9/29/10-From Mindlessness to Cognition

As an extremely passionate educator, Paul Freire expresses his opinions about current education in his book The Pedagogy of the Oppressed. In this excerpt, Freire discusses the key differences between two distinct styles of teaching: the "banking concept" and "problem-posing." Within the "banking concept," information pours into the empty vessels of student brains via a stoic, dictatorial instructor. In this version of learning, students memorize facts and "knowledge," mindlessly regurgitating information. The student-teacher relationship, in addition, lies unknown. Supporters of this specific type of teaching do not recognize that any sort of "relationship" ought to exist between the "narrator" and the "receptacles." On the complete opposite side of the spectrum lies "problem-posing." This style of training involves discussion, integration of constructive reasoning, and a strong student-teacher relationship. Students learn to think for themselves, ask questions, and build creative thinking skills. Their relationships with professors, too, are revolutionized as the purpose is not to "manage students" but to learn from as well as teach their pupils through a unique bond. In my own experience, I have endured both types of education. In many a class, information has been shoved down my throat through mindless lectures on nothing, tedious worksheets, busywork, and tests that are created for me to regurgitate exactly what went in one ear and out the other. Yes sir, that basically describes my United States History class. It was awful. However, other courses I took in high school went about educating me very differently. I remember my first day in Mr. Doyle’s Bible class. His discussion was on advertising. His simple question was “What are they selling you?” Simple right? The product. But no. He went on to readjust our mindsets to look deeper. They weren’t just selling a car, they were selling adventure, experience, and danger. That was the first time that a teacher challenged me to become something more, to want something more, to thirst for something more from my education. Jimmy Doyle revolutionized my previous ideals of education and brought me to higher ground.