Pedagogy of the Oppressed

I really enjoyed reading chapter two of Paulo Freire’s, “Pedagogy of the Oppressed.” I appreciated how he described “banking education,” where students are treated as ATMs where knowledge is deposited. Teachers assume that students don’t know anything and that they, the teachers, are the deliverers of knowledge. I can understand how this method of teaching would oppress students. They have no control and no say in their education. They learn what’s being taught and adapt to it instead of being allowed to make sense of information and thinking critically. Banking education trains students to just accept someone else’s thoughts, ideas and interpretations rather than learning and interpreting for themselves. It takes the learning out of the students’ hands. They don’t need to think for themselves because they’re being told what they think and how they feel or how it applies to their own lives. Students aren’t in charge of their own education. They aren’t making decisions and I think this type of teaching would ruin a student’s desire to learn. I think this type of learning would be oppressive because students learn to just accept what is being taught to them rather than thinking critically. They will go on to continue to do this in life and will adapt to society rather than think for themselves.

I liked Freire’s idea of problem-posing education, where students are teachers and teachers are students simultaneously. Students aid in learning and can even teach the teachers, they are co-creators of knowledge. The key is the relationship between teacher and student. Students should feel comfortable to speak their minds and have their own unique thoughts about what they are learning. They are creating their own version of reality. But the teacher must allow this to happen. It’s much like discussion, where the teacher must create an environment where students feel safe to talk openly about their opinions. The class, including the teacher, is working together to solve a problem or come to a conclusion or raise new questions. It allows students to be people.