Blogpost 6

In class on Thursday we worked in groups and discussed important parts of our reading in “Educational Foundations”. We discussed different questions, things that made us wonder and even made some outside connections. We marked off what we felt to be important parts of the reading with PostIt notes. There was a spot in particular that that caught my eye that my group marked. It quotes, “education thus becomes an act of depositing, in which the students are the depositories and the teacher is the depositor. Instead of communicating, the teacher issues communiques and makes deposits which the students patiently receive, memorize, and repeat. This is the “banking” concept of education, in which the scope of action allowed to the students extends only as far as receiving, filing, and storing the deposits.”  I believe that a large part of my time as a student was spent memorizing facts and information, taking a test, and forgetting all about it. This was not an effective way of learning, and it is also known as the “banking” method. There is a lack of creativity in the classroom, and there is such an emphasis on simply knowing the facts to pass a test. In the book, it states that knowledge comes from invention and re-invention, and that “...through the restless, impatient, continuing, hopeful inquiry human beings pursue in the world, with the world, and with each other.” I agree with this statement, while I feel that outside connections are important when learning. It is important to work with others and relate to what is being done. Although I feel that memorization can be important depending on the concept, being able to apply what is being learned will truly help a student retain the information. I feel that schools need to take a step away from the harsh focus on standardized tests and give the students a real chance to truly obtain their knowledge.