Analyzing the Banking versus the Problem Posing Approaches in Education - Coursework Example

The Banking Concept of Education: Analyzing the Banking versus the Problem Posing Approaches in Education Introduction The banking and the problem posing methods of education are two divergent approaches applicable in learning institutions. This essay is in support of the problem posing method because of its interactive approach and involvement of the student in the learning process. The banking method is described by Paulo Freire as being oppressive through the perception of students as empty vessels into whom knowledge is deposited by teachers. The banking method of education is therefore ineffective in providing knowledge as compared to the problem posing method. Paulo Freire explains two contrasting methods of education which he calls the banking concept and problem posing methods of education. Freire demonstrates that the banking concept is considered by oppressors to be the most suitable method of imparting knowledge on learners. The banking concept is where knowledge is deposited the same as how money is deposited in a bank. Therefore the application of the banking system of education makes students to be treated as if they are empty vessels which need to be filled with knowledge (Paulo 319). The teacher is the subject in the banking method of education while the student is the subject. This shows a relationship between the teacher and the student where the teacher narrates knowledge with the student being expected to be the listening objects. Paul Freire is opposed to the banking education because it is makes education petrifying and lifeless due to the narration process through which students are expected to learn (Mejia 63). The narration which characterizes the banking education involves teachers filling information or content to students. In this method of education, students are disconnected and detached from reality because they may not find the narrated content to be significant. The students are thus made to memorize content without attaching any importance to it. On the other hand, the problem posing method of education involves both the teacher and the student in solving problems during learning. The teacher and the student therefore work together and hence both play equal roles in the process of knowledge acquisition without the student being the object into which information is filled. The student is enabled to engage in the learning process and thus making the problem posing method of education realistic because students are able to engage with the reality of the content being learned. Unlike the oppressive banking method of education, the problem posing approach enables learners to act as thinking beings who are able to generate their own ideas in providing solutions to various problems (Paulo 328). Both the student and the teacher get engaged in the discovery of truths in this method of approach as opposed to the banking method of education where the student is supposed to take whatever the teacher says. In the problem posing approach, both the teacher and the student act as subjects where none is superior to another in discovery of new knowledge. Unlike the banking method where students are passive participants in the learning process, the problem posing method enables both the teacher and the student actively contribute to the acquisition of knowledge (Paulo 321). Because both the teacher and the student approach a problem together in the problem posing method, this method is most suitable in promoting education. Therefore Paulo Freire was right when he was opposed to the banking approach in which the teacher narrates content to the students who are supposed to meekly take it. Learning should be based on reality as opposed to filling students with information which they may not find to be significant. As a result, the problem posing approach should be used by all institutions of learning to enable stimulation of the students’ creativity (Mejia 64). This is made possible through allowing students to have a true personal reflection on ideas and hence take actions which are based on the reality of their situation. As a result the problem posing method leads to retaining of the learned content. Moreover, memory is consolidated through engaging the student in the inquiry for information through posing questions on the matter hence leading to imaginative transformation of the student as new content is learned, retained and applied. On the other hand, the filling of information to the students in the banking method makes the students to take the information without consolidating it into long term memory. This is because lack of student engagement causes them to see no significant of what is taught because the information is forced on them. The problem posing method of education is based on dialogue where both the student and the teacher are engaged in interactive communication (Paulo 322). On the other hand the banking approach to education is a one way communication where the teacher acts as the absolute authority over the students who are subject to whatever information they are fed regardless of its perceived relevance or importance in the real world of the student. Therefore the problem posing education is more suitable because learners are given the chance of making valid contribution to the learning process. The assumption that learners know nothing which is characterizes the banking method of education is wrong because students usually have creative and genuine ideas which they should be allowed to contribute to the learning process. This leaves the problem posing approach as the best learning approach because it enables the students to be part of the training through active engagement and inquiry. The information which is deposited on the students in the banking method of learning may not necessarily be true knowledge. It is assumed that what the teacher says is correct. This method portrays students as ignorant beings who are subject to the information being transmitted by the teacher (Paulo 321). A teacher should not prepare lessons through claiming ownership of the subject of the education content. The problem posing approach is appropriate because it enables learners to active participants in learning. The relationship between the teacher and the student must be good if knowledge is to be effectively acquired, retained, and applied by the students. In banking education the teacher is considered as the holder of absolute knowledge. Therefore the teacher plays the role of deciding what is to be learned. As a result, the banking method of education makes the teacher to be viewed as the governing authority in the education process who gives social control to the students. This is an indication of poor relationship between the teacher and the student. The efficiency of learning is thus poor in the application of banking method in education as compared to the problem posing approach where more information is retained owing to the active involvement of learners in a lesson. The intellectual growth of students is hindered by the banking method of education because they are turned into collectors or receptors of information. Moreover, the information which is fed to the students is not regarded by the students as having a connection or being relevant to their lives hence they may act as comatose collectors of information. This is due to lack of engagement of the student leading to quicker loss of the learned content. The problem posing approach on the other hand enables the students to be alert in the classroom through their active participation in the learning process (Mejia 81). This is a clear demonstration of the effectiveness of the problem posing method as compared to the banking approach in education. The Teacher’s Comments The support for the argument of Paul Freire is evident in the student’s essay. This is due to the advantages of applying the problem posing method as compared to the banking approach in enhancing learning. The description of the differences between these two methods of education demonstrates that the student deeply understands their applicability and relevance in education. The motivation behind the student’s support for the problem posing method of education seems to stem from the fact that this approach of learning seems to be less boring. This is so because the problem posing method actively involves students in the learning process and thus enhancing the relationship between the teacher and the student (Mejia 80). Moreover the description of social control in banking approach by the student shows that the preference for the problem posing method is due to its provision for equal participation of both parties in learning. The student seems to like the idea of being given the chance of providing genuine contribution to learning. Additionally the student seems to like the provision of an opportunity of being able to inquire on information which is considered realistic to the real life experiences. The opposition of the student to the baking method is due to the poor retention of content which characterize this approach of education. The student is opposed to the banking approach because it considers learners to be ignorant and empty vessels, which need to be filled with information from the teacher to whom the student is subject. The point missed by the student is the lack of explanation of the two classroom modes that are possible in the application of the problem posing method. These are pseudo-dialectic and the genuine dialectic modes. The pseudo-dialectic mode of the problem posing method is the illusive mode where the teacher and the student are engaged in discovering knowledge based on the question presented by the teacher but the teacher already has a predetermined solution in the mind (Paulo 325). As a result the pseudo-dialectic mode makes the teacher to direct the student into a specific outcome. Therefore the student does not have an independent process of thought in the pseudo-dialectic mode. The genuine dialectic mode of the problem posing method of education is a dialogue on between the student and the teacher, which leads to a singe answer, which was not predetermined by the teacher. The problem presented by the teacher in the genuine dialectic mode is only aimed at steering the dialogue which usually leads to answers which even the teacher had no idea about. The genuine dialectic is the most appropriate mode of the problem posing approach to learning. Conclusion The essay supports the problem posing approach to education as opposed to the banking method, which according to Paulo Freire makes students as objects who are subject to absolute knowledge from the teacher who is considered the social authority in the learning process. Since students are not active participants in the banking method, the knowledge they are given is not realistic and thus it may not be retained in the long term memory. Works Cited Mejia, Andres. "The Problem of Knowledge Imposition: Paulo Freire and Critical Systems Thinking." Systems Research and Behavioral Science, 2004, 21(1) 63-82. Paulo Freire. The Banking Concept of Education: Pedagogy of the Oppressed. Penguin, 1996, Print. Read More