The Pedagogy of the Oppressed

The ideals that are held throughout the education system as a whole often limit the student’s and teacher’s individual thought and creativity. The widely accepted thought is that the teachers’ job is to fill the students with knowledge and the students’ job is to be filled with said knowledge. While this is not always the view of individual teachers it is often something that is pushed by the education system in general.

However, the education of students is not just a simple pouring out of knowledge by the teacher but rather a give and take. If a teacher is attempting to make the most out of their lesson, there will be back and forth between the teacher and students and it is very difficult to learn absolutely nothing from one’s students. It is not just the teacher teaching but rather everyone is contributing and learning from the conversation and the teacher takes on more of a facilitating role.

As teachers it is our responsibility to give students reason for learning material and practicality in what they are learning. Most teachers focus on preparing their students to perform at college level in any subject area that they teach. However, it is important to remember that there are a number of students that have no desire for a career that requires them to have that knowledge. Balancing the college preparedness in a subject with the practicality of the knowledge that is being presented is important to keep in mind when presenting students with information. As teachers, most of us have the desire that our students will become life long learners. In order to achieve this, we must ourselves be learners in our work, learning from our students and teaching them how to do the same. It is when this occurs that teaching becomes so much more than just the pouring out and filling of knowledge but rather a constant learning experience.