Wrapping the Idea of "Understanding" Around Paulo Freire's "The Banking Concept of Education"

        In the “Banking” Concept of Education Freire discusses important elements in education and the relationship within teacher and student. He discusses several topics within the flaws and contributing factors among education. Some of the main ideas that seem to stand out to me is the teacher and student relationship in the classroom and how it affects the focus and retention of actual knowledge being administered. Another idea that Freire discusses is the connection between an individual and their consciousness to the world, and how that relates to the receptions of information deposited by the “narrators”.  

        As I was reading this passage I was able to resonate with a lot of the things that Freire discussed among the teacher and student communication that undergoes in a classroom. He begins by stating how the information is process through a narrators point of view as well as a subjects point of view. He acknowledges the differences within the way an instructor would analyze, interpret and then teach, as well as how a student would acknowledge the information record it as if “mechanically” but never truly perceive its underlining meaning. As Freire stated “ Instead of communicating, the teacher issues communiques and makes deposits which the students patiently receive, memorize, and repeat….the student does this without perceiving the actual information…”(Freire 318). This in return according to Freire causes a lack of individuality and actual knowledge. A student is in return receiving a short hand version of information whereas the instructor is enriching themselves with the information to be able to stimulate the practices stated by Freire such as: “b. the teacher knows everything and the student knows nothing” or “d. the teacher talks and the student listens –meekly” (Freire 319). In many ways I do agree with Freire’s claims because I have had my own experiences where I felt that my instructor did not reveal to me the full perception of the information presented to me causing me to acknowledge the information repeat it, and record it as told. I myself remember only being lectured information and was indeed trying to accumulate the data being administered for a later time.

        This process which Freire calls the banking concept seems is described as "the scope of action allowed to students extends only as far as receiving, filing, and storing the deposits the deposits. This idea that Freire is trying to reveal are the faults that this method of education can implement on students, where his solution to these faults lie within problem-posing education. Freire states, “The problem-posing method does not dichotomize the activity of the teacher-student: she is not “cognitive” at one point and “narrative” at another.  She is always “cognitive” whether preparing a project or engaging in dialogue with the students.”  A recurring factor that Freire continues to acknowledge is the teacher-student contradiction and how this process of one way depositing information without truly perceiving the information cannot be amended until both teacher and student learn from each other. In problem-posing education, people develop their own power to perceive critically.  They form their own opinions on the way they exist in the world and come to see the world not as a static reality, but as a reality in process, in transformation.  The main flaw in today’s education consists of the teacher being seen as dominant and the student inferior.  With problem-posing Freire is able to acknowledge this contradiction and is able to apply teaching in both directions.

        Freire acknowledges how the banking concept of education is enabling students to not implicate their creative power and difference into the world and are allowing the oppressors to inhabit their way of analyzing things and therefore obviate thinking. According to Freire, this approach to eliminate the ability to create change and an alternative insight onto the world through these students leads them through the misguided path of not being “fully human”. I believe this way of seeing the faults in the education process can shed a light on other factors that cause disruption in the retention process within other education processes. Freire reveals how the faults of this way of depositing influences students to approach an "automaton" reality, and therefore problem-posing education is the alternative.