Episode 75: Dr. Teresa M. Cappiali

Dr. Teresa M. Cappiali is an academic and international consultant. She founded NOIWE, a Sweden-based organization focused on transforming education using Transformative- Emancipatory Pedagogy (TEP). For 14 years+ and across five continents, she has developed this framework, combining knowledge, empathy, and critical thinking to create classrooms grounded in dialogue and collective transformation. Teresa holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the Université de Montréal and has held positions at several major research institutes. She now works with the Raoul Wallenberg Institute and at Mohammed VI Polytechnic University. Her work promotes inclusive and fair approaches to education worldwide.In this episode, Dr. Teresa M. Cappiali introduces Transformative-Emancipatory Pedagogy (TEP) as a framework for reimagining education as a tool for human rights, dignity, and social transformation. She traces her intellectual journey from traditional “banking” models of education to progressive and, ultimately, emancipatory approaches, drawing on the work of Paulo Freire and decolonial traditions. Cappiali highlights how TEP and human rights education focus on dignity, empathy, and responsibility. She discusses how Maria Montessori’s work shapes her ideas and stresses the need to connect with students’ real experiences to support their growth. TEP encourages critical thinking through respectful dialogue and tackling tough issues. The episode explores the use of TEP to promote inclusion and empower students, especially in migrant communities. Teresa explains the need to address controversy with a pedagogy of "discomfort" while keeping learning respectful and supportive. She ends by stressing hope, healing, and the integration of knowledge from many fields as key to global human rights education. [Full bio on HREUSA podcast website]Topics discussed:Origins of Teresa Cappiali’s work in human rights educationTransformative-Emancipatory Pedagogy (TEP) and its foundationsFrom “banking education” to emancipatory education modelsHumanistic values: dignity, empathy, and interconnectednessMontessori’s influence on human rights educationCreating supportive, dialogic classroom environmentsCognitive dissonance and engaging controversial issuesApplying TEP to migration and social justice issuesInstitutional change through student voice and participationPedagogy of discomfort and critical dialogueRole models, hope, and interdisciplinary approaches to HREDownload podcast listing HERE. Listen on our HREUSA podcast website.Introduction and Closing Music Credit:  “Awakening-Spring” by Ketsa, from the Album Night Vision.  Available at the Free Music Archive:  https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa/night-vision/awakening-spring/This music is used in accordance with this Creative Commons License: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Information about that license is available here  https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/Human Rights Education Now! is produced and distributed in accordance with Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED, Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International.  Information about this license is available here:  https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/