The Banking Approach and Problem-Solving Approach in Education

We often see education as a means of imparting knowledge. We are told to go to school to get a good education. This process prepares us to contribute to society. However, in chapter 2 of “Pedagogy of Education”, Paulo Freire argues that there is something inherently wrong with the contemporary system of education that most of us undergo in society. In this respect, Freire notes, “Education as the practice of freedom— as opposed to education as the practice of domination — denies that man is abstract, isolated, independent, and unattached to the world; it also denies that the world exists as a reality apart from men. Authentic reflection considers neither abstract man nor the world without men, but men in their relations with the world.” (69). Freire elaborates the notion that education can serve to dominate men, making them lose consciousness of reality, or that it can free men, making them aware and inquisitive of the world around them. In Freire’s view, there are two approaches to education: banking/depositing, and education as a problem posing method. While many undergo the former, it is only through the latter that man can be truly free from the domination of others, able to participate in society.

The banking approach of education is used to detach students, and even the teachers from reality. This results in a society where people do not question the nature of reality. Education then becomes an act that is void of discourse. It is called the banking approach because the students act like banks, or depositories, where information is stored by the teacher/bankers. Freire argues that education “becomes an act of depositing, in which the students are depositaries and the teacher is the depositor” (58).  This type of education leaves the students unaware that the knowledge that they are being fed is not separate from reality. All that students know in this case is that what they are learning is not supposed to be questioned. This then leaves the student clueless or even ignorant of certain aspects of the world, such as the fact that not everything that we are taught is true. The result is that we have citizens who do not question, which makes education an ideal for those who wish to dominate others. Nevertheless, Freire offers an antidote, or an alternative, to the banking approach to education, one that can liberate man from domination.

Problem-posing education can serve to break free from the bonds of the banking approach that detaches students from reality. It is a concept that Freire explains as “a humanist and liberating praxis, posits as fundamental that men subjected to domination must fight for their emancipation” (74).  Problem-posing education veers away from the notion that education becomes an act of learning, as opposed to memorizing or taking in information. There is a big difference between the two because with the latter, there is a process of communication, of inquiry, while with the latter, there is merely the acceptance of information without asking it is true or not, or that if it is applicable in the real world. Problem-posing education makes students aware of reality because their learning is connected to the real world. Students stop becoming mindless repositories of information, and teachers stop becoming purveyors of useless information. This then results in an authentic and liberating learning experience.

The banking approach to education is what makes most learning in school tedious. This type of approach does not do students or the teachers any favors. It is an approach that serves only to dominate, to keep man in the dark about what is going on with the world. Freire’s problems solving education not only frees students and teachers, but also allows them engage in discourse, in communication. This then allows man to become more inquisitive, to question the reality of their existence, making them more effective members of society. It is through the problem-solving approach that education’s true essence is made real, that is to impart knowledge that can help improve the lives of men and women.

Work Cited

Freire, Paulo. “Pedagogy of the Oppressed”. Bloomsbury Academic, 2000. Print.