The Ideologies Put Forth By Paulo Freire

Paulo Freire is an author who poses questions and arguments that challenge everything that his readers think and know. “The Banking Concept of Education” from Pedagogy of the Oppressed poses the question about the education system and how teachers are narrators and students are recorders. In his essay he discusses how the students – who he refers to as containers – receive their information from teachers. However, the teachers never communicate with their subordinates. The idea of “banking” suggests that students are only receiving, memorizing and receiving facts from the “depositor” which made the students “depositories.” The main ideas drawn from this article are related to education, knowledge and communication.

Freire begins Chapter 2 of Pedagogy of the Oppressed by stating his interpretation of the educational system between teacher and student, focusing primarily on the “banking” system, which is exceptionally biased due to oppressive teachers who direct their own misguided inquiries upon their oppressed students. Freire continues on by maintaining “knowledge is a gift bestowed by those

In his book, Pedagogy of the Oppressed, Brazilian educator, philosopher, and author, Paulo Freire, informs us, the readers, of the difference between an oppressive education system and a libertarian system. Freire first published this book in Portuguese in 1968, just four years after his imprisonment and exile on the charge of spreading revolutionist teachings. He uses verbose language to further emphasize the importance of learning and a passionate tone to show his anguish at the loss of knowledge and education. In his lament for the awakening of his people, Freire’s effective use of the rhetorical situation persuades his audience to reject their country’s current oppressive system and to fight their oppressors who refuse them the right of free thought.

In Paulo Freire’s “Banking Concept of Education”, he explains his view of the educational system, and the faults within it. Freire describes the educational system as being “banking education”, which he explains to be the wrong method, and proposes a new method of “problem-posing” education which he believes to be more effective and just.

I think that Freire connected many things amongst education, to politics. So, in this case of mass causalities due to gun violence, I think he would really want the government leaders step up and take more initiative in controlling this problem. I also believe Freire would see society as a source for the continuous gun violence in schools as well. As society, we sit and watch our evolution come undone by acts of violence through guns that facilitate destruction. Freire stated that "It is necessary that the weakness of the powerless is transformed into a force capable of announcing justice". (Freire, 2015). Freire is saying that, as a society we can't complain about the tragedies that happen in our country, but sit back and do nothing out of fear that we don't have enough power to make a change. We have to take action and speak up for what is right, for justice to prevail.

Freire shifts his focus to talk about the current consciousness state of the students. The consciousness of the students is the key to keeping them oppressed, by being able to change their consciousness it makes the students easier to control.

Paulo Freire’s essay “the banking concept of education” and Richard Rodriguez’s essay “the achievement of desire” talk about the topic of education. Education is explored in many different ways. In Freire’s essay “the banking concept of education” he expresses his dislike of the education system and the distribution of power and authority in the class room. In his essay, he says that all the power belongs to the teacher. Richard Rodriguez’s essay “the achievement of desire” he states that the power belongs to the student. In many ways, these two influential writers are similar and at the same time have

On the other hand, Paulo Friere argues about the authority educators exerts over the students, how educators believe they have more power and knowledge than their students. “His task is to "fill" the students with the contents of his narration” (Frierre 1, paragraph 2). We memorize other people’s information and we think we are doing a great job, but what would happen if one of us unfolds and break the boundaries between authority and communication. What will be the consequences for us; are we going to fail the class for thinking outside of the box. We are not empty receptacles to be filled with recited words; we have the right to express our point of view and listen to our way of thinking. When are going to get the benefit of the doubt, what educational system do we have to follow, we are lost between consumerism and the lack of

The relationship between the teacher and the student can be associated with two different methods of learning. Paulo Freire suggests the “The ‘Banking’ Concept of Education”, in which the teacher “fills the account” of the student with information and knowledge they have (318). Freire also explains the concept of “problem posing” learning that contradicts the “banking” concept. This way helps the student become more involved with their education, and they are able to become a more well-rounded student. But Freire ignores to add any supporting detail to his points based on how a student feels about each method of education. Determining the best way of an education is all

The greatest thing about humans is that they have the ability to think. Thinking is what differs people from each other and makes people who they are. Freire understands the importance of thinking and wants to start a discussion on the school systems attempt to restrict thinking. This is what he tries to do in his article, something that he does pretty well. He believes the school system solely cares about facts and numbers. The teachers feed their students information and expect them to memorize it, and spit it back on paper. “The reason the banking system continues to thrive is to serve the purpose of the authority, whose peace of mind rests on how well the oppressed fit in the world created by the oppressors, and how little they question it (Freire, page 219). Educators have to understand that the classroom is a leveled playing field, teaching and learning simultaneously through discussions with each other.

Only in the end of his essay does Freire focus more on his own system, and explain its privileges without resorting to the faults of the currents system, but even then he uses the latter tactic several times. The essay ends on a political note, calling the new revolutionaries to realize what the name they call themselves means, and to change the current ways not only on the outside, as they have done before, but also internally to make radical changes to their philosophy and their ideas about education. This concluding device stirs up some doubts as to the point of the whole essay. It might seem from the author’s concluding point that the underlying purpose of the essay was not to expand on the more beneficial ways of education, but to criticize the ways of political leaders in his, or some other country. Nevertheless, the rest of the essay shows little evidence of such a plot, and this point is at best marginal.

He saw education (specifically, literacy) not merely as a means of transferring information as if one were filling a box, but instead as a means of liberation and revolution, that instruction should teach students how to think, not what to think, and give them the power to call into question the facts of everyday life (Gibson). In Freire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed, he suggests that the common people are constantly oppressed and forced to become submissive, and that in turn, they will oppress others in a similar fashion. Traditional education is one of the first vehicles for this cycle of oppression and submission, and therefore Freire insists that educators must stimulate students to think through acceptance and equality; that a teacher "is himself taught in dialogue with the students, who in turn while being taught also teach…authority must be on the side of freedom". According to Freire, it is critical that this student-teacher equality exist in order for a student to develop his or her ability to think individually.

John Dewey once said “Education is not preparation for life; Education is life itself." Meaning that learning is an active process that should occur to enhance one 's living and understanding thereof. When one only views education as a temporary thing they miss the big picture , and fail to grasp the what life truly is. Paulo Freire believes in having the opportunity to discover for oneself all that the world has to offer with the slight guidance from a teacher. He also says that “Education must begin with the solution of the teacher-student contradiction, by recoiling the poles of the contradiction so that both are simultaneously teachers and students.” Freire introduces the idea that we can and should all learn from each other, that no one person is ever higher in the world of education. We all have a unique perspective and take on things, and teachers should allow us to discover and interpret for ourselves.

When understanding education there are many different ways which the purpose of education may be applied and defined. My personal philosophy of education is, 'educators must nurture/guide students within the academic field, to that the aims, goals and results during this task of educating or being educated are achieved '. This philosophy is used to understand that both teachers and students play an integral role in education. Academic performance, classroom methods/practices and also meeting the requirements of both the senior secondary Australian Curriculum Framework and the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers Framework are examples of these roles. This essay will discuss in detail how my personal philosophy of education, reflects on the role of teachers and learners, the aim of education and the methods and practices used in the classroom. Jean Jacques Rousseau, Paulo Freire, Locke, and Plato/Socrates are the four theorists that shall be used within this essay, to support claims and justify statements regarding this philosophy. John Dewey and A.S Neil are two non-supporting theorists that shall be used in contrast to justify this philosophy.

In this regard, the curriculum attends to the axiological, epistemological and ontological aspects of learning in schools throughout the primary system in Trinidad and Tobago, insofar as Health and Family Life Education is concerned. Thus, based on the reality of today’s societal ills, students are to be taught the relevant morals and values which is seen as good for them. Such a programme is therefore necessary for the holistic development of students in the primary sector.