Pedagogy of the Oppressed: Chapter 2

Paulo Freire’s “Pedagogy of the Oppressed: Chapter 2”

“McKINLEY AND BEN! THIS IS FOR YOU! It’s a Chaise lounge, we didn’t know if maybe you already had one, we have the receipt if you do.” – J.J. and Gary

            Freire makes several good points in the second chapter of Pedagogy of the Oppressed. The thing that stands out to me is his analysis of the education system, which he likens to banking. For a very long time, this method was the method used in education. Freire cries out against this strategy though, even going so far as to suggest that it makes the students slaves that are incapable of recognizing even their own contributions in the classroom. He then describes how he feels the oppressors use the banking concept to make their “truths” a reality for the slaves that they have intentionally kept ignorant. As teachers, one of the primary objectives is to combat ignorance in society, to help students learn. Freire is right in his assessment of the “banking” system of learning that the students will never have a full understanding of reality if they are only used as receptacles of teacher knowledge and expected to repeat that knowledge for a grade. In this system, learning becomes memorization and repetition of facts that may not have any practical application. One of the things that is taken for granted by many teachers is that factual knowledge doesn’t have immediate application in the real world, so teachers must try to make their learning relevant and applicable outside of the school walls.

            In short, I agree very much with Freire’s assessment and criticism of what he calls the “banking” system of education. I hope, that as a teacher, I can find a way to make learning relevant for students.