INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATIVE PROJECTS (ICPs) IN THE LIGHT OF PAULO FREIRE'S EPISTEMOLOGY

AN EXPERIENCE REPORT

Abstract

This article analyzes the implementation of International Collaborative Projects (ICPs) in the teaching of English at the Faculties of Technology of the State of São Paulo, through the lens of Paulo Freire’s epistemology. The central aim is to investigate how such projects, based on the COIL (Collaborative Online International Learning) approach, can foster an education that transcends technicism by promoting dialogue, autonomy, and the problematization of reality. Drawing on a literature review and an experience report, the authors highlight how ICPs can function as instruments of educational transformation by encouraging pedagogical practices aligned with Freirean thought. The reported experience showed that Brazilian and Indian students developed intercultural cooperation skills, critical thinking, and active use of the English language—elements that contribute to the formation of more conscious and critical citizens. By articulating theory and practice, the article demonstrates that it is possible to break away from the traditional banking model of education and adopt a liberating pedagogy centered on the collective construction of knowledge. It concludes that ICPs, when guided by a humanizing perspective, can promote a more democratic and engaged higher education aligned with Freire’s vision of forming historical subjects capable of intervening in the world.