Josh Nielsen

Carrie Sippy

ENGL 1102

3-14-2013

Annotated Bibliography

Freire, Paulo. “Chapter 2.” Pedagogy Of The Oppressed. New York: Continuum Books, 1993.

Print.

In this chapter of his book Paulo Freire establishes the concept of what he call the “Banking

model of education.” He defines this as a type of education where information is given or

“Deposited” into the student without room for question or criticism. The success of any student

is then measured by how much that student can regurgitate on a test. Freire goes on to define

another type of education. This one he calls the problem-posing style of education. This style is

centered around education being conscious of the world around us and learning to view

“consciousness as consciousness of consciousness.” Freire's ultimate goal in pointing this is to

show that the banking model of education has been employed by every oppressive regime. He

claims that “No oppressive order could permit the oppressed to begin to question: Why?” ()

Based on my study of history and my research into education so far I think that Freire's

argument is quite valid. One point that I think is a little unclear is whether or not the banking

model should be used under any circumstances. From his book it seems that Freire would say

no. It should be said that there are certain subjects which require rote memorization. However I

don't think Freire would be opposed to having calculus students memorize the unit circle, or the

formulas for calculating the area of three dimensional solids, so long as the students are also

taught how these formulas work and when to apply them.

In my project I am looking how different types of education affect a person's readiness

for college and life beyond. The ideas Freire presents in this chapter go right along with my

topic. Consciousness of consciousness when you think about it is a big part of being prepared. I

would like to determine what systems of education currently in place use something like

Freire's problem-posing method. So this article will serve as a definition of what a problem-

posing model looks like and some benefits that come with using something similar.

Bugliarello, George. “A New Trivium and Quadrivium.” Bulletin of Science, Technology & Society

23.2 (2003): 106-113. Web. 13 Mar. 2013.

In this article Bugliarello argues that a classical education as it has been designed is no longer

applicable in the modern world. He goes on to say that “An education cannot be called truly

humanistic if it fails to look at humans in the context of the evolutionary history of the biosoma

and its projections into the future.” In other words, if our modern education isn't taking into

account the world that we live in and the technologies we posses than it is failing. While I

would agree that this is true I would also say that the basic building blocks of education, or the

trivium, are tools are still important. They should be learned, not because they are important in

and of themselves, but rather because they allow us to learn more efficiently. Additionally, they

allow for a greater use of the information we already know. My views are somewhat contrary to

those presented in this article. However I would like to use this article to bridge the gap between

different styles of education. Parts of classical education, specifically the quadrivium

(arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, and music) are a little outdated. These should be replaced

with studies that reflect the changes in society and technology. Yet the foundation or trivium

(grammar, logic, and rhetoric) should not necessarily be thrown out as well.

Howe, Daniel Walker. "Classical Education In America." Wilson Quarterly 35.2 (2011):

MasterFILE Complete. Web. 24 Feb. 2013.

The article Classical Education In America makes a lot of good points about the purpose of

classical education as well as a brief history of its success or lack thereof in recent U.S. history.

One of Howe's first remarks was in lament over the number of schools that no longer required a

study of the classics nor even offered such a study. Howe goes on to admit that studying the

classics does not directly help in most vocations. He claims that it has much more to do with

building up the individual in a holistic sense. While learning classical greek would not for

instance help me as a computer programmer, it would, he argues, build a sense of self discipline

and require me to build up my logic and thinking skills. This would in turn help me not only

within my field of study but in pretty much anything I do.

The goal of my project is to determine how much a study of the classics really helps. In this

way I will be trying to determine how much I would agree with the point of view that this

article provides. Though there may be benefits to a classical education it may not be realistic for

everyone. Perhaps there are people who would profit more from a vocational track. In addition

this article could help me as I continue in my project to find ways of combining a classical style

education and more practical or vocational education.

Robinson, Ken. “Do Schools Kill Creativity?”

http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html

Ken Robinson provides what I think is a very insightful point of view on the issue of education.

Robinson makes the point that nobody really know what will happen in the future but the

purpose of education is to prepare the next generation for the unknown. Later in the

presentation he brings in quote from Picasso who said “All children are born artists. The

problem is to remain an artist as we grow up.” Robinson is making the claim that our modern

systems of education are discouraging art and creativity. Math and language are taught

religiously and music, art, dance, and drama are barely touched upon. It is true that it is

important to learn math and science and other subjects that can provide a more stable career. Yet

everyone in this world who has made a significant change, who has done something incredible,

has done it because they were able to think outside the box. They were able to adapt and take all

their knowledge and apply it to solve a problem. To do this takes creativity just as much as it

does knowledge. Robinson talks a lot about education as a means of preparation which is a big

part of my inquiry. This close parallel coupled with Robinson's rather unique view makes this a

very useful source as I continue inquiring into this topic.