20th Century American Education
In a country where fifteen out of twenty-five million people did not have economic nor politic rights in the 20th century, to educate that 15 million people was essential. However, since these people felt they were inadequate, it was easy for the education system to just use them. This system is called the “Banking” concept of education. It mythicized reality, threatened students as objects of assistance, also the oppressor (teacher) presented himself to his students as their opposite. Students were there just to record, memorize and repeat that the teacher taught them. Paulo Freire was the most influential radical educator, who wanted to change this system.
Throughout the reading he provided a few example of actual class situations. First,
“The Teacher teaches the students are taught” (Freire #217). For example, if he taught students about the country`s government system students were not able to question it. Freire stated that students are not there to understand they are there to memorize. Second, “The teacher knows everything, students know nothing.” (Freire #217) For example, the teacher knows everything about the theories that were popular in other countries but never told the students. They just know what they have to know. And they think Marx`s theory is the best for them. Third, “The teacher confuses the authority of knowledge with his own professional authority, which he sets in opposition to the freedom of the students.” (Freire #217) I had a Philosophy teacher in high school who used the Philosophy class to talk about his political thoughts. He only talked about one of the political parties. He explained the class why is that party is the best, but never explained what other parties offer.
Paulo Freire wanted to extend a new education system that had equality between students and the teacher, required students to be critical thinkers. For example, in an English class, the teacher would not be the only one who tells his opinion on a poem, students have to join analyzing it by explaining their thoughts to the teacher.
Moreover, he stated additional problems about the banking concept. Teachers considered students as they were just objects. “The individual is spectator, not re-creator”. (Freire #219) This sentence might mean that they sit, do not speak, just memorize. they do not have right to question a fact, they are not “re-creators”. In my personal opinion, he compared students as objects on his desk to explain the subordination. He can easily move them, throw them away. Freire`s thoughts are the opposite. Students have to be re-creators. Throughout my high school, me and my classmates had to be re-creators mostly all the time. My Math teacher was not excited about doing the exercises as it in the book, he wanted us to think so we might have ended up the same answer by using a different way of thinking. Moreover, banking education system do not make distinction between being accessible to consciousness and entering consciousness. In my personal opinion, what Freire meant by this is that problem-posing education is not just access student to consciousness they enter students to it by force them to think.
In summary, the banking concept of education did not let students to think or express their idea on subjects in spite of the problem-posing education that required them to be critical thinkers.
Throughout the reading he provided a few example of actual class situations. First,
“The Teacher teaches the students are taught” (Freire #217). For example, if he taught students about the country`s government system students were not able to question it. Freire stated that students are not there to understand they are there to memorize. Second, “The teacher knows everything, students know nothing.” (Freire #217) For example, the teacher knows everything about the theories that were popular in other countries but never told the students. They just know what they have to know. And they think Marx`s theory is the best for them. Third, “The teacher confuses the authority of knowledge with his own professional authority, which he sets in opposition to the freedom of the students.” (Freire #217) I had a Philosophy teacher in high school who used the Philosophy class to talk about his political thoughts. He only talked about one of the political parties. He explained the class why is that party is the best, but never explained what other parties offer.
Paulo Freire wanted to extend a new education system that had equality between students and the teacher, required students to be critical thinkers. For example, in an English class, the teacher would not be the only one who tells his opinion on a poem, students have to join analyzing it by explaining their thoughts to the teacher.
Moreover, he stated additional problems about the banking concept. Teachers considered students as they were just objects. “The individual is spectator, not re-creator”. (Freire #219) This sentence might mean that they sit, do not speak, just memorize. they do not have right to question a fact, they are not “re-creators”. In my personal opinion, he compared students as objects on his desk to explain the subordination. He can easily move them, throw them away. Freire`s thoughts are the opposite. Students have to be re-creators. Throughout my high school, me and my classmates had to be re-creators mostly all the time. My Math teacher was not excited about doing the exercises as it in the book, he wanted us to think so we might have ended up the same answer by using a different way of thinking. Moreover, banking education system do not make distinction between being accessible to consciousness and entering consciousness. In my personal opinion, what Freire meant by this is that problem-posing education is not just access student to consciousness they enter students to it by force them to think.
In summary, the banking concept of education did not let students to think or express their idea on subjects in spite of the problem-posing education that required them to be critical thinkers.