Love, Hope, Freire

     Freire has main key educational terms throughout Pedagogy of the Oppressed: dialogue, praxis, banking model of education, and problem-posing education. Each of these terms are important in understanding the educational system that Freire has idealized. Throughout this blog, I will be explaining ideal dialogue as Freire describes and then specifically discussing how we can use popular culture to create the dialogue he suggests for the classroom.

            For Freire, dialogue is true word that is at the same time praxis (1970). It is important to understand that Freire believes that true dialogue can change the world. To me, this is a very powerful statement. That means that I, as a teacher, have the opportunity to enter into dialogue with my students and change the world with them.  At first, this sounds easy; however, it is important to remember the dialogue has to be true.

            Freire says, “For the dialogical, problem-posing teacher-student, the program content of education is neither a gift nor an imposition… but rather the organized, systematized, and developed ‘re-presentation’ to individuals of things about which they want to know more (1970).”

In my own words, this means to me that as the role of the teacher, I need to remember that the best way to present new information to my students is not as a gift, but as information that can represented and interpreted differently. Information presented as questions that as a class as a whole, we could develop answers, or not. We can question the material using critical thinking.

The best way for me to explain how I use popular culture to incorporate these critical thinking and true dialogue into a classroom is to give an example. However, before I give this example, I need to explain how I set up a lesson in my classroom.

Before I begin a lesson, I clarify key terms that were presented throughout their readings. I recognize by having students read a chapter, understand key terms, and then explain them to me, is a form of the banking model Freire wants to eliminate. However, to have a product and true dialogue, it is important all participates, including myself, understand all key concepts. In my best attempt to avoid the banking system when discussing key terms, I have the students put the definition in their own words and give an example. After this, I engage their definition and examples and question their responses.

I believe that pop culture can be used as a way to begin the dialogue process. On Monday, I will be engaging my students in a dialogue about rhetorical occasions, artistic proofs, and types of arguments. Using this context, I am preparing a lesson that using popular culture to engage the students (see previous blog) and create an effective dialogue.

To begin the lesson, I will write Aristotle, Burke, and Keith and Lundberg on the board. I am going to pass out expo markers and have the students write the definitions of rhetoric according to these scholars in their own words. After discussing what the students wrote, I am going to show an Old Spice commercial (Click Hereto watch the commercial), and as a class, we will use their definitions of rhetoric to dissect and explain this commercial. This engagement exercise is to set up the conversation and dialogue I hope my students and I can create together.

The final part of the lesson I am going to mention in this blog is the dialogue I hope to have with my students about rhetorical occasions (forensic, deliberative, and epideictic). After participating in a similar engagement exercise about the rhetorical occasions, I am going to ask the students to discuss within their groups to find an example of one of the rhetorical occasions and present their findings to the class.

The two main questions that will lead the dialogue are:

1) How does your example of rhetorical occasions add meaning to the               definition of the specific occasion?

With this question, I am hoping the students will be able to explain their example, and then the other groups will be able to provide agreements or disagreements about the example or how the example could be expanded.

2) Do you think there are more rhetorical occasions besides the ones listed     that in your textbook?

This is where I as a teacher, have the opportunity to learn something from my students. I am truly curious to see if my students believe there are more reasons for persuasion. By posing this question, I am asking my students not only to take what they know about the topic, but to critic and critic the scholars who present the information.

In summary, I have shown how using the problem-posing education philosophy presented by Freire can be implemented in the classrooms with popular culture. The popular culture can be presented by the teacher, but also allowing for students to use popular culture to defend definitions or arguments can hopefully create an environment that allows my students and I to continue using and #doingpopculture together in our classroom.

Button Art – Pink Ribbon Love Plaque. (2011, October 19). Retrieved October 10,    2015.

Freire, P. (2000). Pedagogy of the oppressed (30th anniversary ed.). New York:       Continuum.

Paulo Freire. (n.d.). Retrieved October 10, 2015.

Restoring Hope. (n.d.). Retrieved October 10, 2015.