Stop the Memorization and Start the Application
by Sarah Newell

Paulo Freire’s describes in “The ‘Banking’ Concept of Education,” two forms of education, “banking” and “problem-posing” education (Freire 430-31). Some people think that “banking” education is an effective and efficient way of imparting information to students. “Problem-posing” education, such as home schooling, is another form of education. The objective of “problem-posing” education is to enhance the development of critical thinking. Some people think home schoolers do not receive a real education. However, a person’s education should be about learning and increasing his or her knowledge of the world around them and not about how much information they can retain and memorize for a test.

“Banking” education is a system in which teachers fill students with information; in turn, the students must pass tests to complete school. This type of education is present in most public school systems today. In most public schools, the curriculum is planned without consulting students (the ones who have to learn the material) or their parents. Banking education does not teach students to think and figure out problems on their own. If going to school and getting an education enables people to function in the real world, what good is banking education if people cannot think for themselves?

“Problem-posing” education is a system of education that promotes critical thinking. Most home schooling is a “problem-posing”/practical learning type of education. In home schooling, students have some control in what and how they learn. In “problem-posing” education, students can apply knowledge learned to real-life situations. Older students may help plan out the school year and decide on a curriculum. Teaching methods can be adjusted to fill the various needs of the individual student. Home-schooled children also have more of an opportunity to learn skills that they can use in the real world. They are not limited to spending seven hours daily in a classroom, but have more opportunities to observe their world by way of field trips and tours.

In Plato’s essay “Allegory of the Cave,” the people who are casting the shadows on the wall control what the prisoners see. Plato writes, “To them [the prisoners], the truth would be literally nothing but the images” (548). Students in a public school system are much like the prisoners in the cave. The teachers have control over what the students learn, hear, and

can say in school. To students, whatever the teachers teach is believed as true. When the prisoner left the cave, he realized and understood, on his own, that the cave was not the whole world. Home schooling is the same as coming out of the cave; it allows students to understand and figure out the world around them on their own.

“Banking education (for obvious reasons) attempts, by mythicizing reality, to conceal certain facts which explain the way human beings exist in the world; problem-posing education sets itself the task of demythologizing” (Freire 437). Students in public schools who experience the “banking” concept are constantly filled with information they are required to learn in order to obtain an education. In some states, teachers are required to teach a certain amount of material in a specific amount of time. If students are not understanding the concepts, can more time be taken by the teacher to explain or allow the student to gain understanding? Are the students really being educated or are they just being rushed through school?

Home schooling education is “problem-posing” education. It is easier for a student who is home schooled to work with the teacher one-on-one, than a student in a public school system. When home schooled, students have greater accessibility to the teacher’s individual attention. In public schools the student teacher ratio is about 20 to one--how can a teacher successfully give each student enough individual attention to ensure that they learn the material? Often in home schooling, the student is the child of the teacher; therefore, the teacher understands the needs of the student better.

In “banking” education, the letter grade a student receives is generally used to measure how smart the student is. In home schooling, if a student has trouble understanding a new concept, more time is allowed to ensure that the student understands the material. Is it better for a student to take two years to learn Algebra and make a B, or take one year to learn it and make a D or F?  

Education should be an instructive, enlightening experience. If students are being filled with information to regurgitate back on tests, are they really learning anything that will be useful in life? If a student earns a poor grade, has he really learned anything? Similarly, if a student earns a high grade on an exam, has he really learned anything, or has he simply memorized facts and performed successfully on the test? Is “banking” education an instructive and enlightening experience, or is it repetitive and rehearsed? “Problem-posing” education enables a student to think for himself rather than merely what to think.

Works Cited

Freire, Paulo. “The ‘Banking’ Concept of Education.” eds. Isaacs, et al 429-439.

Isaacs, Jessica, et al, eds. The Power of Language/The Language of Power. Boston: Pearson, 2006.

Plato, “The Allegory of the Cave.” eds. Isaacs, et al 547-552.

Back to Prose Index