Paulo Freire's Model of Education

898 Words2 Pages

Paulo Freire's Model of Education

Paulo Freire, and educator from Brazil, preached a style of learning that raised many questions and confrontations. He spoke of rising to the needs of the oppressed and our duty to give them the education they need to succeed. He believed in having the poor rise together and make themselves known. He saw it as the job of those who are educated to take to the impoverished and enlighten them by means of an equal, one on one relationship, where dialogue is stressed. He also saw the importance of venturing into the world and gaining life experience. All of these components represent the Freireian model of education, a style being noted by many top educators.

Freire's model of education includes a structure involving stress being placed on the importance of dialogue. Freire believes that in the relationship between teacher and student, there needs to be an emphasis on a shared learning process instead of the typical lecture style many teachers use. Drawing from my own experience, I agree with Freire. Lessons in which there is some feedback wanted from the teacher by the students always give me a better understanding of the lecture at hand. If I were to sit in a classroom and be talked at, not only would I be annoyed, I would also gain less from the style of instruction. In the purely lecture style, the teacher is unable to correctly ascertain whether or not the students really understand the material since she/he is looking for no feedback from them. This style of teaching also prevents any sort of self-confidence to be learned from the lesson since students aren't able to put forth their own thoughts and opinions on the subject matter.

I have had many teachers who desire their s...

... middle of paper ...

...ld and experienced life, one would still be seen as unsuccessful in Freire's eyes, since only with a well balanced education along with life experience can one achieve success.

Although Paolo Freire worked mostly with the impoverished of Brazil, there is no question in my mind that his ideas are valid and could shed some hope in our own society. It is time we realize that education is the prime motivator for living a healthy, more meaningful life. If those of us who have the ability could take the time to help teach those in need, using a style like Freire's that they would benefit from, there is surely going to be some positive changes in our society. Freire is seen as one of the greatest educators, and it is clear why. His ability to step away from the situation and look towards the ignored shed light on a subject that was in desperate need of attention.

Open Document