The Banking Concept Of Education In Paulo Freire's Pedagogy Of The Oppressed

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In 1970, Paulo Freire caused extreme discomfort throughout the academic community, when the novel Pedagogy of the Oppressed was published. In one memorable chapter, Freire confronts not only the education system but also the overall concept and misfortunate consequences of what he calls “The Banking Concept of Education”. This ideal involves the educator (often referred to as the ‘oppressor’) preaching information as the students submit to note taking and memorization. Pedagogy of the Oppressed suggests, quite convincingly, that this method causes and also reciprocates a system that is actually completely unreceptive to education itself. Paulo Freire proposes another method known as the problem-posing method. While the problem-posing method vastly improves banking method ideas, Freire is ambiguous in his explanation of problem-posing, making it nearly impossible to view problem-posing as a viable and practical solution. The key to education is taking the style of the banking method while implementing the curriculum with a problem-posing backbone.
James Loewen proposes an argument in Lies My Teacher Told Me that explains the teachings (of history) today relies too much on the textbooks. History, within these books, portrays the United States and the imperfect leaders and heroes in a glorified manner. His examples, in fact, are very astounding to those most unfamiliar, or "deceived," in their knowledge of American History and are painfully obvious to those fairly educated in the events of our nation's past.
The chain of events, which came most surprisingly to me was Loewen's description of "The First Thanksgiving;" I was already aware of some of the circumstances, but the harsh details of American settlement shocked me. For examp...

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...ere this happens, is the exception rather than the rule. Conceivably it is not the banking concept itself that is at fault, but the contents of the deposits. The most valuable education I have ever received used the banking method, but in a way other than Freire describes. The teacher “deposits” facts, yes, but facts in context with pertinence and use in the real world. The skills Freire describes in his essay, such as critical thinking, are achievable in a banking setting. Freire’s criticism is mostly accurate, but his philosophies are a bit too radical and his propositions far too vague.
To conclude, the most influential way to learn is balancing both the conventions of typical classroom learning while instilling in students the inherent need to discover the world and their relationship with it. There’s no need to demolish the house when only the sink is broken.

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