Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire

What is Oppression? A conflict of power between the oppressors and the oppressed Describes how a specified group is kept down by unjust use of force, authority, or societal norms. Inability to VOICE what you want because you do not believe in your voice Unaware of the power struggle and the resources you have to transcend oppression Being temporarily disempowered A conflict of power between the oppressors and the oppressed Describes how a specified group is kept down by unjust use of force, authority, or societal norms. Inability to VOICE what you want because you do not believe in your voice Unaware of the power struggle and the resources you have to transcend oppression Being temporarily disempowered 1.Explore your own situations of oppression… What types of oppression do you face at work?...at school? …daily life?

Power & Oppression The Matrix Morpheus: “Everything begins with a choice.” Merovingian: “No, wrong… choice is an illusion created between those with power and those without.” What are your thoughts? Major theme  the need to free one’s mind to see the reality of the world in order to overcome oppression. “The Evolution of Oppression” clip

POP QUIZ!! POP QUIZ!!

Congratulations! You are an oppressor of your students.

Attitudes & Practices of Banking Concept TEACHER TeachesTaught Knows everythingKnows nothing ThinksThought about TalksListens (meekly) DisciplinesDisciplined Chooses/enforces his choiceComplies Chooses program contentAdapt to it (w/o consult) ActsHave illusion of acting STUDENT

A trip to the Bank… Why do we oppress in our classrooms? What parts of this table are essential? What could we do as teachers to accomplish our goals but still treat our students as more than vessels waiting to be filled? Why do we oppress in our classrooms? What parts of this table are essential? What could we do as teachers to accomplish our goals but still treat our students as more than vessels waiting to be filled?

Teacher = Depositor Students = Depositories Student viewed as an empty account to be filled by the teacher Student simply receives, memorizes, and repeats Freire argues AGAINST this model stating, "Banking theory and practice, as immobilizing and fixating forces, fail to acknowledge men and women as historical beings; problem-posing theory and practice take the people's history as their starting point." Teacher = Depositor Students = Depositories Student viewed as an empty account to be filled by the teacher Student simply receives, memorizes, and repeats Freire argues AGAINST this model stating, "Banking theory and practice, as immobilizing and fixating forces, fail to acknowledge men and women as historical beings; problem-posing theory and practice take the people's history as their starting point." “Banking Concept” of Education

Banking Concept “Value” aspect VS. Concept Replacing students’ value system with ours Right or wrong? Possible? Emptying individual versus whole-class value system What are YOU emptying out of your students’ minds everyday? “Value” aspect VS. Concept Replacing students’ value system with ours Right or wrong? Possible? Emptying individual versus whole-class value system What are YOU emptying out of your students’ minds everyday?

Is deciding HOW to teach a moral choice? Every teacher teaches FOR something & AGAINST something else **BRAINSTORM** “What are you teaching FOR and what are you teaching AGAINST?” Once you decide to teach FOR _______ and AGAINST ______, how should you teach? Let’s turn to Freire’s model of education. Every teacher teaches FOR something & AGAINST something else **BRAINSTORM** “What are you teaching FOR and what are you teaching AGAINST?” Once you decide to teach FOR _______ and AGAINST ______, how should you teach? Let’s turn to Freire’s model of education.

Freire Model …"revolutionary leaders" work on educational projects, or investigations, with the oppressed. The revolutionary leaders become teacher-students, and the oppressed become student-teachers. To apply Freire to a classroom setting, we need to replace "revolutionary leaders" with teachers, and "the oppressed" with students. Freire argues, “…for education to be truly revolutionary, the teacher must cease to be the subject and the student must cease to be the object.” …"revolutionary leaders" work on educational projects, or investigations, with the oppressed. The revolutionary leaders become teacher-students, and the oppressed become student-teachers. To apply Freire to a classroom setting, we need to replace "revolutionary leaders" with teachers, and "the oppressed" with students. Freire argues, “…for education to be truly revolutionary, the teacher must cease to be the subject and the student must cease to be the object.”

*To no longer be prey to its force, one must emerge from it and turn upon it. *Praxis: reflection and action upon the world in order to transform it. How realistic is it to ask a student to go through this process? What do they see at the benefits? You are either oppressed or an oppressor. As teachers, what does that middle-ground look like? *To no longer be prey to its force, one must emerge from it and turn upon it. *Praxis: reflection and action upon the world in order to transform it. How realistic is it to ask a student to go through this process? What do they see at the benefits? You are either oppressed or an oppressor. As teachers, what does that middle-ground look like?

"A teacher is no longer merely the one who teaches; but one who is himself taught in dialogue with the students, who in turn while being taught also teach." -Paulo Freire Final Thoughts

This powerpoint is dedicated… To the oppressed, and to those who suffer with them and fight at their side (borrowed from Freire) This powerpoint is dedicated… To the oppressed, and to those who suffer with them and fight at their side (borrowed from Freire)