Paulo Freire, The Banking Concept of Education
In the article The "Banking Concept" of Education (Paulo Freire), the author, Paulo Freire, talks about the different ways of teaching and how the problem posing method is a better method of communication and teaching between the educator and the student. Paulo Freire is one of the most influential educators in history. His philosophy is based on the idea the in a classroom there should be equal power between the student and the teacher. To teach students to understand the meaning and reasoning toward what they are truly learning. Understanding the context of what is being taught to them. Students are taught to memorize certain phrases without knowing the meaning. The banking concept of education is based upon the idea that knowledge is being given by those deemed knowledgeable to those who are considered to know nothing. For my understanding the banking concept of education is the idea that there is no even ground. The students are just retaining information without any meaning behind it. For example the capita of the U.S is Washington D.C. The problem-posing method does not keep the relationship between the student and the teacher divided. For the problem-posing method the educator creates an environment with the student to which there is a common ground of understanding. Problem-posing education creates a way to bring in new knowledge while the banking concept of education holds back the students ability to think outside the box. The description that Paulo Freire gives towards banking concept educators is a perfect description of former teachers that I have had. It seems that the teachers that I had were exactly like a banking concept educator. And clearly, I don’t like that method because when they used that method I didn’t retain any information or should I say very little information with any meaning behind it. For example you can teach someone why 2+2=4 but without any base to it, that just makes that information somewhat meaningless and unimportant. The amount of years we have went to school and the amount of hours we have spent in the classroom should culminate into something we’re proud of. But I feel like there’s more information throughout the history of my own personal education that I have forgotten than I have retained. If you asked me a famous general from World War II, besides General Patton, I wouldn’t know. I don’t think that this is a result a “bad teacher” but rather a bad teaching method. It goes back to the whole premise of problem-posing education. A very few times have I ever had that idea that education is a two way street. Maybe because I’m still very young so I have never really put that much thought into it. The article did give me that feeling of a self-revelation when it brought up the idea that the banking concept of education makes the students feel like robots instead of equals. Like a bunch of robots we leave class at a certain time, sit down at a certain time, arrive to class at a certain time and so on and so forth. Like we’re all a bunch of mindless drones. I always thought that it felt like the actions I’ve done in school felt robotic and dull. I did like what Paulo Freire said and kind of gave a more philosophical “Plato-ish” touch toward education and it gave me a new understanding towards my own education and how it develops. I also like how he used his own philosophy to help kids and teachers all over the world and to help reinvigorate and revolutionize education itself.
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Adam BluntMe, Adam Blunt. Just a normal guy that likes comic books, pot, music and video games. And yeah I write a blog now. Archives
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