Banking Concept of Education

In his essay, "The Banking Concept of Education," Paolo Freire explains that far too often, education is a static process of teachers "filling" students with information.  He calls this the "banking" concept of education, where a teacher "makes deposits which students patiently receive, memorize, and repeat" (75).  In this type of classroom, students only receive, file, and store deposits from the teacher.  There is no discussion, exploration, or curiosity, since students take on the role of receptacles waiting to be filled.  I have acted as a knowledge-receptacle for much of my life, as many of my teachers have employed the banking concept of education.

I have taken two comparable History classes at UWM, and the teachers who led the discussions contrasted greatly in their teaching styles.  Ben was comfortable playing the role of the typical "teacher."  He was confident, commanding, and knew how to speak to a classroom.  However, attending his classes felt like a waste of my time.  He regurgitated information from the book and what the professor said in lecture.  Ben stood at the front of the class and talked at the students, who sat in desks, in rows, facing only him.  The class should not have been classified as a "discussion"; there was no dialogue between students.  Ben used the banking concept of education, and he expected the students to act as receptacles for his "deposits" of knowledge.  Bill taught my other History discussion, which was very different.  He had less confidence than Ben, was quiet, and did not seem quite comfortable in his "teacher" role.  However, his role in discussion was much more valuable.  We all sat around a conference table so we could actually have a conversation.  Before class we were expected to read primary sources related to the lecture.  In the discussion, Bill asked questions and encouraged us to think abut the biases and motivations of the authors, the context, and the events leading up to and resulting from the articles.  Bill did not dominate the conversation, but allowed the students to engage with each other and the material.  I was not just memorizing history, I was uncovering why it happened.