Problem-posing education
Encyclopedia
Problem-posing education is a term coined by Brazilian educator Paulo Freire
in his 1970 book Pedagogy of the Oppressed. Problem-posing refers to a method of teaching that emphasizes critical thinking for the purpose of liberation. Freire used problem-posing as the alternative to banking education
, which is the traditional model of education.
Freire's work has its roots in the constructivist theory of learning, and specifically the work of Jean Piaget
and John Dewey
. The constructivist theory holds that knowledge is constructed by individuals by using their experiences, which is what Freire drew upon in developing his pedagogy. In Pedagogy of the Oppressed Freire writes,
. When teachers implement problem-posing education in the classroom, they approach students as fellow dialoguers, which creates an atmosphere of hope, love, humility, and trust. This is done through six points of reference. Dialoguers (students/teachers) approach their acts of knowing as grounded in individual experience and circumstance. They approach the historical and cultural world as a transformable reality shaped by human ideological representations of reality. Learners make connections between their own conditions and the conditions produced through the making of reality. Learners/Dialoguers consider the ways that they can shape this reality through their methods of knowing. This new reality is collective, shared, and shifting. Learners develop literacy skills that put their ideas into print, thus giving potency to the act of knowing. Finally, learners identify the myths dominant discourse and work to destabalize these myths, ending the cycle of oppression.
, developed by Maria Montessori
is an example of problem-posing education in an early childhood model.
Ira Shor
, a professor of Composition and Rhetoric at CUNY, who has worked closely with Freire, also advocates a problem posing model in his use of critical pedagogy
. He has published on the use of contract grading, the physical set-up of the classroom, and the political aspects of student and teacher roles.
Other advocates of problem-posing critical pedagogy include Henry Giroux
, Peter McLaren
, bell hooks
, Victor Villanueva
Paulo Freire
Paulo Reglus Neves Freire was a Brazilian educator and influential theorist of critical pedagogy.-Biography:...
in his 1970 book Pedagogy of the Oppressed. Problem-posing refers to a method of teaching that emphasizes critical thinking for the purpose of liberation. Freire used problem-posing as the alternative to banking education
Banking education
Banking education is a term used by Paulo Freire to describe and critique the traditional education system. The name refers to the metaphor of students as empty containers which educators must deposit knowledge into...
, which is the traditional model of education.
Origins
Freire's pedagogy emerged from his observations and experiences working as an instructor in literacy programs with peasant laborers in Brazil. During this work, Freire became aware of the economic, political, and social domination resulting from paternalism. Paternalism leads to a culture of silence, which keeps people from confronting their oppression. He turned this philosophy to pedagogy because “the whole education system was one of the major instruments for the maintenance of this culture of silence.” His philosophy on education centers on critical consciousness, where the oppressed recognize the causes of their oppression “so that through transforming action they can create a new situation, on which makes possible the pursuit of fuller humanity.” Problem-posing education is the path to critical consciousness.Freire's work has its roots in the constructivist theory of learning, and specifically the work of Jean Piaget
Jean Piaget
Jean Piaget was a French-speaking Swiss developmental psychologist and philosopher known for his epistemological studies with children. His theory of cognitive development and epistemological view are together called "genetic epistemology"....
and John Dewey
John Dewey
John Dewey was an American philosopher, psychologist and educational reformer whose ideas have been influential in education and social reform. Dewey was an important early developer of the philosophy of pragmatism and one of the founders of functional psychology...
. The constructivist theory holds that knowledge is constructed by individuals by using their experiences, which is what Freire drew upon in developing his pedagogy. In Pedagogy of the Oppressed Freire writes,
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 people. Authentic reflection considers neither abstract man nor the world without people, but people in their relations with the world.
Philosophy
The philosophy of problem-posing education is the foundation of modern critical pedagogy. Problem-posing education solves the student-teacher contradiction by recognizing that knowledge is not deposited from one (the teacher) to another (the student) but is instead formulated through dialogue between the two. Freire's argument concludes that “authentic education is not carried on by “A” for “B” or by “A” about “B,” but rather by “A” with “B.”. The representation of knowledge rather than the imposition of it leads to liberation.Method
As a method of teaching, problem-posing involves "listening, dialogue, and action." Many models for applying problem-posing in the classroom have been formulated since Freire first coined the term. One of the most influential models is the book Freire for the Classroom: A Sourcebook for Liberatory Teaching edited by Ira ShorIra Shor
Ira Shor is a professor at the City University of New York, where he teaches composition and rhetoric. In collaboration with Paulo Freire, he has been one of the leading exponents of critical pedagogy.-Biography:...
. When teachers implement problem-posing education in the classroom, they approach students as fellow dialoguers, which creates an atmosphere of hope, love, humility, and trust. This is done through six points of reference. Dialoguers (students/teachers) approach their acts of knowing as grounded in individual experience and circumstance. They approach the historical and cultural world as a transformable reality shaped by human ideological representations of reality. Learners make connections between their own conditions and the conditions produced through the making of reality. Learners/Dialoguers consider the ways that they can shape this reality through their methods of knowing. This new reality is collective, shared, and shifting. Learners develop literacy skills that put their ideas into print, thus giving potency to the act of knowing. Finally, learners identify the myths dominant discourse and work to destabalize these myths, ending the cycle of oppression.
Examples
The Montessori methodMontessori method
Montessori education is an educational approach developed by Italian physician and educator Maria Montessori. Montessori education is practiced in an estimated 20,000 schools worldwide, serving children from birth to eighteen years old.-Overview:...
, developed by Maria Montessori
Maria Montessori
Maria Montessori was an Italian physician and educator, a noted humanitarian and devout Catholic best known for the philosophy of education which bears her name...
is an example of problem-posing education in an early childhood model.
Ira Shor
Ira Shor
Ira Shor is a professor at the City University of New York, where he teaches composition and rhetoric. In collaboration with Paulo Freire, he has been one of the leading exponents of critical pedagogy.-Biography:...
, a professor of Composition and Rhetoric at CUNY, who has worked closely with Freire, also advocates a problem posing model in his use of critical pedagogy
Critical pedagogy
Critical pedagogy is a philosophy of education described by Henry Giroux as an "educational movement, guided by passion and principle, to help students develop consciousness of freedom, recognize authoritarian tendencies, and connect knowledge to power and the ability to take constructive...
. He has published on the use of contract grading, the physical set-up of the classroom, and the political aspects of student and teacher roles.
Other advocates of problem-posing critical pedagogy include Henry Giroux
Henry Giroux
Henry Giroux, born September 18, 1943, in Providence, Rhode Island, is an American cultural critic. One of the founding theorists of critical pedagogy in the United States, he is best known for his pioneering work in public pedagogy, cultural studies, youth studies, higher education, media studies,...
, Peter McLaren
Peter McLaren
Peter McLaren is a Professor in the Division of Urban Schooling, the Graduate School of Education and Information Studies, University of California, Los Angeles . He is the author and editor of forty-five books and hundreds of scholarly articles and chapters...
, bell hooks
Bell hooks
Gloria Jean Watkins , better known by her pen name bell hooks, is an American author, feminist, and social activist....
, Victor Villanueva