Category: Leadership

Our discussion started with the statement, “teachers know everything and students know nothing.” I would consider this a common belief in the world today. We all agreed that teachers should make sure that their students are understanding the information and that they aren’t just talking at them. One member of the discussion said, “The whole thing made me think of a suppressed society” where students are being forced to learn by how the teacher is teaching and not in a way that is actually beneficial to the student. We also said, sometimes, teachers might not care if the students are actually retaining the information, and they could just talk at them to get all the information out. I think that this idea “that teachers know everything and students know nothing” has become such a common thought, because you are paying so much money for an education and that must mean that you are learning everything you need to. But, I also believe that everybody learns in different ways and that there can not just be one standard way of teaching.

Laura McGroary

Jeff Biancaniello

Amanda Regan

Seamus Corkery

Cait Mangini

Haley Clark

Sam Livorno

Makayla Medycki

Gwen Jordan

Maura Kelly

Olivia Vearling

David Macmullen

MaKenzie neiderer

Isabella Bedore

Adam Griffin

Jenna Schreiber

Josh Rogers

Luke Jarvis

Emily Foley

Paul Freire puts emphasis on the idea that students only memorize and not actually obtain the information. In our discussion, we went into depth trying to decipher what the education really is about. 

  Throughout our educational careers thus far, we all agreed on one main focus, memorization. In classes, we would just memorize the vocab and remember it for the quiz next week and repeat. There was no actual learning. Standardized tests are so heavily pushed that it creates such an unhealthy learning environment. Not only does our scores represent the school, but as well as the teachers. This makes teachers care less about us understanding and learning the material but just temporarily memorizing it, so the school doesn’t come criticize them. With getting these standardized test scores comes the money. The better the students do, the more money the school gets treating us like objects. This creates such an unhealthy and competitive atmosphere. Almost like Darwinism in the education world, but instead of survival of the fittest, its who can memorize the best. The ones who can, get the best scholarships and pay the most money for top tier schools just to say you went there. Money Is the main focus behind the education system. The more we, as students, memorize, the more money they get. 

Group Members: Emily Foley, Mackenzie Neiderer, Isabella Bedore, Adam Griffin, Jenna Schreiber, Josh Rogers, Luke Jarvis

In our discussion we talked about how we’re taught to memorize information for tests, instead of learning how to apply our knowledge to life. Schools care a lot about their reputation and their image, and about getting money, so they teach us how to memorize information in hopes that we do well on standardized tests and get good grades. In high school, we were told that doing well on the SAT’s were extremely important to be successful in the future, and to show the school’s “good teaching”. Grades were all that we cared about in high school, instead of actually learning. In reality, standardized tests and grades aren’t as important as they used to be, and colleges and companies are looking for more experience rather than at test scores. Some people said that their schools forced them to take higher level/AP courses to make the school look better. We were taught these things, instead of learning about real life experiences and skills, how to teach ourselves, how to be a “learner”. Instead, we’re taught how to memorize information to do well on a test. However, memorization doesn’t always show good teaching/learning; everyone has different methods of learning, and some people aren’t good test takers. We asked the questions “what’s the point” if we are learning just to take a test? Why is school just a competition about “who can memorize the best”? Maybe teachers do this without realizing, since this is what they were taught in school.

Attendies: Tlyer Evans, Nick Gamba, and Jake Heikkinen

Sarah Veneziale, Gabby L, Sabrina, Kyle O, Timothy D, Rabi, Christian G

Paulo Freire portrayed the idea that students are containers, being filled with whatever the teacher chooses to teach them. The teacher knows everything, and the students know nothing. In our discussion today, we disagreed with this statement. We talked about how most teachers we had didn’t treat us as nothing. Most teachers actually allowed themselves to be corrected by the students. However, there are teachers that some had that would not accept being corrected. We also discussed that teachers will benefit if they allow the students to also teach. No one knows everything, so this idea needs to be taught instead of having authoritative figures treating others as if they are nothing. We also discussed how individuals cannot be human if they aren’t taught to be creative and have their own thoughts. The last thing we all agreed on was that this concept is older, because we all have not felt the exact way Freire describes the students should feel. He writes that students feel that they are slaves and never recognize that they can educate the teacher, but this is not something I have experienced.

Meghan K. and I met up and discussed how students and teachers interact and how they benefit from each other. We discussed the assumption of roles for both students and teachers. This being that teachers are meant to provide information for their student, and students are to memorize this information to then be tested on it. One major point we made was how, nowadays, teachers and students tend to build some sort of relationship in order get along better. Rather than having the teacher talk the entire time, it is more common and effective to have the students also participate in the classroom. If the class dynamic turns into more of a discussion between students and their teacher, it is more likely the students will have a stronger understanding of the class overall.

Freire compares students to containers, which can affect them negatively.  Most teachers when teaching just stand up in front of the room and give lectures. Not every student is able to learn like that. Everyone has different ways of learning. So, one student could become a “full container” by the end of the class and others could just be “half way full”. Every teacher should want to help the students learn more and not just stop learning because they are “full”.  Teachers and students should work together to come up with ways to make students learn more. Teachers think that standing in front of the class and talking to them is helpful, when in reality students aren’t learning as much as the teachers think they are. Most students want to keep learning, but it’s hard for them because they eventually become “full”. Although students can become “full” at different times,  they all become “full” at some point and eventually have to empty out. When students “empty out” they forget everything they have already learned. 

  Bella D,  David H, Nick P, Noah H, Maddie B, Jason R 

Noah Heslop

Jason R

David H

Bella D

Maddie B

Nick P

Teachers expect students to grow based on memorization and repetition. It would be more beneficial for the teachers to learn more about how students retain knowledge instead of how they traditionally teach. That being said, it is difficult for teachers to meet each student’s needs when it comes to understanding a certain subject. Freire explains how students are “containers” and we need to be filled with knowledge. Teachers play an important role in student’s lives because they can inspire you to learn and it’s important for them to push you. Both the student and teacher need to work together to achieve their goals because students and most people in general are bad with memorization. Experience and hands on learning needs to be incorporated more with today’s education due to the facts that when something is engaging, it tends to lure students in. If students are exposed to interactive learning, it’ll be more memorable based on action instead of pure memorization.

Gabby learn
Timothy D
Kyle O
Sarah V
Rabi

Teachers talk about reality tho it’s predictable opposite has students

In my discussion group today the topic was how Freire describes teachers as being very “opposites” from the students. We talked about how this makes students not able to express creativity. We also discussed how Freire states how misguided the education system and that he stays students are basically containers because students don’t learn anything, we just store information. He compares students as slaves and they never discovery that they teach the teacher. So students are misguided that teachers don’t learn new things from teachers, so they get not recognition. Students are unable to be their own person because they are already attempted to the world. We talked about it makes sense he thinks these thoughts due to the time period it was written in, the 1970. Are topic of discussion also led us into mentioning the “Banking concept of education” that we as students just take in deposits of information the teacher is saying. We don’t understand why he says teachers know everything and students know nothing. Teachers think we know nothing to make it easier for them to explain lessons and teach, students know stuff but teachers act like we don’t.

Group: David H, Bella D, Maddie B, Nick P, Noah H

It compares students to containers by teachers just lecturing the entire time and students just retaining the information. After a while the container will eventually be filled, and you will start to lose the information. This negatively impact their learning abilities by them forgetting what they were even listening to. This is turning into memorization instead of actually learning. Teachers don’t necessarily understand the fact that all students have more than just their class and they also have other information that they have to retain. Some Gen Ed professors give the most work even though it is only a class that students are made to take. Students major classes don’t give as much work as Gen Ed courses. So for the simple fact that we need more hands on learning instead of PowerPoint lectures would be helpful in the educational atmosphere. This way students don’t get bored and they are engaged in their classes because like I stated before, once the container is filled and starts to overflow is when students struggle the most. Especially if there is more than one class. 

Discussion group

Nik P. Jason R. Maddie B. Bella B. Noah H. 

Freire compares students to containers because they dont learn anything and they just store info in their brain like a container. One comparison I made was to a file cabinet, a brain is the same way you can only hold so much in it till you have to empty what you already had or get a new one losing all that old information. It is bad for students because they’re never going to hold onto information they learned in the past. As freire also said, students way of “learning” is just repetition over and over until they memorize it. They will never retain any of this information. I think a way a teacher and student can work together is to think of a different way to teach. It says in the writing that teachers see students as very dumb and they are superior to them. If they didn’t think this way and actually tried to help the students learn by being more hands on instead of just lecturing over and over until the students memorize the material, it would make it a much better learning experience for students. 

The people at this discussion were Maddie B. Jason R. David H. Bella D. Nick P. Noah H.

Freire compares students to a container which can negatively impact their learning. If you compare a student to a container, they can be expected to cram a lot of information in a short amount of time. Students have many classes a day and have to memorize many facts and statements said by their teachers in that class. I think sometimes teachers forget that students are in many classes and can easily become a “full container” in just one class. I believe that a lecture is an ineffective way to teach a student, as it can be harder to memorize so much information. If students were more engaged in the lesson, they may be more motivated to learn. This might also help the student to retain the information better, as they can remember what they were doing and how they were involved in the topic, rather than all the information that was said to them in a large class setting. Students and teachers should work together to allow the student to participate in the topic being discussed that day in order to allow the student to engage in the topic.

Today in my discussion group my classmates and I talked about the topic “The teachers know everything and the students know nothing” on “The ‘Banking’ Concept of Education” by Paulo Freire. during the discussion we all gave our opinions on the topic then tried to relate how we think present day classes with a teacher are like now to what they should be. In my opinion I stated that being in a classroom nowadays can be very diverse. By this I mean it really matters who your teacher/professor is. In some of my classes I feel as if the environment can be more dictated but on the other hand I also have classes where the whole classroom is involved not just the professor being the only one talking. I feel as if a classroom with everyone involved creates a more comfortable place for students like me to actually pay attention. Teachers very much do have more intellect on the topic of the subject but if the teacher actually gets the students involved and communicating, they could have a better understanding of who their students actually are and how they like to be taught. If a generic teacher just thinks of there students as just learners and not people then the odds of you actually getting close with that student and creating a bond to where you can actually reach out to them and change the way they think on a certain subject is very low. Teachers need to realize that a classroom is meant to be communicative and guiding. Once that is realized teachers will understand that teaching is an art not a job.

Discussion Group Names- Olivia Vearling, Jeff Biancaniello, David Macmullen, Sam Livornl, Amanda Regan, Gwen Jordan, Maura Kelly, Caitlin Mangini, Laura Mcgroary, and Hailey Clark.

Today my group discussed how memorizing content while in high school very well could have affected our learning style as we begin at a higher level of education. As many people will experience, transitioning from high school to college can be a challenging adjustment. With that being said, many students must adapt to another learning and studying style. While in high school it is almost too easy to memorize the information that is being thrown at us, after all, once that unit is over the subject is barely touched on again. This gives students a reason to memorize information only so they can excel on an exam. College on the other hand is far different. College is a choice for most people, and we are expected to want to learn about the information we are given because it will help us build onto the knowledge we need for a desired job. A college student must learn the content that they are given rather than just memorizing because these topics will never go away. Once your major is declared, the courses that you take will only be beneficial information that you must know for your career. Memorizing is a very easy way to get through; but in order to completely understand the information we are given, you must learn the content.

People in group: Lauren B, Ava H, Kira A, TJ F, Sam W, RJ W.

Memorization, how it benefits a student, and how it disadvantages a student.

Leader Ava Hill

Followers TJ Fitzpatrick, RJ W, Sam W, Kira A, Lauren B, Kathy S

Today we talked about the memorization and how especially in high school you were programmed to memorialize opposed to getting hands on experience and training about how the world works. In high school the teachers only want you to go to the next level and don’t really help plan your future. High school is based on a mandatory curriculum that you must take and is filled with basic courses that you most likely will never use again. High school you learn subjects and courses only for the purpose of saying you learned it with no further meaning after high school. There are some beneficial aspects to high school memorization such as science if you chose to go down a career path in medicine etc. Most high schools learn a unit and then never go back to that unit so mesmerizing it just to pass the test becomes pointless. In conclusion the group spent most of the time discussing the lack of preparation most high schools give their students prior to sending them off into their futures.

My group talked about the significance of memorization and it’s usefulness in both high school and college. In high school, the curriculum wasn’t as challenging which allowed students to just pass classes with memorization. In college, you’re kinda forced to study and understand the information in order to pass the test and the class. Memorization is beneficial to some extent because you use it every day remembering homework and what you need to get done, but its not beneficial in the long run. In high school, going through units and information memorizing it for the test is pointless because as soon as you take the test all the information is forgotten about. In college, the professors want you to understand the information and you should want to understand it as well considering you’re paying for the class. High school teachers are more lenient on information because most of the classes are general education classes that everyone needs to take. In college you get to confine your classes down to what best suits you and learn the information that will help benefit your future.

People: Ava H, Sam W, TJ F, Kira A, Lauren B, Katherine S

Today’s discussion was led by Olivia Vearling and followed by David Macmullen, Jeff Biancaniello, Gwen Jordan, Maura Kelly, Makayla Medycki, Sam Livorno, Cait Mangini, Laura McGroary, Seamus Corkery, Haley Clark, and myself. We discussed the idea that “teachers know everything, and students know nothing”. We talked about how teachers do not always focus on their students understanding the content but instead just using memorization as a way of learning. This effects the point of teachers knowing everything and the students know nothing because they are not properly being taught the material to help them understand and learn the topics. During our discussion, a topic was brought up that students have a hard time expressing their creativity because they are forced to abide by the way the teachers lead the topics versus the students taking some control and having actual interaction with every lesson to really help them understand the topics that are being taught. It forces a wall to go up because some students feel they can not express their creativity because they are taught to go by the teacher. Many teachers use lectures as a way of teaching rather than engaging with the students to bring out a different side of them. That is why this idea that students know nothing is expressed in our society because they can not fully grasp the content without actual interaction and bringing their own personalities into each lesson. Students do have strong knowledge of certain topics, but teachers have to engage in order to provide full understanding of what is being taught.

The discussion topic for the group was based off a statement from “The ‘Banking’ Concept of Education”, written by Paulo Freire. The statement was “the teacher knows everything and the student knows nothing”. The statement itself allows the reader to begin associating a classroom with an oppressed society, in which the tyrant, who knows all, sees all, hears all, is the teacher and the student, who only listens because they are either forced to or feel they cannot live without guidance, is the slave or servant. In the class room, students do not have a say to what is being taught or how it is taught. They have to not only learn new information but also have to learn how the teacher teaches and adjust to their habits. Due to how arbitrary the statement is, it cannot be agreeable and should not be used to describe a classroom setting, especially in today’s society.

Discussion group included: Mikayla Medycki, David Macmullen, Jeff Biancia, Maura Kelly, Gwen Jordan, Shamus Corckery, Cait Mangeni, Laura Mcgroary, Haley Clark, Amanda Reegan, and Sam Livorno.