Paulo Freire
In his Pedagogy of the Oppressed, Freire describes the "narrative
character" of education. Teachers talk, students listen. The
metaphor for this method is "banking," in which the teacher makes "deposits"
into student receptacles. Freire states that this banking concept
of education mirrors oppressive structures of society. He insists
that teachers create learning partnerships with their students and blur
the distinctions between teacher and student. Currently, education
serves to "adapt" people to the world that the oppressors have created.
He says that true "liberation is a praxis: the action and reflection of
men upon their world in order to transform it." Education should
be a process of cognition and problem solving, rather than a passive memorization
of facts.
I really like Freire's idea of "problem-posing education." This
is related to recent constructivist learning theory. Students learn
best by making meaning and engaging in authentic learning experiences.
I find it interesting that Freire was not simply a theorist; he put his
theories and ideas into practice in helping people in his own country.
Letter's to Cristina further shows us Freire's personal connection
to helping the poor in his country.
Freire shows us that we need to be committed to improving our students'
situations by teaching them to view the world critically. This is
one of my most important goals as a teacher.
Paulo Freire Websites
Honoring Paulo Freire
http://hugse1.harvard.edu/~oie/freire.html
Paulo Freire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed
http://www.shu.ac.uk/schools/ed/under/friere.html
Thoughts by Paulo Freire
http://courses.ncsu.edu/classes/hi300001/freire.htm
People you should know: Freire
http://nlu.nl.edu/ace/Resources/Freire.html