Pedagogy of the Oppressed

A detailed Summary of Pedagogy of the Oppressed


Like slaves, students are forced to do as their oppressor or teacher demands. The concepts of student and teacher oppression are introduced on the first day that education begins. Students are given a set of "class rules" for each class, and everyone except the teacher must follow them. Teachers have total control and the students must give in to their demands. Paulo Freire's "Pedagogy of the Oppressed" deals with the concept of oppression in the educational system (banking system) that is widely used, and suggests problem-posing as an alternative system. There is and absolute need for students to "Tear down the Wall" (Pink Floyd) of conformity in education and express their individuality because they are seen as empty minds, are then classified by grades, and become mental slaves.

The banking system of education that creates an environment in which the teacher knows all and the student knows nothing has flaws. First of all, students are oppressed by teachers because as Freire indicates "students are considered empty depositories that must be filled by t


What the educational system basically comes down to is mental slavery. The usage of ringing bells gives students the image of slaves. They uncontrollably move to the bells without thinking about it. Teachers have a form of control that resembles a dictatorship. Teachers make the rules and they usually do not apply them upon themselves. Beginning with the early years of school students do school work at the teacher's request without asking why, what for, or what good comes from doing what they are told. Even if a student did ask such questions a likely answer would be "Just do it.", because they really do not have a choice in the class room. Only the teacher decides what will be banked upon the students, to what extent, and for how long. "Students are seen as ignorant in the eyes of the teachers, and that justifies their existence." (Freire 53) because they are the ones who must fill the empty minds.

The students are all seen as the same. There is hardly any form of individuality among students because of the banking system. Instead of telling the students what is to be memorized,

Some common words found in the essay are:
Pink Floyd, Pedagogy Oppressed, banking system, student teacher, educational system, empty minds, system banking system, system banking, class teacher, told learn, students seen, freire 53, minds students,

Approximate Word count = 740
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

join now Save Paper



Saved Paper

Save your papers so you can locate them quickly!

Newest Essays

Testimonials

  • "Thank You So Much!!! You have saved me once again!!!"
    Jack M.
  • "With so many papers to chose from, I was able to get ideas to help me with all of my classes. Thank You!"
    Brian P.
  • "I've used this site for the last 3 years to help me come up with ideas for my papers."
    Sara J.
  • "I use this site every week to help me write my own papers!"
    Rachel W.
  • "I love this site!!!"
    Marie N.