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There is more to teaching than classroom transactions - philosophy


superkaytee 10 / 30  
Apr 4, 2007   #1
I have started my philosophy essay.can u give me some feedback as to what u think
I have 2 essay titles to pick from but i started the essay not knowing which one i should lean more towards.Maybe you could give me some advice on what title i should use?

There is more to teaching than classroom transactions

The experience of schooling either enslaves or liberates, it cannot do both.


i have completed some of the body of my essay.can i add this too for you to help me edit?

If you are there, this is what i finised up with last night, and i thought i had been leaning towards the other title. Can you tell me what you thin...have to hand it up in the morning. Ill have to think of a line or 2 for the conclusion to link back to the title

There is more to teaching than classroom transactions

Paulo Freire supports the idea that education should be a collaborative process where the teachers and students work together and think critically. Freire is opposed to the education system. He classifies the system as the "banking'' concept of education. Freire classifies this concept as, "Education thus becomes an act of depositing, in which the students are depositories and the teacher the depositor." (Freire; 1). Freire has also proposed a new solution in his text called the problem-posing education where the teacher and student become one, "Each teaches the other and both have the chance to think critically as well as give one's interpretation of the subject" (quote).

With the banking concept, the teacher seems to be far superior and more intellectual than their students. This transactional model refers to the transaction between the teacher and the student. The teacher may intimidate students with his attitude, sometimes making the students seem unworthy of his knowledge. The intimidated students may then refrain from asking questions, therefore, causing them to not fully understand the lesson being taught. Students have absolutely no say in what they learn and how they receive the information that is taught. Since the topic on the curriculum isn't chosen by the students, they are more likely to be uninterested and their creativeness could suffer. As Freire states, "The "humanism" of the banking approach masks the effort to turn women and men into automatons-the very negation of their ontological vocation to be more fully human." (Freire; 3). This is saying that the students will become robot-like and are forced to adapt to the teacher's style. The students aren't able to personally relate to what the teacher teaches and the information seems separated from reality. The teacher teaches only to receive positive recognition, which causes the students to only get enough information to just survive in the real world. The teacher becomes a functionary paid unenthusiastic employee just looking at the job as an occupation. Freire describes the method of teaching where, "the teachers' function is to fill students with the contents of their narration: the teacher speaks, the students listen." (Flanagan, 2006; 186). As seen in chapter two by Dickens in Hard Times, the teacher functions as expected, as he is paid to do so. The relationship between teacher and student is seen as passive, "little pitchers" with the intention of filling the children to the brim (Dickens; 1). To put it differently, the teacher informs, and the student listens in return. The relational level of teaching comes into play as the students are not allowed to challenge the authority and the credibility of the teacher. Therefore, students have no freedom or active participation in education and the transaction of information is one-way. The children do what they think will please the teacher and not what is right or wrong.

There is, however, a time in which this type of teaching is necessary and useful. The act of recording, memorizing, and repeating phrases may have its advantages in certain situations. For instance, this banking method would demonstrate its necessity when teaching a foreign language. This is because, for the first few years of learning a foreign language, the only method of teaching is the memorization and repetition of vocabulary and pronunciation. This is also needed when teaching in a primary school as the students need to learn the basics first before using it to think and formulate their own views and ideas. Therefore, the banking concept should not be eliminated from the education system because it plays an important role during certain stages of education for a student.

As a solution to the banking concept, Freire proposed the problem-posing education method. Freire makes problem-posing seem as a cure for all educational problems. This may seem like a great solution, until its practices are looked at more deeply. As Freire suggests, "They are no longer just instructors, but become equal learners in dialogue with the students" (Flanagan, 2006; 192). Freire emphasises that the banking concept prevents a person's creativity while the problem-posing education emphasizes spontaneity and prepares an individual to face reality as it is. He feels that the problem-posing method promotes an individual's creativity thereby encouraging this learning process. While the banking concept of education is only a one-way communication, the problem-posing education emphasizes a two-way transaction between the teacher and the students in the classroom. There are some subjects a teacher cannot learn from their students like facts, but other subjects they can. Teachers not only educate but are also learning at the same time from their students. "The teacher is no longer merely the-one-who-teaches, but one who is himself taught in dialogue with the students, who in turn while being taught also teach. They become jointly responsible for a process in which all grow" (Freire; 6).

Although I disagree with Freire at some point regarding the banking concept, I do acknowledge the problem he has pointed out in his text. Freire has opened my eyes to the problem faced by the current education system. Both the banking concept and problem-posing have good qualities that need to be implemented in the classroom. Combining the two concepts and finding a median will be a solution to the problem that Freire suggests we have. The banking concept should not be used entirely throughout an individual's education. It should only be used in certain circumstances. This is the same for the problem-posing method. The problem-posing method seems like the better option in most situations because it encourages critical thinking and allows a two-way street of communication between teacher and student. Thus, teachers not only teach but also learn at the same time from their students. In conclusion, the transaction ns that occur in a classroom

there is not one ideal method of teaching that can solve the problems society is facing. Therefore, we must learn to incorporate both teaching methods to suit the situation we're in.

Bibliography

1. Dickens, C () Hard Times,
2. Flanagan, F. (2006) 'The Best Educators Ever', London: Continuum.
3. Freire, P. () 'Pedagogy of the Oppressed',
EF_Team2 1 / 1,708  
Apr 4, 2007   #2
Greetings!

You've done an outstanding job with your essay! I have very few editing suggestions to make; here they are:

"The teacher not only educates but is also learning at the same time from their students." - Remember that "teacher" is singular and "their" is plural; they need to match. Either say "teachers not only educate" or use "teacher" and say "his or her students." The same advice goes for this sentence: "Thus, a teacher not only teaches but also learns at the same time from their students."

"Although [remove comma] I disagree with Freire at some point regarding the banking concept, "

Great job!

Thanks,

Sarah, EssayForum.com
OP superkaytee 10 / 30  
Apr 4, 2007   #3
thanks...it took me all day!!!

I have to include the levels of teaching and i have included the rational level but i still need to incorporate the transactional level which is the communication from one person to the other and the occupational level which is the teacher as an employee and as such as no enthusiasm as such....but not sure how i can bring this in?

Any ideas?

also forgot to ask...what essay title suits it best??

There is more to teaching than classroom transactions

The experience of schooling either enslaves or liberates, it cannot do both.
OP superkaytee 10 / 30  
Apr 4, 2007   #4
sarah are you there this evening?
EF_Team2 1 / 1,708  
Apr 5, 2007   #5
Greetings!

Sorry I had to be away earlier. I'll answer your latter question first; I think the title about "schooling either enslaves or liberates" fits better. The author you quote is talking about students becoming automatons, which strikes me as a type of enslavement.

It seems to me the transactional level, involving communication, would fit in well with the portion about the collaborative process, because that's what collaboration requires: communication between student and teacher. The occupational level, in which is the teacher is an unenthusiastic employee, it seems to me, would fit into the discussion of the banking method; that method does not require any real enthusiasm or creativity on the part of the teacher; he or she can just go through the motions, dictating facts without regard for whether the students become involved in the learning process.

Best of luck!

Thanks,

Sarah, EssayForum.com
EF_Team2 1 / 1,708  
Apr 5, 2007   #6
Greetings!

Well, honestly, I think one could make an argument for it fitting either title! I think you will be fine with using the other title.

Best of luck!

Thanks,

Sarah, EssayForum.com


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