Paulo Freire's Vision of Transformative Education.
Paulo Freire ( 1921 - 1997) was a profound and passionate educator and philosopher( of Brazilian origin), who believed that in order for people to be fully human, they need to have greater autonomy i.e control over their own, thoughts, feelings, creativity etc. He was particularly dismayed by the widespread sense of alienation and apathy created by the ruthless, rampant forces of modern day capitalism.
His critical pedagogy ( teaching method/ practice) opens up a much needed space where learners can perhaps be encouraged to come to terms with their own power as critically engaged, potential or actual citizens. It provides a fruitful learning environment where the unconditional freedom to question and assert is central to the purpose of school/ college/ university life. Indeed, Freire regards it as integral to effective participatory democratic practice itself. Although he worked mainly in adult education, I feel that his ground breaking work is of great benefit and value for educators involved with teaching a wide range of age groups and abilities.
The type of transformative education he has in mind rejects those modes of pedagogy that support economic models and modes of ' agency' where freedom is conflated with consumerism; where profitability is the main purpose of life.
There are two different Latin roots of the English word, ' education'. They are: ' educare' meaning to mould/ shape and ' educere' meaning to draw out/ lead out. The latter is a more enabling/ progressive term. It's essentially what Freire's writings are concerned with.
Consequently, there is an etymological foundation for many of the vociferous debates with regard to education today. The opposing sides often use the word ' education' to denote very different meanings. One side which is inherently conservative, uses the term to mean the preservation and passing down of knowledge and the shaping/ moulding of children/ youths in the image of their parents.On the other hand, the more radical/ progressive position views education as preparing a new generation for the societal changes that are yet to come. Essentially, it is concerned with preparing them to create solutions to problems yet unknown. The conservative approach calls for rote memorization and becoming ' good' members of society i.e efficient cogs in the machine. The other calls for questioning, contemplating and creating. My own personal conviction is that that, although ostensibly, learning institutions are expected to fulfil both functions, invariably those activities promoting 'educare' ( moulding/ shaping) are predominantly utilized.
In my view, Paulo Freire's approach is a breath of fresh air in the increasingly stagnant atmosphere of current educational theory and practice. For Freire, the teaching of literacy is not merely a means to prepare individual pupils/ students for the world of subordinated labour or ' careers', but a preparation for a self managed life. Furthermore, according to him,self management can only occur when individuals have fulfilled what he believes is the essential goal of education i.e self reflection ( that is, realizing the famous philosophical phrase ' know thyself ' ) which is an acute understanding of the world in which learners live; in its economic, political and equally important - its psychological dimensions. Specifically, critical pedagogy enables learners to become aware of the forces that have hitherto ruled their lives and especially shaped their consciousness.
What Freire makes clear in his Pedagogy Of The Oppressed ( 1970), arguably his most influential work, is that pedagogy at its best is very free form. It is problem posing rather than concerned with mere rote learning. Moreover, it must be stressed that it is certainly not about training, teaching methods or indoctrination.For Freire, pedagogy is not a method or a priori technique to be imposed on all pupils/ students, but an experiential, creative and deeply moral practice that not only provides knowledge and skills but which improves social relations considerably. It enables learners to expand the possibilities of what it means to be critically engaged citizens, while simultaneously expanding and deepening their participation in a substantive democracy.
Critical pedagogy, unlike dominant, repressive educational models, insists that one of the fundamental tasks of educators is to ensure that the future points the way to a more compassionate, more socially just world: a world in which the values of reason, freedom tolerance and equality function effectively to alter, as part of a broader democratic project, the grounds on which life is lived on.
Freire fervently rejects those regimes of educational 'indoctrination' organised around the demands of the market, instrumental knowledge and the priority of selective training. In stark contrast, he promotes the myriad pursuits of the imagination, critical thinking and the teaching of freedom and social responsibility. For him, literacy is a weapon to be utilized, figuratively speaking of course, for social change. Under his prophetic vision, guidance and understanding, education can once again become the means by which people can perceive, interpret, criticize and finally transform the world around them. In short progressive education can liberate individuals from oppression in all of its forms; in all of its subtle disguises. In order to achieve this, there must be a critical and permanent dialogue with pupils/ students. Liberation implies being able to create and construct, to wonder and venture forth. With that in mind, progressive, far sighted educational practice is in conflict with the time honoured process of simply depositing information - with pupils/ students being the depositories.Indeed, invariably in many cases, there is no real sense of communication between the teacher and the taught:
Education thus becomes an act of depositing, in which the students are depositories and the teacher is the depositor. Instead of communicating, the teacher issues orders and makes deposits which the students patiently receive, memorize and repeat. This is the ' banking' model of education, in which the scope of action allowed to the student extends only as far as receiving, filing and storing the deposit ( Freire, 1970, p. 53.)
As the market forces of avaricious neo liberalism continue to devalue and deplete many aspects of the public good there are inevitably many casualties - from the dismantling of the welfare state to the deterioration of health and educational services. With regard to the latter, education in the early 21st century , seems to be increasingly perceived and generally defined via the corporate demand that it provides the skills, knowledge and credentials for the workforce necessary for certain Western nations to compete in the market place and maintain their roles as major, global economic powers. While some critics are not necessarily opposed to the efficiency/ utilitarianism of such an enterprise, it does appear to be an incredibly narrow definition of what education is and what it could be.
Since I work exclusively for myself, I'm in the very fortunate position of being able to offer one to one tuition to pupils/ students away from the inevitable distractions of the over crowded classroom. I'm able to focus on discussion/ dialogue with individual learners in a stimulating, informal environment. Although I still have to address and follow 'narrow' national curriculum guidelines I have the freedom to develop my own teaching style and methods.I feel that Freire's comprehensive work is invaluable to me in developing my approach to tutoring.
As human beings are, generally speaking, concerned with searching for wholeness/ completion through communion with others, educational practice should perhaps address this fundamental need.To facilitate this, one needs to be aware that genuine knowledge demands invention and re invention via restless, continuing and hopeful inquiry which people pursue in the context of the world and with each other.
Manipulation, which is diametrically opposed to enabling, creative endeavour, ( whether conscious or unconscious - the effect of internalized norms) is achieved, in many cases, by means of convenient myths propagated by ruling elites. In terms of ' normalized' thinking, with regard to long standing societal issues, this could include:'..the myth of the industriousness of the oppressors and the laziness and dishonesty of the oppressed, as well as the natural inferiority of the latter and the superiority of the former.' ( Freire, 1970, p. 121.).
Such manipulation, (via the political elite , mainstream media and educational systems that seems primarily concerned with separating the wheat from the chaff so to speak) in many ways prevents individuals from working collaboratively and ultimately thinking critically. It can lead them to passively accept debilitating situations and dissuade them from seeking personal & perhaps collective liberation.
It can be argued, that the current educational system, here in England, would fit Freire's pertinent description of a banking system.The banking system suggests that the teacher is the subject and the pupil/ student the object of the educational process.Currently, a narrative style is very much in vogue especially if one considers the approach for the teaching of S.A.Ts ( Standard Attainment Tests) in Primary schools across the country.Teachers,strongly prompted by the government, are expected to impart information to pupils, who in turn are expected to record, memorize and repeat it.
According to Freire, ' The outstanding characteristic of this narrative education, is the sonority of words, not their transforming power.' ( Freire, 1970, p.52.) For example, the following are undeniably important facts to know: i.e 6 x 6= 36; the capital of France is Paris; the Prime Minister of England is Theresa May etc. However, if these facts are taught without recourse to their true significance in the context of societal relations they merely end up serving the myopic interests of the status quo.
For Freire, robust knowledge and understanding can only be achieved through constant inquiry.Consequently, he proposes a problem posing educational model to raise/ expand consciousness. It can be argued that his ideas are very relevant today as it seems that current debates around education, here in the U.K, involve those who want to raise consciousness and those, for a whole variety of reasons, who want to reduce/ limit it.
In order to resolve this seemingly perennial conflict, Freire suggests that both educator and educated teach and learn from each other as partners; as co producers of knowledge.His revolutionary pedagogy assumes that the world and everyone/ everything in it is interrelated.It's not merely about transferring knowledge to uninformed, ' ignorant' others( akin to pouring water into empty vessels) but much more about challenging them, and enabling them to realize, via problem posing strategies, that words are not fixed to narrowly defined terms but are powerful and resonate with multiple layers of meaning. For Freire, the teaching of literacy is not merely axiomatic, it also involves encouraging individuals to think critically for themselves; to learn who they are, where they position themselves in society, what their role within it could be and what their rights are etc.
' In problem posing education, people develop their power to perceive critically the way they exist in the world with which and in which they find themselves; they come to see the world not as a static reality, but as a reality in process, in transformation.' ( Freire, 1970, p. 64).
Hence, Freire advocates the need for a powerful, politically orientated, socially aware consciousness. He refuses to acknowledge that individuals should passively accept the world as it is. Therefore, he proposes thinking outside of the 'conventional' box;then identifying the box - what it is; what function it performs; what purpose it serves. Ultimately, according to Freire, the conscientious teacher/learner will inevitably rebel against it and develop new solutions.
Indeed, Freire chastises the proverbial Pontius Pilates within the modern education system, He suggests that they are part of the problem not the solution; because many of them wash their hands, ' of the conflict between the powerful and the powerless,' and this invariably means 'to side with the powerful not to be neutral.' ( Freire, 1985, p. 122.)
It seems to me that Freire's insights are highly relevant to the practice of teachers today. Not only do they force us to question our assumptions, motivations and actions, but they point us in the direction of the transformative possibilities of a progressive concept of education. From my perspective, we as educators need to heed Freire's advice and fuse dialogue, respect; genuine love for humanity with praxis or action.
To conclude, in my opinion, a progressive/ transformative educational policy involves constant challenging and inquiry as well as productive/ effective teacher/ peer interaction. Furthermore, the liberating notion, that the important thing is not what learners cover but what they discover, should perhaps be encouraged by those currently working (in many different capacities), within various types of learning institutions.
Bibliography:
Freire, P ( 1970) The Pedagogy Of The Oppressed, Penguin Books, London.
Freire. P (1985) The Politics Of Education: Culture, Power and Liberation, Greenwood Publishing, Westport - Conneticut.
SHE THE MAGAZINE
6yThis article is very well thought out and articulated. I agree with the supposition that there are two forms of education, one in which the student is the bank being deposited in while the teacher is the one doing the depositing. The other, seeks to invoke in its students a curiosity which will enable them to not only benefit themselves, but others as well. As someone who works within the education system I can attest that most of what I see is the banking principle. Indeed, there are very few instructors that ask more of their students than to simply regurgitate what they have been told. With the advent of technology this kind type of system only perpetuates this paradigm. Students often cut and paste information from websites such as Wikipedia and then place them in the body of their assignments as if they were their own. While there are websites which help instructors look for such obvious plagiarism, given the fact that so many teachers have on average 30 to 40 students per class, the task of hunting down this kind of chicanery often goes undone. To wit, students become not only drones but lackadaisical in their approach to learning and thus, take an apathetic viewpoint that learning itself does not matter. This is where the notion of magical thinking becomes salient. Many students are under the false impression that in the end everything will somehow work out. They do not need to do the work required, because miraculously they will earn in A without ever having to do anything. This kind of thinking is never more prevalent then when we reach the end of the grading period, and students come up to their teachers, knowing they are failing, and expect that one way or another their failing grade will transform into a passing one. yet, they fail to understand the reasons behind education. They seem to think that it is a lark and worse, a waste of their precious time. With the advent of tablets being in the classrooms this attitude has become even more prevalent. Students sit within their classes playing games with each other across the classroom while the teachers struggle for any semblance of decorum. So, the question becomes not how do we transform the system from one in which children are deposited into as a checking account, but more importantly, how we recover and transform a broken system? What makes this more insidious is that administrators at the schools in my area protested the use of tablets because they could see the consequences. Yet, profit was more important than the education of our children and so the warnings of these administrators were ignored. You will note, CEO's such as Bill Gates and the late Steve Jobs, refused to have their children use or even have access to these technologies. This is because they saw the addictive nature of them and did not want their children to fall prey to it. I would argue, that the answer lies in reforming our education system. How do we do that? We could either fix the tablets so that students are unable to access the Internet while in school and by this, I mean not even with a VPN and therefore, have all the books which are on the tablets either on PDF or Word. Another choice is to simply remove them entirely from the education system. While this may sound draconian, it may be the only viable solution. Either way, the arrangement must be something which seeks to encourage students to learn rather than making their erudition system a passive one in which they merely spout off information they have been told or copy and paste it into a document. The situation is so grave that all the previous arguments which have been outlined in this article must be put aside until it is resolved. How can we expect students to have any reverence for learning if they are more enamored with playing Mine Craft or GTA? A good analogy would be this is like having every single day be Halloween and therefore, all the candy is always available. With this in mind, we need to take a firm view and be assertive when it comes to the education of not only children, but adults as well. I add in adults here because recently I submitted a book of mine for review to a literature professor who works at a very acclaimed University. This was a professor whose major was in the area of romantic poetry, of which I am also an avid reader and writer. He said to me upon reading my work, that he found the vocabulary too difficult for him and that even with his own students he had to basically use Cliff notes to teach them anything due to their lack of knowledge anemic vocabulary skills. I was completely flabbergasted by this. I would not have thought that a professor of literature, whose area of interest was in the romantic poetry of the 18th century, would ever admit that my vocabulary had surpassed his. However, this one example and the fact that he had to admit he had to use simple language for his students due to a lack of knowledge by them, is deeply troubling. Therefore, I think in order to bring back any semblance of tutelage which benefits all we must address this as the poison it is within the system of education. It is nefarious and it is insidious. I believe very strongly that the use of tablets in classrooms has been perpetuated by those who want to keep the masses under educated and as such in their control. Another example of this is in the English classroom I am in every day. Our teacher has a goal that every student will read at least one book a month and therefore surpass their current reading level by two grades. However, this one goal, which seems quite simple has been extremely difficult for the students in that class. Even with the reward of taking a trip to the beach at the end of the year if the class attains that objective, the teacher is daily having to admonish them and worse beg them to read at all. The amount of apathy within the classroom is palpable. They again seem to fall into the trap of magical thinking in which no matter what happens and regardless of the lack of effort on their part, they will somehow attain a good grade and earn the reward that has been promised them. Yet, it is deeply disturbing that in a class of 13-year-old's a teacher has to use a reward system to entice his students into doing what is expected of them. So again, I submit that before we can expect students to make any real gains in their learning we must transform the system itself. It should also be remembered that the powers that be, that is the corporations and the government, do not wish this to happen as for them their objective is always to keep the masses under control. The only way to free the populace of these chains is to rid them of the ties that bind them: tablets and devices which enable students to become passive learners rather than active participants in their own education.