Two Theories

The authors of the textbook consistently - at least so far - bring up and refer to Paulo Freire and his theories of teaching from Pedagogy of the Oppressed: the banking concept and the problem-solving concept. These two ideas, although both involving teaching, are very different. The banking concept is the idea that a teacher only deposits information to the student; similar to putting money in a piggy bank. Students take in everything the teacher is saying and it becomes more about memorization than understanding. The problem-solving concept involves teachers and students, and/or students and students, interacting to learn, rather than teachers relaying content. As all people are their own individuals, this means everyone has their preferred way to learn and teach. Some may prefer to absorb information (the banking concept), while others prefer to interact with others and ask questions to gain understanding (the problem-solving concept).

Last year, I read part of Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed and began talking about it with friends that hadn’t heard of these concepts. We had long debates on which of the two methods was more beneficial; and, we came to the conclusion that both are beneficial and depend on the teacher and the student. However, it wasn’t until recently that I thought of these two methods outside of a classroom/lecture hall setting. The banking concept, outside of a generic class setting, could be something as simple as remembering names and birthdays. People share this information (sometimes more than once) and we are expected to remember it; simply, we just listen, take in the information, keep it stored somewhere in our memory, and act accordingly when the occasion arises. Aside from asking once or twice more for clarification, there is no need for an explanation/deep understanding on a person’s name or birthday in casual conversation. On the other hand, the problem-solving concept involves more action and effort. The first example that comes to mind is stretching. There are specific techniques and positions for every individual move. In my personal experience, it has been significantly appreciated and better understood when an explanation is given for the small details involving the techniques. People that ask clarifying questions and ask “Why?” grasp the reasoning and are able to apply it correctly and consistently. Let’s say someone is stretching and has to keep their back flat. If they used the banking concept to obtain the information, they may do the stretch thinking it is being done correctly. But, because the problem-solving concept involves interactions between teacher and student (or student and student), the person would be able to have another person help to correct them, and to tell them keeping their back straight helps to avoid strains and can entirely change the muscles being stretched.

Freire’s concepts of learning are important because if people are aware of the concepts and understand the difference, it could be beneficial to their school careers and to their daily lives. Some people learn best by memorization and others by questioning and communicating. Both concepts are known to be successful; it is a matter of the individual and the information that may change which one would benefit the individual most. The concepts together may be even more powerful! One could take in information, memorize it, then begin to communicate and question it! Regardless of one concept, the other concept, or both concepts, Freire’s ideas are used every day without any of us recognizing it, or even knowing about it. Even after reading my blog post, if you learned something new, did you learn it from the banking concept or the problem-solving concept?