Name:

Tu Nguyen

Class:

Composition I- English 1010

Instructor:

Mr. Gregory A Hays

Essay 1:

FINAL DRAFT

Date:

01-21-2015

PAULO FREIRE AND EXAMINE MY OWN EDUCATIONAL HISTORY

Paulo Freire wrote an essay that communicating with convincing his audience that the
current educational system has problems in The Banking Concept of Education. I will discuss
two cases of Freire essay, The Banking Concept and Problem- Posing, and intergrade this
cases. I also talk about my Historical and Trigonometry classes when I was studying in my
county, Vietnam.
I discuss some points of Freire essay. Freires essay begins by identifying the divisions
within the classroom between students and teachers. Avram Noam Chomsky said "Education is
really aimed at helping students get to the point where they can learn on their own. . . . This
sentence renowned linguist, philosopher, historian, and scientist. In the banking concept, the
author Freire gives some examples that most people can relate to undersstand. He gives some
examples in two subject that is Math or Geography. Freire wrote In the Baking Concept of
Education, knowledge is a gift bestowed by those how consider themselves knowledgeable
upon whom they consider to know nothing (Freire pg. 319), and what is the students, the reader
can understand from this quotes of Freire? In the Banking Concept, Freire discusses the
students sit in the class, and is absorbed everything what the instructors say. There is no
discussion, there is no arguments, and there is no debate in the class. The rule in this way of
teaching is there is only one way, I say and you have to write down, you have to take note.

There is another point in the essay of Freire. That is problem-posing. This is explained
by The teacher presents the material to the students for their consideration, and reconsiders her
earlier considerations as the students express their own. (Freire pg. 324). In this case, when the
teacher is teaching, discussing the problem in class, the student is able to make questions or ask
the teacher about something when they misunderstand in some points. Also in this case, the
teacher can learn something new from the question which students make, from students
observation. The big meaning of problem-posing is the teacher and students can get more new
things from each other. The author describes problem-posing education as a form of
information trade. In this, the teachers and students also share roles. Teacher is also student, and
learn from student something new. In the opposite side, student is teacher they can teach the
teacher. Teacher and students work together to get their true knowledge, to get their gift. I
think education should have a harmonious interaction between teachers and students. Education
is also an exchange of knowledge between people. Teaching is to obtain knowledge, and receive
feedback from the receiver to determine that it is right or wrong. Two cases of Freires essay
shown very clearly about that rule, obtain knowledge and the feedback is the most important
points of education.
At first I start with Banking concept method. I still remember the time when I study
first year of college in my county. In the large room of about 150 students, I study the subject
History of our country. The instructor comes to class and explain what he prepare for the
lecture at home before. He tries to teach, he tries to finish his lecture as soon as possible. He sees
in the textbook and write on the board what the textbook has. He does not explain any important
points. The students just sit in the class and do not talk. Students take note by hand or laptop,
sleeping, staring when the subject becomes boring, and the students does not pay attention in the

class. The gift of the teacher is terrible. All students in class cannot get the knowledge, and all
students in class get the low score in the final exam. Of course, nobody wants to receive that gift.
Freire wrote in his essay Education thus becomes an act of depositing, in which the students are
the depositories and the teacher is depositor (Freire pg. 318), and my class is very similar to
what he wrote. The students just sit in the class, and they are received the knowledge from
instructor like it seems the instructor deposits his check to the bank without any feedback from
the staff. Through it, I can understand that knowledge is a gift if that knowledge is really good.
The students in class can get the knowledge from the instructor clearly, they can understand, then
they apply that knowledge into the exercises, exams, or into real life. Freire wrote on The
Banking Concept method of his essay. The knowledge is given by teacher and they do not need
to receive any feedback, they do not mind the students get the knowledge or not. The teachers do
not make any discussion in class, they do not have any debate too. Freire saw this thing and he
writes down this thing on his article.
Educational in my country is different from the educational of other country, but over the
time the education of my country has to improve their way, their quality. I joined to the
Trigonometry Class, and I felt the way of teaching is different. There are something new of
teaching in this class. At first, the teacher gives the main points, and explain what the lesson has.
After that, he teacher divided the students in class into groups to do some practice test, exercise.
After a while, he collects the ideas from groups and analyze each idea. He solved the exercise
which student in class do not understand or cannot solve on the board. The issues concern to the
lesson is discussed, is analyzed very lively in the class. The important point makes me surprise
is the teacher talk that students give him many question concern to the lesson. The teacher want
his student can understand the lesson easily. He want his student get the high score on each

exam. After that class, every student also show up the happiness what I can see from their face
because they got the real gift, the exact knowledge they want. I think this is true education. Freire
also wrote: Here, no one teaches another, nor is anyone self-taught. People teach each other,
mediated by the world, by the cognizable object which in banking education are owned by
teacher (Freire pg. 324), and which he wrote was happened in my Trigonometry class. That is a
positive signal in education. The teacher can see students as his friends and students can see the
teacher as their friend while they are sitting in class. From that they can feel free, and they may
create some problems for discussion or analysis together. If the students can give their ideas, give
their feedback, the teacher can get more knowledge for teaching, also get more knowledge for
teachers experience. Because of knowledge do not discriminate the age. One more time, Freire
is right at this case. Follow Freire, education is not merely teaching and understanding. It is a
process of exchange between teacher and recipients of knowledge. Freire also understand that
during the school hours it must have a lot of discussion, analysis and recognition of the problem
from all sides, so it is developed in a positive direction.
Freire pointed out the weaknesses of education, and showed the way to solve the
weaknesses with a practical and useful way. Freire makes the readers think about themselves and
makes his readers know about the different between two case which are called Banking concept
system and Problem-posing. From two case the reader can understand that the banking
concept takes away from our thinking, our educational, and in the problem-posing students
can feel free to share their knowledge, experiences, and their ideas to other student or teacher. So
the goal of education is to transfer knowledge from one person to another. The teachers should
not put too much pressure on students. They can teach to each other, the teacher can see their
students like friends and students can see the teacher like that way. They give the problems, the

problems not only for teacher but also for other student in the same class, the same level. The
problems can be discussed by teacher and student.
In conclusion, from what I got from the educational system from my country, I can
recognize the educational in two ways, giving and receiving, is always better than one way,
which just only giving. Now, I am studying in the very good education environment. I can share
my ideas, my knowledge or making questions to my teacher, to my friends easily. I can get more
information from my teacher, from my friend easily too. Freire has made a major impact on the
education system, and I hope the influence of Freire essay will effect to our culture, to our
country, to our educational in the positive way.

Works Citation
1. Paulo Freire, the Banking Concept Education
Way of Reading Ed. David Bartholomae and Petrosky
New York: Bedford St Martins 2011, page 317-328. Print
2. http://www.parenting.com/blogs/mom-congress/melissa-taylor/what-purpose-education