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Educational implications of paulo freire theory
Educational implications of paulo freire theory
Paulo freire and goals of education
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In the American education system, classrooms often turn into a dictatorship in which the teacher is the leader that the students blindly follow. Paulo Freire’s article, “The “Banking” Concept of Education”, illustrates this dictatorship by describing the oppression students undergo and how it, in turn, leads to a passive learning environment. Static classrooms keep students from learning and reaching their full potentials. In high school, classes were usually in lecture format. Students, who were thought to know nothing, were forced to take the same opinions of supposedly knowledgeable teachers. Classes such as math and psychology did not allow for the freedom of thought. Students were told that a problem was to be solved a certain way and
all other methods for finding the answer were considered wrong. Students adjusted to being told what to do and when they were given the freedom to solve a problem creatively, they would be unable to do so. The oppressive environment transformed students to a point where they were lost when the teacher did not give them a clear set of directions. In order for students to properly learn and grow, both the teacher and student must evaluate and re-evaluate their previously held beliefs during constructive discussions in the classroom. As Freire suggests, a problem-posing education allows for creativity and curiosity. Therefore, the problem-posing education system must replace the banking system if teachers wish to help students rise to their full potentials.
David Bartholomae’s “Inventing the University” represents the process of writing a student must undergo every time they composite a new piece of work. In order to properly fulfill expectations, students must interpret, pretend and assemble the language of the desired community they wish to hold as their audience. Bartholomae blames the confusion that most students undergo has to deal with the authority; the teacher assigning the writing is asking the student to take on an authority in denying the classroom setting of which they are in, while the teacher is still a higher authority present. He blames the teachers and the curriculum of which they teach for making students see writing as a tool in referral to the mode of learning in their view
Why do children graduate high school without fully understanding concepts that relate to the core subjects of Math, English, Science, and History? Because education is unequal in America. Sociologist Doctor James W. Loewen and award winning writer Jonathan Kozol agree that classicism is to blame. Loewen also believes that history textbooks take some of the blame, for the student’s ignorance of inequality within education. Loewen and Kozol make great points on classicism, and it is important to understand how classism and textbooks affect education, and also to think of solutions to the problem.
Labaree discusses how the United State’s education is in a school syndrome, as people in America want schools to teach society’s ideals as well as let people express their individuality. These two demands are polar opposites that cannot be achieved. As the focus goes towards balancing these in hopes of improving society as a whole, the bettering of actual student learning is put on pause. Labaree talks about the beginning of education reform, in the 19th century, being the most successful in developing society; however, as education reform continued throughout time, its effectiveness wore off. He then addresses how the desire for education reform is more about improving society than it is about learning. He finishes his argument by providing possible solutions to fixing this problem, but states that fixing this problem will never happen because no one is willing to give up both demands. Overall, Labaree goes in wonderful detail explaining the problems of education reform. What made me choose this article was that he addressed the desire that people have on school systems in promoting both society normality and individuality. This correlates well with my topic in whether public school systems promote conformist ideals or individuality.
In the 1997 article, “On The Uses of a Liberal Education: As a Weapon In the Hands of the Restless Poor,” published by Harper’s Magazine, the social critic Earl Shorris described how political power could be achieved by a rather non-vocational educational discipline, the humanities. He emphasizes on how the knowledge of a liberal Education can be used as a form of weapon within the lives for the poor.
There is a “fear of being unorthodox…rooted in the American teacher’s soul” (Burgess 237). Burgess stresses the prohibition of an American teacher’s competence to instruct students using any type of experimental approach other than the standardized design. In consequence, America is unable to breed eccentric geniuses and has no capacity to create a burning desire to learn within their students. The reason this dilemma has been continuing for so long is because America has been blinded by their previous accomplishments, such as the landing on the moon. On behalf of their successful progressive past, the American people are in denial of how poor the education system is now and have a state of mind that the nation is still advancing just as it was decades ago when it is in fact, the exact
It’s no surprise that there are faults within our schools in today’s society. As both authors’ point out if our educational system is
In his essay “Against School,” John Taylor Gatto illustrates his view point that the American population would be better off by managing their own education. He compares the school system to the concept of boredom; that students as well as teachers are victims of the long ago adopted Prussian educational system: “We suppress our genius only because we haven’t yet figured out how to manage a population of educated men and women. The solution, I think, is simply and glorious. Let them manage themselves.” In other words, Gatto believes that the main reason for the existence of schooling consists in that it trains our children to be obedient citizens who can’t think on their own. His point is that as a society we cut off the intelligence and creativity
In today’s society, schools in wealthy communities are better than those in poor communities, higher income schools are simply better at preparing their students for their future. In the reading “The Banking Concept Of Education As An Instrument Of Oppression” by Paulo Freire, he believes that teachers are depositing information into their students. He states that there are two educational systems, the “banking concept” is when teachers are filling their students up with information but the students aren’t fully understanding the material. On the other hand, the “problem posing concept” is when the teacher lets the students communicate with each other. It opens the classroom to a learning environment. Especially when students are more comfortable enough to ask the teacher a question. Esentionally he prefers the problem posing concept. Futhermore, “Social Class and The Hidden Curriculum Of Work” by Jean Anyon an educator at Rutgers University, Newark. She researches how students of different economic backgrounds are interacting with school work and teacher interaction in their elementary schools. Also, she supports her research by looking at the various ways public schools provide particular types of knowledge and educational experiences of the different social classes.
The banking concept is “ a gift bestowed by those who consider themselves knowledgeable upon those who they consider to know nothing'; (Freire 213). The goal of the ‘banking’ concept is to deposit as much information into the students as possible. This results in disconnected memorization without the real understanding and discouragement of creative thought.They cannot think for themselves. As Marx writes, just as there are two types of learning, ‘banking’ and problem-posing, he explains that society is this way also. There is the upper class and subordinate classes. They both struggle for economic and political power and the primary way the upper class keeps its power is through their beliefs and values. They are allowed to think. The subordinate classes believe they are subordinate due to the upper classes prestige and way of thinking. Like Freire’s ‘banking’ concept, education is the way to keep students down and this works because the students accept all knowledge from the teacher, just like the dominant class in Marx’s ideology, keeps the subordinate classes submissive.
Besides the classroom, nowhere in modern society emphasizes learning for the sake of knowledge. In society, the people who receive praise are the ones who did not have a solid education. America has become obsessed with success stories that forgo education because educational knowledge no longer contains any value. American leaders do not make an extra effort to try and fix the failing education system, so if the world powers of America do not care to make progressive improvements for the education system, why should citizens of America even care about the education system? The students in school have picked up on these thoughts and instead of listening to the classroom teacher the students listen to the world teachers. Barber defines these world teachers as “the nation’s true pedagogues, are television, advertising, movies, politics, and the celebrity domains they define.” (Barber, 2014, p. 2.). These leaders have different values than the values set as the standard by the education system. The education system values wisdom, knowledge, critical thinking, and the ability to articulate one’s thoughts and ideas convincingly. While the American system contrasts these ideas: “We honor ambition, we reward greed, we celebrate materialism, we worship acquisitiveness, we cherish success, and we commercialize the classroom. . . We recommend history to the kids but rarely consult it ourselves. (Barber, 2014, p. 4.). This reasoning lays the foundation for the destruction of the school system. Adults do not find value in education, but they encourage their children to try and find value in area the adults do not. Children have caught on to this and decided the absolute best option for them to success is to flee the classroom setting and surround themselves in the world where they can learn firsthand the steps to become successful. The societal influence cultivates children more effectively than the classroom
Why do children graduate high school without fully understanding concepts that relate to the core subjects of Math, English, Science, and History? Because education is unequal in America. Sociologist Doctor James W. Loewen and award winning writer Jonathan Kozol agree that classism is to blame. Loewen also believes that history textbooks take some of the blame for the student’s ignorance of inequality within education, while Kozol believes it is ignorance from well educated people that are two blame. Although Loewen and Kozol are correct in citing classism as a problem in the education system, little is acknowledged about a solution.
Have you ever thought what may happen by the time public schools agree to liberate students from the regurgitating approach to education? In America, teachers are expected to follow on students’ tests. Public school systems believe that students acquire knowledge through self-repetition, but information can’t be learned through the test-taking strategy; Therefore, a digestion approach to education is the best plan to follow. The regurgitation approach to education teaches students to spit out information, whereas a digestion approach to education allows students to retain and understand the information teachers give.
Freire states “Freedom is acquired by conquest, not by gift. It must be pursued constantly and responsibly” (Freire, 2000, p. 47). Therefore; students must be aware of their oppression and fight for their freedom and autonomy in the school system. Freire also suggests a method of education that will help solve this issue: problem-posing education. The dynamic concept of problem-posing education integrates both teachers and students role’s to create a unified teaching process in which the teacher teaches the student, and the student teaches the teacher. This process “reinvents” knowledge, and teaches the student critical thinking. Instead of knowledge being deposited to students, problem-posing education presents information to students but allows them to draw their own conclusions and form their own, unique
In the 1980s, one of the main concerns that was facing the United States was its education problem. The reason why the 1980s bared such a downturn in school performance was due to the attitudes developed in 1970s. In the 1970s, the attitude that school wasn’t important to one’s life swept across the nation. This attitude led to the terrible curriculum that was being taught, lower educational standards, and the public rejection of those who campaigned for reform of the educational system. However, once the 1980s came about, a new tide of national effort under the leadership of Secretary of Education, Terrel H. Bell. Bell appointed the National Commission on Excellence in Education to examine the state of education in the United States. They concluded that the United States was on a path to destruction because of a “rising tide of mediocrity1.” Surely, Mr. Clark `1recognized that this “rising tide of mediocrity” was sweeping across Eastside High, destroying the minds and futures of those students. The reason why Mr. Clark believed there was a “rising tide of mediocrity” was because of the lack order in the school. He made it clear on his first day as principal that if they continue to treat the students like animals, that’s
This book, Dare The School Build a New Social Order by George Counts, is an examination of teachers, the Progressive Education Movement, democracy and his idea on how to reform the American economy. The book is divided into 5 different sections. The first section is all about the Progressive Education Movement. Through this, George Counts points out many downsides and weaknesses of this ideal. He also talks about how he wants teachers to lead society instead of following it. In the second section, he examines 10 widespread fallacies. These fallacies were that man is born free, that children are born free, they live in a separate world of their own, education remains unchanged, education should have no bias, the object of education is to produce professors, school is an all-powerful educational agency, ignorance rather than knowledge is the way of wisdom, and education is made to prepare an individual for social change.