Phillip Hale

Professor Wyman
Eng. 111
9/29/15
The Education World in engaging with others.
The students lives in the education universe are encouraged by the world. With most
careers requiring a degree, students and teachers are expected to push beyond their limits to get
the best learning experience they can capture, allowing them to use their experiences to teach
others in a very meaningful way. Have you ever pondered on the thought on how are you going
to learn in college and use what you learned in the future? According to two articles Engaged
Pedagogy by Bell Hooks and Freirean Voices, Student Choices, by Barry Alford both claims
that the way the teachers teach can stretch to the max to allow the students to gulf down the
information into their minds. The two voices that reaches out in these two articles state different
ways to reach out to the students, which are at completely different ends. The way a teacher
teaches the students is what impacts the students, but has distinct ways the student can capture
information whether through attitude or knowledge.
The authors of the two articles have similarities in how the student can strive through
success with the help of the teachers encouraging them to learn in a worthwhile way. Bell Hook
of Engaged Pedagogy states, To educate as the practice of freedom is a way of teaching that
anyone can learn (Hook, 253). Barry Alford would agree to this as he points out that the most
concrete way I know of making this move is to engage my students (Alford, 280). The two
authors, like everyone else, can agree that the way you teach should get the student engaged into

learning. Also the two authors can exclusively agree that they need to have active participants
to learn. But a couple differences separate the two articles that they may not agree on.
In Engaged Pedagogy, Bell Hooks was all about what teachers inspired him and what
he feels is needed for the other teachers that they need to have to teach the students. Bell Hooks
proposed that teachers should teach; they need to teach this way instead of this way. He
proclaimed that he has witnessed a grave sense of disease among professors (254) He later on
proceeded to say professors want us to look at them as experienced making the students to
think they are right at everything they say. Bell Hooks is trying to encourage teachers to act like
they are still seeking knowledge to this day. The author feels that todays teachers need to be
more understanding but they need to understand themselves before understanding others. This
can help the students to be more active in class by listening and engaging. Bell Hooks states
that if the helper is unhappy, he or she may struggle with helping others (255). He wants
todays teachers to be their guide to the future, to help them strive to learn more and be
successful. The author briefly discussed that the universities only want smart people but not
people who are smart in books and smart in social interaction which can help benefit the students
to learn more than ever. Teachers and college professors dont realize that the way they teach
can either enhance the knowledge of the student or not improve the students knowledge
whatsoever. This can affect future generations if the teachers were to not realize their teachings is
the most important factor in the education world.
The teachers way of engaging their attitudes towards their teachings is one way for the
students to learn, but Barry Alford author of Freirean Voices, Student Choices will disagree with
that. The title says Student Choices, the article is explaining how the students should be getting
into an active discussion with other students and the instructor instead of the instructor engaging

his or hers attitude into their teachings.With this aspect being put into the education world, the
students and the teachers will both acquire more knowledge than ever before. The voices
between the interactions of the students are to be heard through the teacher and even through the
public. Barry is reaching out to the public wanting the students to emphasize how they feel about
a subject and state the facts they have gained through that issue.
Barry Alford brought up the statement students, particularly students inexperienced in
negotiating these problems, need to hear themselves and their fellow students think out loud
before they write (Alford, 280). Students are the future voices, but if they are not able to speak
to others about an issue that everyone can learn from, then issues of the future may or may not be
resolved. Shors argument in Empowering Education, says that there are three different types of
topics to discuss about, generative, topical, and academic (280). With these three, the students
can talk about things in more of a personal experience discussion, in a public voice, and
academically.
If the students engage in conversations, they can learn about others and themselves.
Teachers often do not like the students to talk in class, they find it disrespectful, but Alford
declares that his students are to feel ownership before they can actively write in a good writing
language. Also, if the class is to read articles, the best way to learn more is to discuss with the
class and let the students do the talking. The instructors jobs are acknowledging them with your
thoughts on the article and join their conversation. As specified by Barry, the article later said
that first-year composition is the first opportunity they have ever had to hear their voice as part
of a community of voices and is the first time it has mattered that they know the rules of a
discourse community (281). Barry argues that student choices is what matters to the education

world, this can enhance their knowledge and join into the world of engaging in conversations,
generative, topical, or academically.
Education requires a voice, whether it is the teacher or it is the students. Alford and
Hooks brought up important information they feel is rightful to the education world. Today,
students are losing their voice, but no one realizes it, teachers are acting if all their information is
correct meanwhile everyone else below them is wrong. The instructors are to express themselves
in a good relevant way where the students are actively participating in class, but also the students
are to express themselves in conversations with other students as well as the teacher. This can
help create less intensity in class as the teacher is guiding the students to the world of knowledge
and curiosity and the students are using their voice to engage with others. The two authors can
agree to the statement that the way the teacher teaches the students, is what impacts the students
but has distinct ways the student can capture information whether through attitude or knowledge

Work Cited
Alford, Barry. "Readings about Uses of Learning." Freirean Voices, Student Choices. 279-281.
Hooks, Bell. "Reading About Uses of Learning." Engaged Pedagogy. 253-258.