kitchen table math, the sequel: "students working collaboratively to understand Freire"

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

"students working collaboratively to understand Freire"

Welcome to Resources for Teachers links to video posted at the California Acceleration Project, in which "developmental reading" students are discussing "The 'Banking' Concept of Education" by Paulo Freire.



INSTRUCTOR: So how does that relate to oppression?

STUDENT: 'Cuz you know it's down when it's the oppression time.

INSTRUCTOR: It sets you back.

STUDENT: Now you can't get no jobs or nothing. You got a depression, know what I'm saying, Recession.

[snip]

INSTRUCTOR: "It inhibits creative power." You know that word inhibit? Make a guess at what inhibit [unintelligible].

VARIOUS STUDENTS: Advance? Occupy? Allows?

INSTRUCTOR: That's a good guess.

STUDENTS [unintelligible]

INSTRUCTOR: From context. You look at the rest of that sentence and the whole article and what we've learned so far. Make a guess at what inhibits means.

STUDENT: [unintelligible]

INSTRUCTOR: Do you think that banking education ALLOWS creative power? Does that work?

STUDENT: Hell no. It RESTRAINS it.

INSTRUCTOR: Exactly! Exactly.

(Successful student exchanges high five with neighbor.)

INSTRUCTOR: Nice reading from context. Right on.

2 comments:

MagisterGreen said...

I'm going to be over in the corner, sobbing into my drink.

SteveH said...

"The 'Banking' Concept of Education" by Paulo Freire.

... is so 1968. But things change. Counter culture is now culture. Multiple piercings and tattoos are now signs of conformity. You could argue that Freire won. Now what?

Also, see the links to how bad lecturing is versus active learning.

All of this wouldn't matter except for the fact that many parents don't have educational choice. I was supposed to be on a Citizen's Curriculum Committee that our schools set up, but they never held a single meeting. It's their turf. However, I can't say that I've ever met any teacher who spouted Freire.