Banking Concept" Vs. "problem Posing

Education is defined as, "The act or process of educating or being educated, the knowledge or skill obtained or developed by a learning process, a program of instruction of a specified kind or level, the field of study that is concerned with the pedagogy of teaching and learning, as well as an instructive or enlightening experience" (No author). People begin their education from day one till the day they die. Every day we learn new things in different ways. Whether someone is just telling us some random fact or you are sitting in a classroom being lectured by a professor. The main focus of this classical argument involves the learning that is done in the classroom or lecture hall in the schools of America today. The question arose as to which style of teaching is most effective in sparking the minds of the receivers to make them become transformers of their education? Would the "banking concept" of teaching be more effective, where "the scope of the action allowed to the students extends only as far as receiving, filing, and storing the deposits" (pg. 260). Or would the "problem posing" style of teaching be the most effective, where by "responding to the essence of consciousnessÐ'--intentionallyÐ'--rejects communiquÐ"©s and embodies communications. It epitomizes the special characteristic of consciousness" (pg. 265). In this essay I intend persuade you the audience to take in my experiences and the experience of two other authors, whom I will be showing you later, and take a look from my point of view.

Through this essay I am going to try and show the advantages of "problem posing" style to education. In my opinion this style of education is very effective in expanding the minds of the receiver by making them more interactive in their learning rather than the typical lecture and take notes. In this style of education people teach each other and the teacher is not the only one enlightening the class with their knowledge. I cannot only speak this opinion from my own experiences, but also others who share in the same view sculpted by their experiences. The two authors whom I used for a base of my point of view are Paulo Freire and Richard Rodriguez. Freire wrote the essay called "The Banking Concept of Education," in which Freire shows how "problem posing" education is the most effective way to teach and be taught at the same time. Rodriguez wrote the essay called, "The Achievement of Desire," where we get a glimpse of a kid growing up in a Spanish middle class family in America. He shows us how his appreciation for learning took him places in life most people never achieve. My personal input into this argument in my experiences in both "banking concept" style classroom and a "problem posing" style classroom. I find that most people, including myself, benefit from communication rather than a one-way receiver.

Seeing as how the essay, "The Banking Concept of Education," written by Paulo Freire sparked this argumentative essay I felt it appropriate to show his side of this argument first. Freire points out "Knowledge emerges only through invention and re-invention, through restless, impatient, continuing, hopeful inquiry human beings pursue in the world, with the world, and with each other" (pg. 260). This quote shows that Freire feels that learning can only be achieved by communication with others and such type of learning cannot be achieved through the banking concept. In the banking concept people cannot invent or form any type of knowledge because they are simply being told the facts with often little proof to back these facts. The problem posing style of education allows the students to be the teachers and communicate their knowledge with others. "Yet only through communication can human life hold meaning" (pg. 263).

Freire also said that:

Through dialogue, the teacher-of-the-students and the students-of-the-teacher cease to exist and a new term emerges: teacher-student with student-teachers. The teacher is no longer merely the-one-who-teaches, but one who is himself taught in dialogue with the students, who in turn while being taught also teach (pg. 265).

For someone to be enlightened by a fact they need to be involved somehow and have their creativity take hold. If someone were to just sit in class, take notes, and listen to the teach for one hour, that student will come out knowing what they just heard, but after they are done with that information they lose it and the knowledge is useless. On the other hand picture a classroom, with student in a circle where you are required to participate and involve yourself in the conversation. Now everyone is hearing all different points of view and they are taking in so much more. When they leave the classroom and move past that information it will still encapsulated in their mind.

Freire also brought forth another idea, which sparked me to look at things from a different point of view, "People teach each other, mediated by the world, by the cognizable objects