The purpose of Paulo Freire 's essay "The Banking ' Concept of Education" is to analyze the current educational approach taken by many institutions and to provide an alternative to this approach. The essay is really criticizing the "banking" concept of education. The "banking" concept of education is the notion that the teacher is the narrator, while the student is the "container" or "receptacle" that is to be filled by the knowledge of the teacher. When the teacher is the narrator it forces the student to memorize the content that the teachers teaches. Freire believes that "Education thus becomes an act of depositing, in which the students are the depositories and the teacher is the depositor (257)." Knowledge is then considered a gift from the teacher to the student, who is assumed to know nothing. Freire 's solution to the "banking" concept of education is what he calls "problem-posing" education. "Problem-posing" education forces the student to participate with the teacher and become "critical co-investigators in dialogue with the teachers (263)." "Banking" education often resists dialogue and "problem-posing" education engages dialogue and regards it as essential to its framework. The "problem-posing" teacher is then forced to create lessons that involve the students, rather than only being in charge of the students. Freire believes that "banking" education inhibits creative power and "problem-posing" education allows creativity and promotes the thought process. He also believes that "banking education treats students as objects of assistance; problem-posing education makes them critical thinkers (265)." According to the reading, problem-posing education seems like a much more suited choice for educational institutions. Freire believes that that banking theory is not based on reality and is a fixating force. While the problem-posing theory according the Freire " . bases itself on creativity and stimulates true reflection and action upon reality; thereby responding to the vocation of persons as beings who are authentic only when engaged in inquiry and creative transformation (265)." Freire is stating that the people who are taught via the banking theory are un-human and lifeless because they are non-responsive in the teaching lessons, they are merely absorbing the information like a sponge. He also believes that if the student isn 't taught using the problem-posing method; which engages inquiry and creative transformations; then it is not an authentic representation of the student 's ability.
This essay to me seemed a little too harsh on the matter. There are subjects that are best taught via the "banking" method. I personally have taken courses that were best taught this way. For example, I just finished Cell Biology, the material for this course was so complex that unless you knew the information before hand then there was no way to really engage conversation and thought. The teacher did however allow for questions and discussions the class period following the lecture. I believe that its safe to say that my teacher took a hybridized approach that contained both the "banking" concepts and the "problem-posing" concept. I think this is acceptable, but Freire is too extreme and never makes mention of a hybridized approach. I also believe that the teaching style should also reflect the learning style of the student. There are some students that learn better from dictation, and thee are some that learn better from interaction. Works Cited
Freire, Paulo. "The Banking ' Concept of Education." Ways of Reading.
Ed. David Bartholomae and Anthony Petrosky. Boston: Bedfore, 2005. 256-269.
Cited: Freire, Paulo. "The ‘Banking ' Concept of Education." Ways of Reading. Ed. David Bartholomae and Anthony Petrosky. Boston: Bedfore, 2005. 256-269.
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