The education one receives within the walls of a school is vital to the development of the mind. Ideally, the school setting is a nurturing environment that provides students with the necessary skills to prepare them for their transition into the adult world. But what is the proper way to educate a student? Philosophers have theorized and debated over this question since the time of Socrates, who the government executed for his highly controversial method of teaching. While there have been many theories that have shaped the study of education, Paulo Freire's "Pedagogy of the Oppressed" is arguably the most inspirational work in the field. In his book, the author proposes that the problem with education roots from the suppression of the students' thoughts and creativity. As will be shown here, Freire's ideas concerning the "banking" method, "problem-posing education", and the importance of dialogue deliver a new and effective approach to educating students.
Early in "Pedagogy of the Oppressed," Freire reveals that the problem with education lies in the teachers' usage of the "banking" method. In this method, students are discouraged from being creative, freethinking individuals. Instead, the teacher treats them as if they are receptacles that can simply be "filled" with information. This impedes the students' learning because they simply store the information rather than interpret it or act upon it. Freire claims that while the students collect and organize the material, they "?are filed away through the lack of creativity, transformation, and knowledge in this (at best) misguided system" (Freire, 72). This concept of teachers treating students as containers reveals Freire's firm grasp on the problem with education. When the teacher rem ...