Styles of Teaching: Banking Concept vs. Problem Posing

Education is defined as, “The act or process of educating or being educated, the knowledge or skill obtained or developed by a learning process, a program of instruction of a specified kind or level, the field of study that is concerned with the pedagogy of teaching and learning, as well as an instructive or enlightening experience” (No author). People begin their education from day one till the day they die. Every day we learn new things in different ways. Whether someone is just telling us some random fact or you are sitting in a classroom being lectured by a professor. The main focus of this classical argument involves the learning that is done in the classroom or lecture hall in the schools of America today. The question arose as to which style of teaching is most effective in sparking the minds of the receivers to make them become transformers of their education? Would the “banking concept” of teaching be more effective, where “the scope of the action allowed to the students extends only as far as receiving, filing, and storing the deposits” (pg. 260). Or would the “problem posing” style of teaching be the most effective, where by “responding to the essence of consciousness—intentionally—rejects communiqués and embodies communications. It epitomizes the special characteristic of consciousness” (pg. 265). In this essay I intend persuade you the audience to take in my experiences and the experience of two other authors, whom I will be showing you later, and take a look from my point of view.

Through this essay I am going to try and show the advantages of “problem posing” style to education. In my opinion this style of education is very effective in expanding the minds of the receiver by making them more interactive in their learning rather than the typical lecture and take notes. In this style of education people teach each other and the teacher is not the only one enlightening the class with their knowledge. I cannot only speak this opinion from my own experiences, but also others who share in the same view sculpted by their experiences. The two authors whom I used for a base of my point of view are Paulo Freire and Richard Rodriguez. Freire wrote the essay called “The Banking Concept of Education,” in which Freire shows how “problem posing” education is the most effective way to teach and be taught at the same time. Rodriguez wrote the essay call...

... middle of paper ...

... all, everyone is different in their own respective way and some people might have the ability to simply comprehend all they hear, unlike myself I feel like I teach myself more on my own or with others than if I were sitting down and taking notes. The only problem with just listening during a lecture is that people don’t retain all that information over a long period of time. Most of the information is stored in the brain until that test comes and all the information leaves when you hand in the test.

In conclusion the problem-posing style to education is not only the most effective way in helping a student retain the information, but it also sets everyone, whether it be the teacher or the students, at equilibrium. I am not just speaking from my point of view, but also from Freire. We both came to the same conclusion and based our opinions off our own experiences. This style of education is very effective in expanding the minds of the receiver by making them more interactive in their learning rather than the typical lecture and take notes. In this style of education people teach each other and the teacher is not the only one enlightening the class with their knowledge.