Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paolo Freire
In one of the lectures during my teacher training, we were asked the question “What is the purpose of education?”. “To suppress the poor” was the answer I shared with my friend, much to his dismay, but it did get a laugh! I don’t know if there is one ultimate answer to this question but Pedagogy of the Oppressed provides an analysis of the systems in place, as well as offering his alternative suggestion of what education can offer us.
No one knows what ‘pedagogy’ means, other than pretentious scholars, so let’s just assume it means ‘teaching method’ and leave it at that. Freire’s teaching method is one that suggests we as learners must perceive our existence critically and view the human situation as a problem to be overcome and solved. Most people will have experienced a variant of the ‘Banking Model’ of education. In this dynamic, the student only learns as much as the teacher ‘deposits’. From my perspective, this seems very dry and sad as it minimises the learners’ view of the world and limits our potential reality! I much prefer Freire’s concept of ‘problem-posing education’ which suggests we are the masters of our thinking and that even if rules of society are widely accepted, they can still be questioned. This paradigm of education proposes that society constitutes of the oppressors and the oppressed. Oppressors lay out the status quo and perpetuate myths to preserve their power. The aim of this is to prevent people from adequately questioning why societal norms never seem to benefit the majority. This structure will remain in place unless the oppressed begin to reflect critically on what a better world could look like.
Re-reading this text helped me to realise its significance, as its principles underpin much progressive political thinking and educational theory developed since its publication in 1970. This is not an education book in the typical sense; it offers no curriculum or assessment framework. Instead, it looks at analysing what humans have the potential to offer the world, as well as the various pitfalls in the way. Freire states the consciousness of the masses is necessary for any revolutionary movement to succeed. This requires awareness of the situation, recognition of the reality of the oppressed, followed by organisation around a common goal developed through critical reflection on the people’s situation and what they wish to achieve through viable methods. The elites of the world do not understand the individual’s need for their own world view, rather than one prescribed from on high. The value of personal freedom and self-affirmation in today’s generation offers great potential for change with the right organisation and ideas. Freire’s ideas will be integral to any constructive change that occurs in the world.
