Pedagogy of the Oppressed Response

     I clearly spoke too soon about unpacking complex theories in my post on Narrative Learning in Third Update on Adult Learning Theory. For me, the language in Pedagogy of the Oppressed was dense, nearly the epitome of academic jargon meant to obscure meaning rather than enlighten at first. However, as I started to adjust to the writing style, I found so many thought-provoking topics, and I try to touch upon a few of them here.

The more things change…

     I can easily see why this book is a classic, seminal text. The concepts presented here seem to be timeless. As long as oppression exists, texts that attempt to illuminate the corrosive effects of power imbalances will exist. However, this book sets out to not only describe the situation, but to also offer constructive and transformative ways to address oppression. While I was reading Chapter One, many of the concepts resonated with me. However, one quote jumped out at me. When describing the features of the relationship between the oppressed and the oppressors, Freire writes in a footnote, “fear of freedom is also to be found in the oppressors, though, obviously, in a different form. The oppressed are afraid to embrace freedom; the oppressors are afraid of losing the ‘freedom’ to oppress” (p.46). This quote immediately brought to mind an article I read recently. In the article “Whites Believe They Are Victims of Racism More Often Than Blacks,” a study conducted at Tufts University’s School of Arts and Sciences and Harvard Business School reveals that while there was a general consensus that racism against black people had decreased, white participants expressed the belief that discrimination against whites has increased as racism against blacks has decreased. I think this perceived “reverse racism” is the exact phenomenon Freire is describing when he writes that the oppressors fear losing the freedom to oppress. As a frequent user of social networks, I often witness outcries of “oppression” or “reverse racism” when a member of an oppressed group requests that someone not do or say something relating to actual oppression, e.g. not using racial slurs or not appropriating elements from ethnic cultures. So while it has been 44 years since this book has been published and many things have changed, the essence of oppression is still very much in evidence. Link to the article here.

The Myth of the American Dream 

     On page 139, Freire gives a list of the commons myths an oppressive order espouses to promote an artificial “free society.” Some of these myths are that the order respects human rights, there is a universal right to education, all men are equal, private property is fundamental to being a well-rounded citizen, and that meritocracy and industriousness are the sole elements that will determine whether a person is in a position of superiority or inferiority. This section was interesting because many of these myths reflect what we discussed in class about what the American dream means. I find it telling that some many of essentials of the American Dream are mirrored in this list. I’d already come to the realization that the U.S is not a truly free society, but the correlations are stark.

Banking System Education

      I had briefly been introduced to this concept before in an undergraduate Literature course, but we did not go in depth into the banking system of education. Essentially, it is the antithesis of andragogy. Everything I’ve read so far in this class about adult learning and transformative education indicates that this is detrimental to students despite its pervasiveness in education systems. I will admit that I find a certain level of comfort with this system. This is, of course, the system I was basically raised on. From kindergarten to junior year in undergrad, this was the dominate model of teaching I experienced. Sure, some professors made it more bearable than others by being enthusiastic storytellers (thereby partially engaging in narrative learning). But, for the most part, my education has been consisted of me as the receiver of knowledge and the professor as the disseminator of knowledge. For a long time, I was incredibly discouraged by this, because it seemed impossible that I could catch up to the knowledge level of my professors. I didn't think there was anything I could bring to a discussion because I hadn't read all of the theories. My opinions and experiences were not especially pertinent in banking system classrooms. However, in the latter part of my junior year of college, I began to take classes that had components of self-directed learning, and, while I didn't know the terminology, I felt deeply engaged in the class material. Suddenly, there were research projects that I could choose, and professors who encouraged my interests no matter how wild they may have been. In researching my non-conventional topics, I also felt like I was teaching the professors about my particular areas of interests, similar to the student-teacher concept that subverts the traditional teacher-as-active and student-as-passive model that Freire mentions on page 80. I had a sense of control of over my education that I never felt in a banking system-based course. Admittedly, there is a kind of security in the lecture model for students because the burden of responsibility for a lesson’s success is usually on the teacher, but I do get more fulfillment in a course where I have partial control.

Narrative Learning

The articles in Third Update on Adult Learning Theory are rich with learning theories, and I’m still trying to unpack all the meanings and implications presented. All of the articles were enlightening, but the article that piqued my interest the most was “Narrative Learning in Adulthood” by M. Carolyn Clark and Marsha Rossiter. The narrative theory the article describes rings true for my own personal experience. The idea that people construct their identities and reality based on storytelling is incredibly compelling.  I often find myself reassessing my identity through constructing “stories” about my past and its effects on my present. Of course, before reading this article, I wouldn’t have called them stories at all. My friends and family also engage in storytelling as a way of labeling people or situations through gossiping. I would like to do more research in this area because it seems so very true.

I’ve also experienced narrative learning. Some of the classes I’ve found most memorable were ones where storytelling was utilized as a primary teaching technique. For example, my high school A.P American History class always felt like a particularly informative soap opera where the setting was the past and the actors were historical figures. The side stories my teacher told us gave the dry facts in the textbook life and cut the sense of detachment the printed text fostered. The article gave three methods on how to incorporate narrative learning into a course: learning journals, concept-focused autobiography, and instructional case studies. I haven’t had much experience with the latter one, but learning journals have been a powerful tool for me, and my Linguistic Autobiography allowed me to really delve into a concept and connect the concept to myself. 

Response to Adult Learners in Focus 2008

“The good news is that adults are making up an ever larger share of the total enrollment in postsecondary institutions. By 2004, adults made up approximately 43 percent of total enrollment at community colleges (includes full-time and part-time).” (7) 

My response:

It is good news that adults are recognizing that more post-secondary education will better their chances in life. However, this quote ignores the fact that only 31% of these students are likely to have graduated within 3 years at their community college. (Source: Click here for link to the National Center for Education Statistics page). So I’m interested in why that rate is so low and what can be done to improve graduation rates.

 “States vary significantly in their success in moving students through this traditional educational pipeline. . . . But reliance on and attention to the traditional educational pipeline alone will not be enough.” (22) 

My response:

Although I understand that the focus of this report is to provoke a rapid increase in the United States’ current statistics, I believe this quote is incredibly short-sighted. Reforming the traditional educational pipeline would be a preventative inoculation so that many of the problems facing adult/nontraditional learners today are less likely to repeat in the future.  This, of course, is not to say that we should ignore the current problem facing nontraditional students; however, only focusing on this population is short-sighted in a global consideration of the poor condition of our education system.

“Nontraditional students—for example,  those who have  delayed enrollment in postsecondary education, work full-time while enrolled, or have dependents other than a spouse—were more likely than traditional students both to participate in distance education and to be in programs available entirely through distance education” (8)

My response

To me, the idea that many nontraditional students would choose to participate in distance education is not too surprising. The student population I have worked with—many of them fit the criteria of adult learners— supports this claim. At the Veterans Upward Bound program, many veterans are seeking ways to re-acclimatize to a learning environment after years of active duty. The main struggle they have is attendance. Because many of them are adults, they have many priorities outside of education: work, child-rearing, mental and physical health, and so on. Therefore, I understand the temptation a nontraditional learning may have when signing up for a distance course. However, the quoted passage above states that nontraditional students “were more likely than traditional students both to participate in distance education” (8). Participation does not in and of itself imply nor guarantee successful completion of those courses. There can be many obstacles to distance education as well; the primary one is the technology barrier that my older adults may encounter.

Although Adult Learners in Focus 2008 highlighted many solutions to accessibility, the report failed to acknowledge the technology barrier. Two solutions to this barrier can be increased support from faculty and staff and free technology workshops. In my prior position with 1199 Benefits Union, I worked with practicing Registered Nurses who were pursuing Bachelor’s Degrees. Their courses were a mixture of traditional on-site courses, online courses, and hybrid courses which attempted to combine the two. After a semester of the student’s various complaints, I was hired as a supplemental instructor, and one of my goals was to support the students in their learning of the various computer programs they would need to know in order to successfully complete their courses. I held general workshops for basic writing, but most of my time was devoted to explaining how to navigate Blackboard, how to join a Google Hangout, or how to set up running headers in Microsoft Word. Another important aspect of this position was that it maintained the essence of distance learning: I had to travel to the students, oftentimes at their place of work during their lunch break. I think a program that includes aspects of the 1199 program—where support is embedded in the program—might help alleviate the problem of the technology barrier.

Reflection on Brief Guide for Teaching Adult Learners

           Overall, this book was a succinct introduction to the core elements of adult education. Chapter One reviewed many popular education theories that I had heard of before, yet I had never really thoroughly studied. I had learned about Malcolm Knowles before, and I had learned about Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs in my undergraduate Introduction to Psychology course. Even some of the practical exercises that were recommended, I have either participated in or facilitated. However, seeing the theories combined and viewed through lens of adult education was very eye-opening for me and left me with possible tactics I will try to test out whenever I teach workshops and in my

            I was drawn back to Chapter Two as I re-read this book. While theory is very fascinating, I loved the examples of practical applications. One suggestion I loved was the structured classroom discussion called Paired Verbal Fluency wherein paired students took turns talking about the lecture in specific time-frames. The rules were simple, and it might seem a bit forced and artificial to naturally more extroverted students. However, as an introverted student, I appreciate the framed context because I believe it could cut down of social anxiety. I was also intrigued by the A La Carte Syllabus. I've never encountered a class when students could choose assignments with that level of freedom. On one hand, it could be a total disaster with teacher-directed learners (there could be many bewildered claims of “But, Professor, I was confused about which assignment was due!”). However, it may well be a hit with students who are already truly self-directed learners because it will feed into their desire to be independent and have a say in the curriculum. I would be interested in participating in a course that incorporated the A La Carte Syllabus.

This is a test post for my blog. This is my English C0865: Adult Learners of Language & Literacy response blog, and here I will be posting responses to readings, essays, and book reviews related to the class.