Paulo Freire Banking Method
A Student’s Needs: Combining the Banking and Problem-posing Concepts The relationship between the teacher and the student can be associated with two different methods of learning. Paulo Freire suggests the “The ‘Banking’ Concept of Education”, in which the teacher “fills the account” of the student with information and knowledge they have (318). Freire also explains the concept of “problem posing” learning that contradicts the “banking” concept. This way helps the student become more involved with their education, and they are able to become a more well-rounded student. But Freire ignores to add any supporting detail to his points based on how a student feels about each method of education. Determining the best way of an education is all based on what type of learner the student is, and the type of environment is ideal for the student to learn in. There is not a lot of good that can come from a teacher just dumping all of their information and knowledge into the mind of a student. The students will have a less developed critical consciousness if they are just focused on storing the information that the teacher has to offer (319). Now, students will then start to accept things for what they are, instead of having an open mind and thinking for themselves. Freire states, “Education this becomes an act of depositing, in which the students are the depositors and the teacher is the depositor” (318). There is an absence of any relationship formed between the teacher and the students, because the teachers take full control, determine what the students will learn, “deposit” all of the information. According to Freire, “It follows the logically from the banking notion of consciousness that the educator’s role is to regulate the way the world ‘enters into’ the students” (321). This can dehumanize the student, and turn them into automatons, because they will lack the ability to think creatively. It seems as if this is the main technique that teachers will use with their
Cited: Freire, Paulo. “The ‘Banking’ Concept of Education.” Ways of Reading. 9th ed. Eds. David Bartholomae and Anthony Petrosky. Boston: Bedford, 2011. 318-329.