Rendon 1

Damian Alfredo Rendon

Mariam Sambe

Knowledge 345-101-MQ sect. 00006

September 13 2018

Reading Summary #1

In the second chapter of Pedagogy the Oppressed, Paulo Freire discusses the issues of

oppression in the concept of banking education and persuades the oppressed to adopt a problem-

posing education in their search for liberation. First, Freire starts by explaining the concept of

banking education. He describes it as a “narrative practice” wherein a teacher transfers

information to students for them to simply receive it, memorize it, and repeat it. For him,

banking education is oppressive because it attempts to control thought and action with the aim of

“indoctrinating [the students] to adapt to the world of oppression”. In fact, Freire argues that this

system is undesirable because, since students are simply reduced to passive, listening objects

who are disconnected from reality, they cannot exert critical consciousness and inquiry upon

their world to transform it; thus, they cannot fulfill their “ontological vocation to be more fully

human”. Then, Freire presents the idea of his own dynamic pedagogy, which he calls a problem-

posing education. In fact, this pedagogy implies that knowledge is created both by the teacher

and the students, who can both teach and learn simultaneously due to the presence of dialogue.

Problem-posing education promotes a discovery of the world and our reality beyond what is

superficial. On that premise, both students and teachers are finding problems perceived through

their “background awareness” of the world and are actively committed to solving them. On that

premise, both action AND reflection are as important to problem-posing education. Such a praxis

engenders a constant search for new challenges, which creates constant progress and
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transformation of our reality in which we directly decide which part we are going to take instead

of just accepting situations as products of fate. From Freire’s perspective, having such

consciousness of our relationship with the world and with others is crucial to become free and

consider ourselves as beings.

In my opinion, Freire discusses some very pertinent problems of our education system.

First of all, I think that the points he makes about banking education are very accurate and I think

that they are still common in our education system today. One of the biggest problems with

which I agree is the fact that this type of system does not focus about learning in solidarity, but

merely being an objective convenience for a minority of oppressors. I also think that this is

concerning because I have met very intelligent people who neither believe in themselves nor

have an active interest for what they do; I thus agree that banking education promotes a stagnant

reality since students never become conscious enough to usher progress. However, I believe that

Freire’s problem-posing education concept is inconclusive because, although he encourages

critical reflection and action, it only works on the condition that people approach problems

critically, which I think is impossible if people are simply left to themselves instead of being

properly taught to develop that skill.

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Works Cited

Freire, Paulo, Pedagogy of the Oppressed (50th anniversary edition), New York: Bloomsbury