Chapter 5 - 8

08 Education

listen to a discussion in an education class. fill in the diagram with the information that you hear.

W: Where does the responsibility for the student’s learning fall − on the student teacher?

This question has been debated education, well, probably about as long as “education” has been around.

I remember sitting in a class one day wondering why I wasn’t learning anything.

Then I looked down at my notebook.

It was covered in doodles, you know, those little drawings that students make in their notebooks in their notebooks when they’re bored.

So why wasn’t I learning? Simple. I hadn’t been paying attention!

I closed my notebook and made sure I didn’t get distracted.

And I started actively listening to the teacher, and even questioning her.

By the end of class, I had learned quite a bit. I will never ever forget that day, because it finally hit me that I had a part to play in my education.

With that said, let’s get into it… now, one of education’s longstanding ideas is the “banking” concept.

Basically, this reinforces the idea that children need to be taught lots of facts in order to “deposit” knowledge into them.

The teacher, of course, is responsible for this.

M: But if I don’t pay attention, like you were saying earlier, then it’s not the teacher’s fault I’m not learning, it’s mine.

It doesn’t make sense for the teacher to be held completely accountable for the education of the students.

I mean, it would kind of bother me to not have a part to play in my own education…

W: I know what you mean, and that’s exactly why this idea− this “banking” concept − is not accepted by everyone.

So that was the old theory. Now for the new, and this is, actually this is my main point today.

I will start with a man named Paulo Freire.

Paulo Freire was a Brazilian teacher who made a, um, a name for himself by examining and contesting this concept.

He published a book called pedagogy of the Oppressed.

pedagogy means teaching methods, by the way.

In his book, he tried to combat the idea that students are just inactive subjects for the teachers to shape however they wished.

Instead, he wanted teachers to relinquish this idea in favor of another: that students should learn interactively.

He also wanted to emphasize that the teacher should facilitate learning but not completely take it over.

M: I thought I had heard of someone else − other than this Freire guy, I mean − talking about students participating in their education… I can’t remember his name.

W: You’re right there are others.

But Freire is the man who really put all of this, the uh, that notion of active participation on the part of students in their own learning, he put all this into a comprehensive volume dedicated to the subject.

He also… he made it apply to modern education, instead of past methods of education.

And he added another aspect to the idea, too.

He felt that the typical teacher-student relationship hampered learning.

I’m talking about the whole authority thing, you know, “I’m the teacher. I’m in charge.

Obey me! “He wasn’t into that. Nope, he wanted the authority structure abolished and replaced by a different one where the teacher is also a student, and the student is also a teacher.

M: I don’t think that would work very well. I mean, how could the class even progress?

W: Well, he thought that if both the teacher and the student had dual roles, the educational experience would be more enriching for both parties.

Uh… really, he wanted the whole relationship to be about learning from each other.

I have to tell you; I actually learned a lot from you guys.

I don’t use the method completely compatible with Freire’s ideas, but I do use parts of them.

For example, I let you guys present your semester projects to each other, and discuss them and ask questions.

Why do you think I do this?

M: Um, to see if we know what we’re talking about.

W: Well, partially, I admit, but mostly because a lot of times, you guys are your own best teachers.

I mean, you learn well from each other, and you also learn the most when you’re preparing to teach her peers.

I learned things from you guys when I listen to your projects that I never would have known if I had done all the research, because you think differently than I do.

So it is beneficial for all of us. Remember that when you present those project next week.

1) How does the professor introduce the idea that students are partially responsible for their own educations? 2) How does the professor organize the information in her lecture?

3) Why does the professor mention the presentation of semester projects?