Paulo FreireThe Pedagogy of the Oppressed

Meet Freire

Click here for a biography of Paulo Freire

Pedagogy of the Oppressed: The Nature of the Oppressed and

OppressorFreire describes the relationship that exists between the oppressor and the oppressed and the systems that are inherently perpetuated by the nature of these relationships. Freire argues that the oppressed can only become free when they recognize their oppressed state and let go of the fear of being truly free. This struggle to become free takes place through a deep and intrinsically motivated desire to be human.

“This struggle [to be human] is possible only because dehumanization, although a concrete historical fact, is not a given destiny but the result of an unjust order that engenders violence in the oppressors, which in turn dehumanizes the oppressed.” (Freire, p. 26)

Freire argues that the oppressed and the oppressor work within a cyclical relationship wherein the oppressed may become the oppressor upon gaining their freedom. The struggle is to find and maintain humanity:

“…the oppressed must not, in seeking to regain their humanity, become in turn oppressors of the oppressor, but rather restorers of the humanity of both.” (Freire, p.26)

Yet Freire also recognizes the fear that freedom can engender. Indeed, to be free means to shed what is known and what is comfortable.

“The oppressed, having internalized the image of the oppressor and adopted his guidelines are fearful of freedom. Freedom would require them to eject this image and replace it with autonomy and responsibility. Freedom is acquired by conquest, not by gift.” (Freire, p. 29)

“The oppressed suffer from the duality which has established itself in their innermost being. They discover that without freedom they cannot exist authentically. Yet, although they desire authentic existence, they fear it. They are at one and the same time themselves and the oppressor whose consciousness they have internalized.” (Freire, p. 30)

Pedagogy of the Oppressed:

What does Freire Argue?“The pedagogy of the oppressed is an instrument for

their critical discovery that both they and their oppressor are manifestations of dehumanization.” (Freire, p. 30)

Freire argues that the oppressed must recognize and then fight against their oppression.

“As long as the oppressed remain unaware of the causes of their condition, they fatalistically “accept” their exploitation.” (Freire, p. 46)

“The pedagogy of the oppressed, as a humanist and libertarian pedagogy has two distinct states. In the first, the oppressed unveil the world of oppression and through the praxis commit themselves to its transformation. In the second stage, in which the reality of oppression has already been transformed, this pedagogy ceases to belong to the oppressed and becomes a pedagogy of all people in the process of permanent liberation.” (Freire, p. 37)

Are we the Oppressors?

Read THIS article and consider the structures of the Charter School Movement. Do some Charter Schools maintain oppressive practices and contribute to the cycle of the oppressed, oppressor dichotomy within the U.S.?

Are we the Oppressors?Take a moment to consider the following questions:

Thinking about the ways in which our education system works within hierarchies of power and the ways in which our education system views students, are we the oppressors? Does our participation in the education system maintain oppressive policies? How do we, as educators working within a rigid bureaucracy, work to change this within our classroom without losing our jobs? Are we afraid of freedom in the ways that Freire argues the oppressed fear freedom?

The Banking Concept of Education

The banking system describes a form of education based on the assumptions that educators “deposit” knowledge into our students, the depositories. The system relies on the following assumptions:

The teacher teaches and the students are taughtThe teacher knows everything and the students know nothingThe teacher thinks and the students are thought aboutThe teacher talks and the students listen--meeklyThe teacher disciplines and the students are disciplinedThe teacher chooses and enforces his choice and the students complyThe teacher acts and the students have the illusion of acting through the action of the teacherThe teacher chooses the program content and the students (who were not consulted) adapt to itThe teacher confuses the authority of knowledge with his or her own profession authority which he or she sets in opposition to the freedom of studentsThe teacher is the subject of the learning process while the pupils are mere objects.

Inquiry Based LearningFreire claims that the banking approach to education dehumanizes students as well as teachers as both parties participate in an oppressive system.

Freire would argue that rather than treat our students as deposits for our knowledge, we engage them in their education so as to free them from the oppression of the banking system.

Inquiry Based Learning

Click here and here for two examples of inquiry based learning.

What does or would inquiry based learning look like in your own classroom? Do you agree with this approach to education or would you argue that Freire was wrong in his claim that the banking system dehumanizes our students? Is there a middle ground that would better serve students and maintain both teacher and student humanity?

Critique of FreireFreire fails to mention many of the larger issues facing schools

Testing

Standards

Curriculum

Role of Parents

Etc.

Click here to read Sol Sterns critique of Freire

In our Country…Let’s explore three topics:

The achievement gap (along both racial and class)

The school to prison pipeline

Is education the civil rights issue of our time?

The Achievement GapRead the following three articles and consider if the existing (and ever growing achievement gap) is the result of a system of oppression:

Black Students face more Discipline

Education Gap Grows

The Achievement Gap (If you want even MORE background)

The School to Prison Pipeline

Read the following three articles and consider the oppressive nature of our school system and the cycleof oppression it engenders:

The New Jim Crow

Michelle Alexander interviewed

Awesome Infographic

Is Education the Civil Rights Issue of our

Time?Read the following articles and consider whether education is the civil rights issue of our time:

Why Inequality Persists?

Is Education the Civil Rights Issue of our time?

References

Alexander, M. (2010, February 8). Michelle Alexander: The new jim crow. The Huffington Post. Retrieved July 10, 2012, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michelle-alexander/the-new-jim-crow_b_454469.html

Lewin, T. (2012, June 12). Black students face more harsh discipline, data shows. The New York Times. Retrieved July 13, 2012, from http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/06/education/black-students-face-more-harsh-discipline-data-shows.html?_r=3

Freire, P. (2000). Pedagogy of the oppressed. In Foundations of Education (pp. 25-67). New York, NY: Continuum.

MrMatthewjherbert. (2009, June 18). The socratic seminar. YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. . Retrieved July 11, 2012, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxZMGK6IdEs

Noguera, P. (2012, May 24). Opinion: confronting challenges of American education, ‘civil rights issue' of our time. In America- You Define America What Defines You - CNN.com Blogs. Retrieved July 10, 2012, from http://inamerica.blogs.cnn.com/2012/05/24/opinion-confronting-challenges-of-american-educationcivil-rights-issue-of-our-time/

Sokolower, J. (n.d.). Rethinking schools online. Rethinking Schools. Retrieved July 10, 2012, from http://www.rethinkingschools.org/restrict.asp?path=archive/26_02/26_02_sokolower.shtml

Stern, S. (n.d.). Pedagogy of the oppressor. City Journal. Retrieved July 12, 2012, from http://www.city-journal.org/2009/19_2_freirian-pedagogy.html

Strauss, V. (2012, May 16). Why education inequality persists — and how to fix it - The Answer Sheet - The Washington Post. Washington Post: Breaking News, World, US, DC News & Analysis. Retrieved July 11, 2012, from http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/post/why-education-inequality-persists--and-how-to-fix-it/2012/05/15/gIQAXEIeSU_blog.html

Tavernise, S. (2012, February 9). Education gap grows between rich and poor, studies show - NYTimes.com. The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. Retrieved July 9, 2012, from http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/10/education/education-gap-grows-between-rich-and-poor-studies-show.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all

Txafmama. (2010, October 12). Inquiry-based teaching model. Youtuube-Broadcast Yourself. Retrieved July 10, 2012, fromhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLQPXd8BiIA&feature=topics

The deceptive promise of charter schools: A New Orleans case study « education for the 99%. Education for the 99%. Retrieved July 11, 2012, from http://education4the99.wordpress.com/2012/02/05/the-deceptive-promise-of-charter-schools-a-new-orleans-case-study/ 

Good Feed Blog. (2012, June 1). Awesome infographic: educate or incarcerate? The Good Men Project. Retrieved July 10, 2012, from http://goodmenproject.com/good-feed-blog/awesome-infographic-educate-or-incarcerate/