Banking Model Essay

Imagine thirty students all sitting in a classroom frantically trying to write down what their teacher is saying and listen attentively at the same time. They will be expected to use that same information on their homework and will be expected to memorize everything the teacher was teaching for their upcoming test. There is no open discussion, and hardly any time for questions. There is a constant separation between the teacher and students. According to Paulo Freire, this is what the “Banking” concept of education is. Although in America, the education system is slowly changing in the way students and teachers are interacting, the Banking model education is still very much relevant especially adult learning that happens in universities and

Paulo Freire, born in Brazil became an influential philosopher and educator on adult education. Best known for his book Pedagogy of the Oppressed, he is viewed as one of the best advocates of critical pedagogy. One of his theoretical contributions is the banking model concept, “Banking education, as the phrase itself suggests, is a caricature of traditional education”(Beckett, 2013). According to Freire, the “banking” concept of education is when students only receive, file, and store the deposits” of what is being learned. Like a piggy bank the student is viewed as an empty account, and must be filled by the teacher. This is a major problem because the students feel oppressed because they cannot formulate their own opinions while the teachers are the one controlling the thinking and action. Teachers who practice the banking model have oppressive characteristics that especially shows through the attitude of “the students knowing nothing, can be disciplined, must comply, and must listen in a submissive manner, whilst the teachers know everything, can discipline, and is the subject of the learning”. Another way that the banking

What this method consists of is students developing their power to critically assess how they can find themselves and discover the way that they exist in the world. It is a type of education that also encourages students to learn and think critically. In Problem-posing education, “the roles of students and teachers become less structured, and both engage in acts of dialogic enrichment to effectively ascertain knowledge from each other.constantly reveals reality and preserves the submersion of consciousness” (Micheletti, 2010). It demythologizes reality and does not hide what really exists out in the world and how humans exist in it. Unlike banking education, it promotes creativity, thinking past the barriers that are set for them, and “the students are encouraged to use their imagination along with their intellect to challenge the teacher, teach the teacher, learn from the teacher, and also learn from themselves”(Abbas, 2012) .The questions: “why” and “how” can be asked but with banking education the oppressed are not permitted to