Individual Assignment – Question 3 Paulo Freire is widely renowned for his thought provoking insights in Pedagogy of the Oppressed. This publication places a strong focus on relationships between oppressors and the oppressed, as well as the importance of education as a means for social and political change. Hierarchy and oppressive behaviors are commonly present in educational settings, specifically among teacher-student relationships. This paper will examine how the teacher-student contradiction may be used to analyze Freire’s complex ideologies including banking education, problem-posing education, and oppression.
The Teacher-Student Contradiction The teacher-student contradiction stems from what Freire calls the banking concept …show more content…
Dialogue empowers learners through the act of critical thinking. Students therefore have the control to pose questions and engage in discussion with their teachers. Dialogical methods support problem-posing education by unveiling reality, encouraging creativity and providing a basis for transformation (Freire, 2004, p. 84). These attributes support trust and freedom, forming a foundation for justice. Furthermore, active dialogue reshapes education from a strictly teacher-student relationship to a teacher-student/student-teacher …show more content…
Banking education places the teacher in a position of power over the student, who is forced to comply and receive information. There is a stagnancy within this method which does not allow for creativity or valuable dialogue between teachers and students. Students learn to accept a reality from the perspective of the teacher, and do not examine reality on a deeper level. Thus in turn, there is little opportunity to become more fully human. Problem-posing education strives to counteract this by directly engaging students. A symbiotic, equitable relationship between teacher and student encourages reflective dialogue, allowing both parties to examine varying realities. Students therefore develop the skills to transform their own reality, and endeavor to become more fully human by positively interacting with these realities. Ultimately, educational and systematic structures must be transformed in order to allow the oppressed to become their own beings, rather than simply integrate them into a structure, as this only further strengths the system of
The Teacher-Student Contradiction The teacher-student contradiction stems from what Freire calls the banking concept …show more content…
Dialogue empowers learners through the act of critical thinking. Students therefore have the control to pose questions and engage in discussion with their teachers. Dialogical methods support problem-posing education by unveiling reality, encouraging creativity and providing a basis for transformation (Freire, 2004, p. 84). These attributes support trust and freedom, forming a foundation for justice. Furthermore, active dialogue reshapes education from a strictly teacher-student relationship to a teacher-student/student-teacher …show more content…
Banking education places the teacher in a position of power over the student, who is forced to comply and receive information. There is a stagnancy within this method which does not allow for creativity or valuable dialogue between teachers and students. Students learn to accept a reality from the perspective of the teacher, and do not examine reality on a deeper level. Thus in turn, there is little opportunity to become more fully human. Problem-posing education strives to counteract this by directly engaging students. A symbiotic, equitable relationship between teacher and student encourages reflective dialogue, allowing both parties to examine varying realities. Students therefore develop the skills to transform their own reality, and endeavor to become more fully human by positively interacting with these realities. Ultimately, educational and systematic structures must be transformed in order to allow the oppressed to become their own beings, rather than simply integrate them into a structure, as this only further strengths the system of