Education: Banking or Problem Posing?
Richard Rodriguez and Paolo Freire write of education as the core factor in one’s life. They feel that education itself lends people to either “achieve” greatness or fall into the majority of “bankers.” “The Achievement of Desire” by Rodriguez and “The Banking Concept of Education” by Freire greatly resemble each other; however, they also differ on some points. Despite their differences, both texts come to the same conclusion – education makes a person who he/she can become.
Rodriguez and Freire both state that education is vital for success. Rodriguez writes that he is the way he is because of his education. Rodriguez came from a working class Mexican family. When he was introduced to education, he became ashamed of this and chose to change his path from falling into the same social status. Rodriguez is known as he is today because of his ability to step back; out of the present situation or environment and reflect on it almost immediately. Rodriguez agrees that banking does nothing to better education or society itself. If no new ideas are ever surfaced, then progress will never occur. He was the same as everyone else until he started to analyze texts and paraphrase more than just summarize. This made him the “scholarship boy” that he was. By learning to use his education wisely and make connections between different texts, he heightened his intelligence.
A key element that Rodriguez and Freire both speak of is banking education. Fre...
I find the differences between Anzaldua and Rodriguez to be interesting. Though they came from similar backgrounds, and went in similar directions they are exceedingly different. They both go into how and why they choose the path they did in their essays, and I believe that both of their ideas have merit. While Anzaldua is correct that in her writing she should be permitted to write as she wants, it is harder to get ones point across if they readers do not speak the language and have to translate every few sentences. And while Rodriguez is right and education changes us I don’t think that forcing everyone to go about their education the same way he did is the best, while it may have worked for him it will not necessarily work for others in his situation.
I chose to compare the essays of Paulo Freire and Richard Rodriguez. Paulo Freire’s essay “The Banking concept of Education” talks of how education is mostly one sided and oppressive. He sees this as something that is detrimental to society’s future as a whole, and in his essay describes in detail how the “banking” concept is faltered. However, in Rodriguez’s essay “The Achievement of Desire” he is the model student that thrives in the kind of system that Freire was describing in “The Banking concept of Education”. Richard Rodriguez describes in “The Achievement of Desire” how his educational experience is a point of separation from the rest of the people and relationships around him. Though, this makes Rodriguez more connected and dependent upon his teachers for support and approval than his parents or peers. Both men write essays on their views on the benefits of education, and on the disadvantages of the current educational systems. I will be discussing the different points that both authors address by comparing one essay at a time. I will also be using outside sources to further examine what both authors were saying in each of their essays.
Richard Rodriguez lived a life that went against the norms of society. He rejected the same policies and practices that opened many doors and helped him to become a very well know writer. Richard Rodriguez was born in San Francisco on July 31, 1944 to Mexican immigrant parents. From a very young age Richard realized that in order to make it in America he had to conform to American society. He would continue on this path of conformity until he reached the breaking point in his life. Richard Rodriguez typifies nonconformity through his educational choices and his literature. His views on society would have a lasting impact on the social structure of America.
Even from an early age, Rodriguez is a successful student. Everyone is extremely proud of Rodriguez for earning awards and graduating to each subsequent level of his education. But all his success was not necessarily positive. In fact, we see that his education experience is a fairly negative one. One negative that Rodriguez endures is his solitude. Education compels him to distance himself from his family and heritage. According to Richard Hoggart, a British education theorist, this is a very natural process for a scholarship boy. Hoggart explains that the ?home and classroom are at cultural extremes,? (46). There is especially an opposition in Rodriguez?s home because his parents are poorly educated Mexicans. His home is filled with Spanish vernacular and English filled with many grammatical errors. Also, the home is filled with emotions and impetuosity, whereas the classroom lacks emotion and the teachers accentuate rational thinking and reflectiveness.
Richard Rodriguez states himself he was an “imitative and unoriginal pupil” (Rodriguez 516). He takes what he reads and goes along with it; there is no analysis or individual thought. Unlike his brother or his sister, he feels the need to prove himself. Richard Rodriguez displays a strong yearning to be different. To be special and have esteem like the teachers and professors he venerates.
Education is the foundation of our world, as it builds the careers that run our daily lives, and helps students learn skills to be successful. Baldisare Castiglione’s Book of the Courtier, Jeffrey Selingo’s Book College (Un)bound, and Southern Virginia University offer three different approaches to education. Of the three approaches, the best approach would be Jeffrey Selingo’s. This approach focuses on helping students find a way to be successful in the workforce, balance their passion and basic skills, and addresses errors education may be unaware of.
Education is a topic that can be explored in many ways. Education is looked at in depth by both Richard Rodriguez in his essay, “The Achievement of Desire”, and by Paulo Freire in his essay, “The ‘Banking’ Concept of Education.” After reading both essays, one can make some assumptions about different methods of education and exactly by which method Rodriguez was taught. The types of relationships Rodriguez had with his teachers, family and in life were affected by specific styles of education.
Through Freire’s “ The Banking Concept of Education,'; we see the effects this concept has on it’s students and also we see the effects that the alternate concept, problem-posing has. The ‘banking’ concept allows the students to become vessels of knowledge, not being able to learn at a creative pace. By using communism, seeing through how education is taught in the classroom, it is parallel to Freire’s ‘banking’ concept. We can see that both ideas are similar and both were harmful to the human mind. While ‘banking’ poses the threat of creative growth and power, Marxism, which applies Marx’s ideas to learning in a communistic way, it creates the threat of never being able to learn.
Meanwhile, Rodriguez states that the book which his teacher told him to read, he always read and waited for the teacher to tell him which books he should enjoy. I stayed after school "to help" -to get my teacher 's undivided attention (Rodriguez, Pg.342). Memory gently caressed each word of praise be-stowed in the classroom so that compliments teachers paid me years ago come quickly to mind even today (Rodriguez, Pg.342). This kind of action shows the Rodriguez complies the teacher’s choice, without personal idea. Hence, this is the approach and method of “banking” education in which students are educated in class. “Narrative in banking education will lead people who are filed way through the lack of creativity, transformation, and knowledge in this misguided system (Freire, 216).” In a result, Rodriguez felt that even he always success-ful, he always lacked self-assurance because he is a thinking collector by copying others idea. Therefore, Rodriguez became the worst student Freire said, because he active and unavoidable to accept “banking” education by
While staring back into the faces of small children much like his younger self, Rodriguez starts to run through points of his life where the need to know more pushed him further from his family and their norms and culture. Mainly focusing on the bright future an education offers him, he continues to knowingly distance himself from his family. Douglass went through similar situations on his path for education. Focusing on his chance for freedom, with no family ties to distance
Education has become stagnant. Intelligent individuals are still being molded, but the methods of education are creating individuals who lack free will. Through deep analytical understandings of education, both Walker Percy’s essay, “The Loss of the Creature,” and Paulo Freire’s essay, “The Banking Concept of Education,” have been able to unravel the issues and consequences of modern-day education. Despite creating clever people, Percy and Freire believe that the current form of education is inefficient because it strips away all sovereignty from the students and replaces it with placid respect for authorities, creating ever more complacent human beings in the long run.
Education is defined as, “The act or process of educating or being educated, the knowledge or skill obtained or developed by a learning process, a program of instruction of a specified kind or level, the field of study that is concerned with the pedagogy of teaching and learning, as well as an instructive or enlightening experience” (No author). People begin their education from day one till the day they die. Every day we learn new things in different ways. Whether someone is just telling us some random fact or you are sitting in a classroom being lectured by a professor. The main focus of this classical argument involves the learning that is done in the classroom or lecture hall in the schools of America today. The question arose as to which style of teaching is most effective in sparking the minds of the receivers to make them become transformers of their education? Would the “banking concept” of teaching be more effective, where “the scope of the action allowed to the students extends only as far as receiving, filing, and storing the deposits” (pg. 260). Or would the “problem posing” style of teaching be the most effective, where by “responding to the essence of consciousness—intentionally—rejects communiqués and embodies communications. It epitomizes the special characteristic of consciousness” (pg. 265). In this essay I intend persuade you the audience to take in my experiences and the experience of two other authors, whom I will be showing you later, and take a look from my point of view.
education system Americans males and females students learn and comprehend information in different ways, based on specific variations in their brains. To Clarify, American students have different levels of attitudes about teaching, learning, and different responses to specific classroom environments and instructional practices. For that reason, in “The Banking Concept,” Paulo Freire uses a term that is called "banking concept of education." The "banking concept of education," is when the scope of action allowed the students extends only as far as receiving, filling, and storing the desposites. Nevertheless, Freire evolve this concept that is called “banking,” in which teachers simply deposit information for the students to memorize. In “The Banking Concept,” Freire stated “Education suffering from narration sickness” (Freire 2). The teacher needs to be the narrator and leads the students to memorize mechanically the narrated account. Accordingly, Freire creates this solution be revising the teaching methods; which is problem-posting which consisted questions for students, and cause them to become critical thinkers. Freire uses of diction and metaphors, helps develop his argument by convincing the audience to be open-minded and willing to consider other ideas and the way that students receive information. On the other hand, Matthew Crawford wants the American education system to realize that not everyone is going to make in life. In “Shop Class As A Soulcraft,” Matthew mentions “Knowledge workers” (Crawford 1). School systems throw away tools that can teach them. American education system are giving tool for the students to obey them and they are throwing them away instead of giving them the tools that can teach American students. Crawford believes that that students needed to be trained as “Knowledge Workers,” for preparation of their roles in the future. American educators are preparing students to become “knowledge workers,” yet are throwing
...tion may present; which some imply not allowing critical abilities to develop. A fight for the right of an evenhanded schooling should be present always because nothing should privatize someone from their own education. Teachers and students are now able to establish and promote creative lessons that will fulfill in multiple ways each other. These lessons may associate both “banking” and “problem-posing” concepts; it all depends if a appropriate usage is given or not. In addition, creating critical awareness for a better forthcoming must unquestionably put to practice all of these procedures. Education in Puerto Rico, especially public education, must be rescued from the giant bureaucracy and return it to its essential mission with students, starting in the classroom. As a wise Nelson Mandela once said, “Education is the most powerful weapon to change the world”.
One of the most clearly seen and common aim of schooling is to develop individuals ‘who have skills an...