Problem-posing education, coined by the Brazilian educator Paulo Freire in his
1970 book Pedagogy of the Oppressed, is a method of teaching that empha-
sizes critical thinking for the purpose of liberation. Freire used problem posing
as an alternative to the banking model of education.
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 instru-
ments for the maintenance of this culture of silence".
Freire's philosophy of education centers on critical consciousness, whereby
the oppressed recognize the causes of their oppression "so that through trans-
forming action they can create a new situation, one which makes possible the
pursuit of fuller humanity".[2] Problem-posing education is the path to critical
consciousness.
Freire's work has its roots in the constructivist theory of learning, and specifi-
cally the work of Jean Piaget and John Dewey.[citation needed] The construc-
tivist 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 wrote:
Education as the practice of freedom—as opposed to education as the prac-
tice 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.[3]
The philosophy of problem-posing education is the foundation of modern criti-
cal pedagogy.[4] Problem-posing education solves the student–teacher contra-
diction by recognizing that knowledge is not deposited from one (the teacher)
to another (the student) but is instead formulated through dialogue between
the two.[5] Freire's argument concludes that "authentic education is not car-
ried on by "A" for "B" or by "A" about "B", but rather by "A" with "B".[5] The
representation of knowledge rather than the imposition of it leads to libera-
tion.
As a method of teaching, problem-posing involves "listening ..., dialogue ...,
and action".[6] 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 Shor. When teachers imple-
ment problem-posing education in the classroom, they approach students as
fellow learners and partners in dialogue (or dialoguers), which creates an at-
mosphere of hope, love, humility, and trust.[7] This is done through six points
of reference.
