecting on his time with this group of illiterate learners, “has been really rich and a wonderful opportunity for me to sit and learn from people whose knowledge is based not on what books say but on their own experience. I have been touched by the patience of the participants and inspired by what I am learning from these human libraries. I would invite anyone with a lot of formal education to sit and think with people who are still unable to read and write. They have a lot of wisdom to share.”

Along with Frémy César, four other Haitian educators are currently using the first draft of this new book with their own groups. After six more months of experimentation, they plan to prepare a second edition of the book that will be published early next year. The aim is for the book and lesson plans to be widely available in Haiti for adult literacy instructors and groups of adult learners by the middle of next year.

By making Reflection Circles standard practice from the very beginning of adult education, people who have been silenced their whole lives will be better equipped to make their voices heard and share their wisdom. With them we are working to transform education in Haiti from a system that elevates some while excluding others into an exchange among equals, where everyone is learning and everyone is teaching.

We would like to thank Donna Struck and Tina Shirmer at Dynapace Corporation for contributing their time and covering the cost of producing the first draft of the books we are using for this pilot project.