Instructor Kerry Jones Oppressive Education Paulo Fire was a Brazilian educator, philosopher, and influential theorist of critical pedagogy. He is best known for his influential work, Pedagogy of the Oppressed, which is considered one of the foundation texts of the critical pedagogy movement. The Banking Concept of Education, New York: Continuum, 1993 which was translated by Myra Bergman talks about an authoritarian way of teaching.
In the essay, The Banking Concept of Education, the teachers merely deposit information Into the student’s brains and the students do not absorb anything being taught to them because of the way the information Is given. The students are Like an empty bank account and the teachers make deposits Into the account. The teachers are not concerned whether the students are actually learning, absorbing and understanding what Is being taught.
The only concern of the teacher Is that they are depositing as much as possible into the brains of the students and that they are memorizing the information. The student should be submissive and allow the teacher to dominate. The teacher teaches and the students are taught. ” (Fire 2) The students should not communicate or talk to the teacher or to other classmate, their main focus is to memorize the words they are hearing. “The teacher talks and the students listen- meekly. (Fire 2) The students will hear but not logically understand the meaning of the words. “The banking approach to adult education will never propose to students that they critically consider reality. ” (Fire 3) It will merely give students too much Information they will not know what to do with It. The Information received Is only perceived as words with no meaning. The Banking Concept of Education does not allow the students to comprehend the difference between a goat and a rabbit: it just teaches that they are simply different words.
Fire says “Indeed, the interests of the oppressors lie in changing the consciousness of the oppressed, not the situation which oppresses them, for the more the oppressed can be led to adapt to that situation, the more easily they can be dominated. ” (3) This means that the teacher’s goal is to oppress the students as much as possible to make the students adapt to the situation and to be as euphemism as possible to ensure maximum domination. The teacher cannot think for his students, nor can he impose his thought on them.
Authentic thinking, thinking that is concerned about reality, does not take In Isolation but only through active communication. If It Is true that thought has meaning only when generated by action upon the world, the subordination of students to teachers becomes Impossible. (5) I agree with Fire that without communication, thought has no meaning. At some plant or another, ten outhunt needs to De communicate Detour It can grow Into anything larger. The teacher cannot learn without the students and the students cannot learn without the teacher.
Communication is the exchange of thoughts, messages, or information from one person to the next. The communication process is complete once the receiver has understood the message of the sender. It is unfortunate how common the Banking Concept of Education is. Good teachers break the rules in the classroom. They see the importance of students learning core material, but also believe the material must fit into a larger understanding and they seek to find unique ways to impress this upon students. A successful teacher will connect with their students.
They find ways to motivate, to approach the classroom work in a positive manner, and instill confidence in students. Excellent teachers are available to students. Most importantly successful teachers listen to their students. They adjust lessons to the needs of the students, they are not afraid to be wrong or challenged, and they allow for an open and honest learning environment. Fire discusses the importance of communication and says the teacher cannot think for his students, nor can he impose his thought on them. ) Authentic thinking takes both the student and the teacher and there can be no subordination. I agree with Fire that real authentic thinking cannot take place by the teacher alone; it requires interaction between the teacher and the student. The subordination of students to teachers becomes impossible unless there is active communication between the students to the teacher. Works Cited The Banking Concept of Education,” from Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Fire. New York: Continuum, 1993. Translated by Myra Bergman Ramose. Http:// en. Wisped. Org/wick/Paulo_Fire
