Paulo Freire and Education

Education majors often study Paulo Freire and his criticism of the banking model of education. Paper Masters will custom write you a research paper on any aspect of Freire - Paulo Freire's theory on the banking model of education, Freire's life, Freire's own ideas on educational theory or any aspect of Paulo Freire you need explained through research.

Paulo Freire was a Brazilian scholar and educator whose work during the twentieth century significantly influenced the development of pedagogical theory. Freire is best remembered for his banking model of education. Freire contended that teachers make deposits of information into the minds of students in a manner similar to an individual making a deposit at a bank. Prior to the deposit, the student is functionally an empty bank account that is dependent upon the instructor's deposit to increase its worth.

This banking model formed the basis for Freire's critique of education. The banking model can be explained by the following elements that Freire maintained:

• Freire maintained that this basic model of education dehumanized students.
• The banking model failed to recognize the fact that many students enter the classroom already possessing some degree of knowledge.
• Students possessing knowledge are discouraged from sharing their information because doing so may be interpreted as challenging the authority of the instructor.
• Freire believed that instructors were granted too much power within the banking model and that they should not silence or suppress the existing knowledge of their students.

As an alternative, Freire suggested that teachers and students form a cooperative learning partnership. This new model would enable the two groups to work toward the common goals of shared knowledge and personal enrichment. He believed that students, in particular, should develop their own critical perspective to challenge the dominant banking model.