An exploration of Freire’s dialogue

Abstract

The ideas of Paulo Freire resonate strongly with international educators, especially in those who are familiar with the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. Although Freire’s work was targeted at the adult population in a rural context, the notion of downsizing or eliminating the existing hierarchy between teachers and students through what he calls a true dialogue, can be applied to the school context. The main challenge in the milieu of schools is to move away from the concept of tabula rasa, which is generally held by teachers, students, and parents. Freire strongly criticises ‘traditional’ or ‘banking education’ precisely because it assumes that pupils are similar to empty bank accounts in which money (i.e. knowledge) has to be accumulated. The key term under exploration in this paper is dialogue, which according to Freire, cannot exist unless there are contradictions. Such contradictions, which originate from previously held knowledge and from different personal perspectives, are the elements that should fuel interactions between students and teachers. Without dialogue, there is no true education but only an imposition of pre-approved educational models drawn by governments to suit their own purposes. It is through dialogue that teachers and students achieve genuine social equality since teaching and learning become reciprocal: “Authentic education is not carried on by "A" for "B" or by "A" about "B," but rather by "A" with "B," mediated by the world.” (Freire, 1970, 1993)