...Brunson English 106 27 January 2013 Understanding Paulo Freire’s “The Banking Concept of Education” In Paulo Freire's essay, "The Banking Concept of Education" he explains his view of the education system, and the faults within it. Freire describes how the teacher-student relationship is an important concept when overcoming oppression. Freire believes teachers and students need to constantly work together beginning to develop the knowledge and consciousness that is necessary to overcoming oppression. There are various methods which can be used to overcome these obstacles associated with the teaching of education. They are the banking method and the problem-posing education method. Freire explains the majority of the education system as being a "banking" education, he explains to be the wrong method. The "banking" education concept is described as a negative way to educate; “teachers present a subject to their students they also present a point of view in that subject.” (Freire p ) Teachers assume students are passive, take all control, enforce their opinions; determine what will be learned, and "force-feed" information to students. The world is seen as static. Students are encouraged to "fit in to" the world as it is. Banking encourages students to accept the world as it is, separates the learner and the learner's consciousness from the world, and so contributes to oppression. Freire refers to the “Banking Concept” as a metaphor that teachers see students as a bank “depositing”...
Words: 401 - Pages: 2
...February 2014 The Strength of a Problem-Posing Approach to Education The dialogue over the most effective means of facilitating education has been a hotly debated topic over the last few centuries. There are many different models used throughout history and numerous strategies utilized today to teach people from kindergarten all the way up to the post-secondary education level. One of the many great educators of the 20th century was Brazilian philosopher, Paulo Freire. His excerpt “The Banking Concept of Education,” published in The Pedagogy of the Oppressed in 1970 established him as an important and controversial theorist. He wanted to create an education theory that would benefit the needs of the poor and the politically oppressed. His model rejects the aspect of treating education as a banking system, introduces the problem-posing approach for education, emphasizes the collaboration of the students and teachers in the classroom environment, and explains how knowledge emerges through training and constant patience. Mary E. Boyce wrote a pedagogy on critical teaching that directly supports Freire’s model of the problem-posing approach. Paulo Freire’s model of education directly opposes and rejects the traditional “banking system” model of education. Freire describes this model as “’banking,’ in which teachers deposit knowledge into students’ minds, which are empty until these deposits are made” (62). The banking system can be seen as the professor lecturing for an entire...
Words: 1418 - Pages: 6
...Understanding “The Banking Concept of Education” People learn by different methods of teaching: visual, auditory or tactile. A visual learner favors reading or pictures, an auditory prefers listening and a tactile person learns by a hands on approach. (The Learning Styles) In Freire’s excerpt “The Banking Concept of Education”, he describes how the relationship between students and teachers suffer from narration sickness (Freire). Freire explains in today’s modern education the teacher has become the depositors of information and the students are the bank receiving the information. This essay will explain the meaning of Freire’s excerpt and provide an understanding of his two concepts of education, banking and problem posing. Although auditory is a method of learning, Freire argued how education today is more focused on memorization rather than a two-way street of communication. In order for a car to run, it needs a tank full of gasoline; this same theory can apply to Freire’s theory of “The Banking Concept of Education”. He describes how students have been turned into “containers” to be “filled” by the teacher (Freire). This was evident while attending the Non-Commissioned Officer’s Academy in February 2008. During the 5 week Professional Military Education course, the instructors stood at the front of the classroom the students were exposed to what we termed, “death by PowerPoint”. Each day was filled with instructor narration of material that culminated...
Words: 948 - Pages: 4
...Banking Concept of Education Philosopher and educator Paulo Freire once said, “Education either functions as an instrument which is used to facilitate integration of the younger generation into the logic of the present system and bring about conformity or it becomes the practice of freedom, the means by which men and women deal critically and creatively with reality and discover how to participate in the transformation of their world.” In Freire’s work of “the Banking Concept of Concept”, he describes how the education system is failing to help student find success in the real world as well as it provides a framework for the “teachers” to oppress the “students” through the distribution of power. The “banking Concept of Education” describes a system of education in which the teacher’s main goal is to fill their students head with information, much like making a “deposit” at a bank, from which the student are expected to memorize and retain this information such as a bank holds money, ““Education thus becomes an act of depositing, in which the students are the depositories and the teacher is the depositor”. (Freire 2) Evidence in Freire’s work states, “His (teacher) task is to "fill" the students with the contents of his narration—contents which are detached from reality.” (Freire 2) Another point being made in Freire’s writing from this quote is that the information that the students are learning will not help them in the real world. From this the concept of the oppressors (teachers)...
Words: 671 - Pages: 3
...Response to “The ‘Banking’ Concept of Education” In response to Freire’s essay, I will be stating what I think is the best concept for education and why I agree or disagree with Freire. What if education today was fully based upon the banking concept? Would education be the same with or without the banking concept, even with the higher level of education? Age groups, the level of education a student is in, and the way that he or she learns intertwines with both problem-posing and the banking concept. I personally think that the banking concept and the problem-posing concept have negative and positive results. My thoughts on the banking concept contradict one another, because it has elements that do not relate to certain age groups but it also has great points about education. I think that age plays a huge role in education because the older a student becomes the higher education and higher knowledge is gained. Students are not always ignorant when it comes to learning new material in education. Freire states, “The teacher knows everything and the students know nothing;” (pg. 217). This quote is true yet untrue; a student in kindergarten cannot give information about World War II, while a student in high school could participate in the class and inform the teacher and his or her peers. I agree with the parts of problem-posing concept, because elements that are included allow the students to interact with the teacher. Freire says, “In problem-posing education, people develop...
Words: 587 - Pages: 3
...1. How would you paraphrase Freire's central argument, his thesis? What key moments, key words, and key phrases in the essay clarify his thesis for you? Make sure to mention specifics from the texts. The central argument that Freire is trying to make is that the educational system is flawed. Teachers are simply putting information into containers (students) and the containers accept. “The student records, memorizes, and repeats…without perceiving” (1) what they are saying. There is no reciprocal learning happening, that you are told information and you regurgitate it back to prove your knowledge and understanding. “The teacher teaches and the students are taught.” (2) “The more completely he fills the receptacles, the better a teacher he is. The more meekly the receptacles permit themselves to be filled, the better students they are.” (1) He considers this to be the “banking concept of education. In which the scope of action allowed to the students extends only as far as receiving, filing, and storing the deposits”, which he also deems as incorrect, that there are indeed other ways to educate that produce better people. Freire goes on to argue that the banking concept should be left in the past and teachers should instead use a problem-posing concept. He believes that students must be able to see that what they learn can have an effect on the world thus have the ability to change the world. That, “sooner or later they...
Words: 824 - Pages: 4
...Max Fischer cannot be summed up with a few simple words. A plethora of descriptive definitions are still incapable of summing up such a Renaissance man. Max is such an extraordinary student that he can be compared to Paulo Freire’s idea of a student, as explained in The Pedagogy of the Oppressed. In it, Freire disparages the modern education system, “the banking concept of education,” by noting its destructive abilities of creating complacent students who regard themselves as inferior by those above their educators. This method is based on the idea that the teacher simply force-feeds knowledge to students, only to have it regurgitated back at them (Freire 72). Freire is concerned because students are educationally restricted by this method,...
Words: 1320 - Pages: 6
...Summary of chapter 2 Paulo Freire has a problem with how education has been conducted since the 19th century. In his essay, Pedagogy of the Oppressed, Freire compares two concepts of education that are present today, banking and problem-posing. In banking teachers assume students are passive, take all control, determine what will be learned, and “fill” students with pre-selected information. Problem-posing education allows people to develop their human natures fully because it depends on dialogue, recognizes the relationship between people and the world, encourages discovery and creativity, and leads to transformation. Freire criticizes the banking method throughout the essay and clearly praises problem-posing in more than just an educational settings. From the very beginning Freire creates an urgency for change with his word usage, imagery, and exaggerated examples. For instance, narration sickness is a term used when the teacher talks about a subject as if it were “motionless, static, compartmentalized, and predictable.” Narration also leads the students to be ‘containers’ to be ‘filled’ by the teachers. Necrophilia is another one of Freire’s exaggerated imagery, comparing the banking concept and oppression to the love for the dead. As stated by Freire,”The necrophilous person is driven by the desire to transform the organic into inorganic, to approach life mechanically, as if all living persons were things…Memory, rather than experience; having, rather than being, is what counts...
Words: 730 - Pages: 3
...Paulo Freire, a Christian-Marxist In this paper, I will be addressing the topic of how Christianity and Marxism cannot be yoked together. Let me first state that the kind of Christianity Paulo Freire says he believes in, is Catholicism. The Catholic Church tends to have beliefs that are not completely true to the Word of God because they take some scripture out of context. I do not claim to be of any certain doctrine of Christianity; however, I do claim that I am a Bible believing Christian. Everything I believe comes directly from the Bible and without distorting its words; I believe exactly what it says. For this reason, I have a problem with Freire’s belief system. I believe Freire must pick either Christianity or Marxism. I think he is “riding the fence” on his choice of beliefs. If he continues to say he practices both, then he will always be questioning himself in more areas than one. When someone hears the combination of a Christian-Marxist, their first reaction will usually be “that’s an oxymoron,” or “that’s impossible.” How can they actually say they are Christian-Marxists, knowing that all they believe in is constantly contradicting itself? Freire will always, in my opinion, be questioning himself if, unless he looks into either one of the beliefs. Perhaps he will change his mind completely. After doing some research on Marxism, I do not believe Freire understands the full extent of it, which is why he believes himself to be Christian as well. In the article...
Words: 906 - Pages: 4
...Student: awesome guy Teacher: another awesome guy EN 106/First Year Writing seminar II: Academic Research and Writing An Obstacle in Education as a Practice of Freedom An education that is free of any oppressive qualities, is an education that will foster personal inquiry, group argumentation, and ultimately, social revolution. This would be the ideal model of education for all educational institutions; however, there is a threat looming within our classrooms and it is affecting the way students and teachers approach educational enlightenment. Paulo Freire’s “Pedagogy of the Oppressed” argues about how our current educational system is denying teachers and students the opportunity to develop a dialogue, thus allowing their critical ability to develop. He dubbed this concept “The Banking Concept of Education”: Education thus becomes an act of depositing, in which the students are the depositories and the teacher is the depositor. Instead of communicating, the teacher issues communiques and makes deposits which the students patiently receive, memorize, and repeat. This is the "banking" concept of education, in which the scope of action allowed to the students extends only as far as receiving, filing, and storing the deposits (para. 5). The banking concept of education is affecting current educational systems by guiding both educational patrons and their students in a direction of oppression and conformity. This is being done by taking away any potential interactions between...
Words: 623 - Pages: 3
...The Unity of “Banking” and “Problem-Posing” Education There is not a specific or perfect method to teaching. No holy grail, or special code that will unlock the key to perfect universal teaching. Minds are incredibly unique; they learn in an abundance of methods. Some by hands on learning, others by discussing concepts out loud or perhaps through reading and writing. In the opinion of Paulo Freire, there are two methods to education; the “banking” method in which he describes teachers who merely deposit information into their students as if they were vessels to be filled with the expectation that the information deposited will be returned in full. On the other end of the spectrum, Freire presents the problem-posing method, which Freire is...
Words: 298 - Pages: 2
...that freedom is being restricted. Some contend that because Freire’s work, The Pedagogy of the Oppressed was written over forty years ago, in a different country with a heightened sense of activism that it does not apply to today’s public education system in America. I disagree. His analysis applies as much today as it did forty years ago, but the reason most do not recognize it is because it works so well. The educational system uses a concept that Freire details in his work, namely the banking concept of education. This method of teaching is “dehumanizing” in that it reduces students to “receptacles” whose only purpose in life is to be filled with information which is chosen by oppressors to be significant (Freire par. 4). Freire paints a picture of lifeless, mechanical, students, filing information into their brains without question or analysis; the very thing that he claims makes us human (par. 4,5). He asserts that this concept of education is oppressive by design. Indeed, it serves the oppressors’ goals in that “the more the oppressed can be led to adapt to (an environment where they question nothing), the more easily they can be dominated” (Freire par. 9). The control over educational subject matter plays a key role in oppression. Loewen's work Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong details this role. Although I agree with the ideas of Freire and Loewen, that public education is used as a means to dominate and oppress the masses, it is...
Words: 906 - Pages: 4
...In chapter two of the Pedagogy of the Oppressed, the author, Paulo Freire contrasts the style of education society currently uses, the banking system, and the one it should use, the problem-posing system. Freire claims that in modern day education, teachers are the narrating objects and students are the listening objects. In this relationship, the students are storage containers and the teachers are filling them up with mechanical information about the world. The author believes that in this system, the teachers are acting as oppressors while the students assumed the role of oppressed. This is because the students’ creativity is suppressed in this process. In order to correct this, the author maintains that education be switched to a problem-posing system. Through this alternative methodology, the pupils...
Words: 592 - Pages: 3
...The “Banking” Concept of Education In Paulo Freire’s essay “The ‘Banking’ Concept of Education, Freire allows us to have a look inside his thoughts on his current education system. Even though this essay wasn’t written for our time period, it still is very applicable to our education system today. Every student can probably say they have had one teacher that treats them like an object, and makes it their mission to stuff as much information into them in one hour as they can. This system is known to be the Banking System. Freire’s definition of the banking system is, “In which the scope of action allowed to the students extends only as far as receiving, filing, and storing the deposits [made by teachers]” (p. 318). This is a system where the information isn’t put into use by the students and they cannot learn to their best ability because of the lack of creativity and communication in the learning process. Freire would say that the student’s agency (ability to act) would be rather low in this system. The students are somewhat useless after this system is used on them because they won’t retain and apply the information to their lives in the future. In this system, the teacher thinks of themselves of having complete dominance over the students in power and knowledge; this leaves the students dehumanized and less willing to engage in learning or asking questions to help them understand the information. The teachers are also looked at as oppressors to the students, looking...
Words: 1134 - Pages: 5
...In many situations, many students, nowadays, are confronted with some, “Banking Concept of Education Learning. I believe that the key to success in learning must be obtain thru a moderation of, “Banking Concept Learning and” Liberation.” I think for my first essay I am going to write about two different ways of learning, the Montessori and Traditional learning structure. Montessori is the equivalent of Paulo Freire’s, “Liberating Education.” It offers the student in Montessori the liberation from the oppression of classroom slavery which is the next great social cause and the method is to have the beginning of the end of such slavery. The key is to cultivate a child’s internal motivation and then to “follow the child” rather than to use external motivation to force a child to do things that are not natural to them. Freire describes Liberating education as acts of cognition, not transferals of information. It is a learning situation the cognizable object intermediates the cognitive actors-teacher on one hand and students on the other. The Problem-Posing education as describe by Freire as, “The Practice of Freedom,” is also similar with Montessori. Children work independently and at self-pace by interacting between teacher and student thru dialogue. Montessori is truly committed to liberation by rejecting the, “Banking Concept of Education Learning, in which is perfectly acceptable but some “Banking,” must remain in order to maintain focus and control to defer chaos and...
Words: 471 - Pages: 2
