Category: Weekly Responses

Timothy Domanowski, Jake D, Gabby L, David H, Jason R, Maddy B,

The the topic is that oppressed people in the society are seen as not part of the society.

Jake says he feels that there should be more opportunities for oppressed people. Which goes into his background which he worked at Andrew L Hicks Jr foundation to help kids in Chester. The richer families have an easier time than the poorer ones. You can’t stop people from being poor but you can help them get on their feet and improve their lives. For example Jake did a backpack drive for schools to help kids get access to school supplies; He also helped kids by mentoring them and still talks to someone of them to this day. The poor are still part of our society and we still interact with them on the street and we can’t ignore them by acting like they are not part of our community. More people should try to help out people in worse conditions than them.

Gabby learn, David H, Jason R, Maddie B, Jake D, Timothy D

In our discussion group we talked about Friere’s quote “The truth is, however, that the oppressed are not “marginals,” are not people living “outside” society. They have always been “inside”—inside the structure which made them “beings for others.” ” We also discuss our opinions towards this very much similar situation we deal with today when it comes to oppression. We shared our opinions some people thought there should be more opportunities due to the fact their is still racism. Lower class still to this day have less chances and opportunities then people that are privileged with money. They are in the society but more outsiders. They are commonly seen has two completely different things. Jake connects to the Friere’s quote due to the fact he’s apart of a foundation that was for a kid who fell off a cliff in California while hiking and died. The kids passion was helping out the people in poverty in Chester, we all agree that there should be more people like Andrew who went out of his way to help the less fortunate kids in Chester. The foundation involves people pairing up with kids in Chester and mentor them for school events. They also collect backpacks and school supplies and donate them to the kids in Chester that can’t afford school supplies.

Group: Gabby L, David H, Maddy B, Jake D, Timothy D

In our discussion group, we talked about Friere’s quote “The truth is, however, that the oppressed are not “marginals,” are not people living “outside” society. They have always been “inside”—inside the structure which made them “beings for others.” Oppression is a major topic not only in Friers story but in todays society. Obviously with everything going on with police brutality in lower income neighborhoods and Colin Kaepernick expressing his situations in the NFL and social media. Its obvious that on the news we see this everyday within lower income neighborhoods such as Chester for example. Chester is a major example that Jake has taken his time to supply school supplies for underprivileged kids in the area who may have been oppressed in the past. What Frier said in his story was that students are on the “inside” and they can’t get out because they are being oppressed or being trapped. They need help getting out so Jake talked about how he helps out those kids.

Jake D, Gabby L, David H, Jason R, Maddie B, Timothy D

In our discussion, we talked about oppression and how different groups of people are “inside the structure,” as said by Freire. I think the people who are oppressed have less opportunity. It is well known that people born into wealthier families will most likely live in that lifestyle. On the other side, those born poor will most likely stay that way their entire lives. In society today, many different groups of people are oppressed. I think there should be more opportunity for those oppressed, to become more successful. I also think people should try and help those who are oppressed to stay on their feet. It is difficult to overcome poverty without help from others. Often times people will donate money to things that are not, in my opinion, as important as taking care of oppressed people. For example, people are donating millions of dollars to build a wall, while there are people who struggle to eat everyday.

Discussion Group

Noah H. Kyle O. Bradely, Muhamed Donny L. Bella D.  Haley M. Sean R. Nik P

A traditional classroom works better because each student gets equal help while in a lecture hall you usually dont know the professor as well as in a smaller classroom. The spacing in a smaller classroom allows you to have more interactions with your professor compared to in a lecture where the professor usually never knows your name. I feel that you learn better if you know your professor more. Learning has a lot to do with the environment around you. If you are in a smaller class you may learn better because you can interact with your professor more, but in a lecture its hard to pay attention and learn because there are way more people. Lastly, an online course is a very weird way of learning in my opinion because you arent face to face with a teacher you’re working all on your own. 

Group: Dana Roeder, Sami Kakar, Abbey Johnson, Isabella Desario

We discussed in our group that we believe teachers can also learn from students while in the classroom. The group agreed with the statement as there are many way pupils could instruct teachers on many topics. All that needs to be done is open communication and discussion during class. These two keys will lead to success in the classroom for students, but it will also benefit teachers as they are learning themselves. By doing this, teachers can hear opinions and facts that they never had before from students. Having open discussion helps students and teachers alike due to the openness and ability to help form more opinions. Any type of classroom environment like this invites people to be more open to discussion of any type. Many teachers refuse to believe this because they do not view themselves as equal. Teachers may not realize it but they have a lot to learn from students. It may be general knowledge, but it could be involving todays trending topics.

Discussion group included: Leah Schreffler, Sam Livorno, and Laura McGroary

In our group discussion, we focused on how can a student befriend a professor, how to establish a relationship with them, and our personal experiences so far. We talked about how it really depends on the individual’s personality. For example, if you are an outgoing person, it’s much easier and comfortable for you to approach someone rather than an introvert. We discussed that because we see professors as much higher in position than students, it can be intimidating. However, students tend to forget that professors are just like us and simply just want us to achieve our goals. Professors put themselves out there and it’s up to individuals to simply approach them as a source of help. We also talked about ways to interact with professors, such as introducing yourself, sitting within the first two rows, participating in the discussions, and simply going to their office hours.

Group members: Katherine, Jeff, Josh, Leann

Today we discussed Friere’s points that “The teacher teaches and the students are taught” as well as, “the teacher knows everything and the students know nothing”. We all agreed that teacher can learn things from students and that teachers are not always right. When students put their own input into things they are learning it usually ends up being beneficial to other students that are in that class. Students that give their input may help their fellow classmates to learn and understand the topic better. Teachers also can learn from students. The way a student thinks versus the way a teacher thinks can be very different. When students express what they think and things they know the teacher can learn from that. Rather than the teacher only teaching, students can help expand other students knowledge by saying what they think. Students giving their input and ideas also engages them into conversation and it is more likely that they are going to retain the information they are being taught if it can be a discussion instead of sitting there and being lectured to.

Group members: Leann, Josh, Sam, Katherine

I disagree with this statement because I feel that the students could help out the class with their ideas. I feel if the students are engaged the students could be more into the conversation. Once students start talking I feel that more students would confident in there ideas. Some kids may be shy if only the teacher is talking and the students are sitting there listening. If a teacher just sits up there and talks the kids may not pay attention. I feel that kids are getting smarter and smarter everyday so therefore they could help a teacher out. If a student shares an idea with the teacher may use it in another class. In today’s society students know a lot about technology and they could help the teacher out. Students may not wanna sit back and get lectured they might wanna speak up and help the class. Some teachers may not know everything if it is one of there first years of teaching but an upperclassman has experienced a lot of other teachers they could reflect on their style of teaching.

Group members- Caitlin Mangini, Amanda Regan, Sabrina Lindley, Sarah Veneziali, Meghan KIdd, Seamus Corkery, Olivia Vearling, Ava Hill

In today’s discussion group we discussed the idea of humanism in the banking of education, where humans are told to consume information and spit out the answers like robots. My group agreed with this idea, considering the way teachers in our society expect kids to learn. They ask questions and immediately want students to know the answer, often getting agitated if they don’t. For example, a strategy associated with this is randomly calling on students even when it’s clear they aren’t prepared with an answer. They read from a presentation and expect the students to memorize everything they say. This is a very unrealistic approach to learning, and is often the cause of stress for many kids. School should be about broadening your horizons, and learning should be enjoyable. Instead students are stressed because there is too much pressure on them, almost as if they should act less like humans and more like robots.

Sarah Veneziale, Amanda Regan, Caitlin Mangini, Meghan Kidd, Seamus Corkery, Sabrina Lindley, Haley Clark, Olivia Vearling, Ava Hill

Our group had a lot of the same opinions on whether or not humans are told to consume information and spit out the answer, much like a robot. The majority agreed with this statement, saying teachers expect students to know information automatically right after they teach us. They give no room for us to comprehend what is being said. Also, students are expected to know information without explanation. Words and phrases are supposed to make sense and click without the teacher having to explain. Therefore it is up to the students to dictate their education. If teachers are not as helpful and resourceful as a student wishes, it is their job to find different ways in order to comprehend what will be taught in class. It is up to the student now to teach themselves, if the teacher is treating them as a robot or computer. Today, I feel as if some professor do treat me as if I should automatically know a certain word or process. It took time to adjust, but now I know that I will only succeed if I take further steps in educating myself prior or during a lesson when this situation occurs.

Amanda R., Sara V., Meghan K., Seamus C., Sabrina L., Haley C., Olivia V.

In our discussion group we talked about how Fiere discusses that “Humanism in the banking concept masks humans turning them into automatons;” Basically turning humans into computers and robots. Our group discussed both sides of this, agree and disagree. We all agreed that teachers just talk and fill us with information in hopes that we will just spit out all the information they have given us on our tests, without really explaining the why and how of the information. Teachers also often put us on the spot by calling us out to answer questions in class just like a robot would. They have hoped you have memorized and retained the explosive amount of information they have given you. The disagreement to this point is that teachers want you to be critical thinkers, and become learners. Everything shouldn’t just be given to you, teachers don’t want to chase you, they want you to pull out the important information. Teachers can talk for hours and often very few will actually take out information and truly learn it, instead they become robots and just use education for memorization.

Today’s discussion group included Haley Clark, Sabrina Lindley, Olivia Vearling, Sarah Veneziale, Meghan Kidd, Seamus Corkery, Ava Hill and myself.

We discussed the topic that humans are like robots when it comes to processing information. It is seen that humans are supposed to consume the information and spit out the answer right after. I agree with this topic because I feel students are not given enough time or enough information to process what they are learning. Instead, they are expected to know the answer right away. This not only plays a role in the classroom, but in the regular world as well. Humans are expected to have an answer for everything right away instead of being given time to process the information. We discussed the fact that people are always pressured to make the right decision or give the right answer right away which is why it can be seen that we are robots. Teachers will randomly call on students when they don’t volunteer because they don’t know the answer but are still expected to know it. This can be seen as a way of learning but this puts so much pressure on the student to be able to compute information as soon as they learn it which is what a computer or robot can do. Therefore, I agree that students are viewed as robots because they must be able to process the information as soon as it is given to them.

Group Members- Caitlin Mangini, Amanda Regan, Sarah Veneziale, Megan Kid, Sambrina Lindley, Haley Clark, Olivia Vearling, and Ava Hill

The topic for our discussion group this week was humanism. More specifically humanism in the banking concept masks humans turning into automatons. This concept suggests that we as students are supposed to take in everything that the teacher teaches and then be able to have all of the answers to the teachers question when asked. This leaves the students with little room to be creative. Our group felt that although it is important to study and memorize what is being taught to us in class; we also feel that the students should not be treated like robots. This takes away the students freedom to learn the way which best suits them. Another subtopic that our group hit on was the need for teachers to aid in students learning instead of simply providing the material. If the teacher would aid in students learning than it could definitely have positive effects on their grades, their class participation, and simply their confidence in the classroom. If teachers could follow some these tips then their students would feel significantly more confident in class and in themselves.

Group members- Haley Clark, Amanda Regan, Sarah Veneziale, Meghan Kidd, Seamus Corkery, Olivia Vearling, Ava Hill

In our discussion group we discussed how humans are told to consume information and spit out the answer like a computer or robot. I agree with this because many teachers just project a power point and expect us to know and understand the material without giving explanations or real life applications. Teachers also call out random students to answer questions based on the material they just gave the students, expecting the students to quickly memorize the information. Students feel the pressure to just memorize and spit out the information like robots in order to pass the tests. Students become only concerned in passing a test instead of applying and understanding the information. However, it does not have to be this way, students can take the information and ask questions and ask the teachers to elaborate on the information so that they can get more out of the lesson. The banking concept of education causes students to be like a computer or robot because the education system limits students creativity by making us be “deposits” of information.

Followers: Emily F, Makayla M, Julia D, Mia C, Juliana B, Michael L, Gwen J, Maura K

What Makes a teacher a “good” or “bad” teacher to you? How does your opinion support or differ from Freires’s opinion?

Friday September 13th, 2019

At the Tables outside the WCU Campus Rec. (close to outdoor basketball courts) @ 10:00am

In this group we will be discussing our opinions on Freire’s points that he mentioned in his writing. These are going to be the two focused quotes: “The teacher teaches and the students are taught” as well as, “the teacher knows everything and the students know nothing”.

We’ll meet Thursday 9/12 at 1:15 p.m. at the tables outside of Starbucks (next to the Green Library)

Discussion Group Participants– Mackenzie Neiderer, Isabella Bedore, Adam Griffin, Jenna Schreiber, Josh Rogers, Luke Jarvis, Emily Foley

In our group discussion, we focused on how educators do not care about a student’s understanding of the course content but rather, a student’s capabilities to memorize material. We came to the conclusion that education is a less intense version of the hunger games; it’s all about survival of the fittest, who can memorize the most. Our generation is told how lazy we are and how we have no work ethic. In reality, we don’t know what real work is because all we’ve been programmed to do is take test, to make our teachers look better and get our schools money. We have been turned into robots that regurgitate information with no concept of its real world application. Memorization has dehumanized us. I can’t hold a basic conversation with another human being. However, I can recite the quadratic formula by heart. We have not been taught how to succeed in the real world and many of us are going to turn into the failure that we are told we are. Schools need to refocus their priorities, and money, on providing students with resources to help them figure out their futures. Students need to start taking their lives into their own hands and turn their education around. The scary reality is that we are the future of this country and the world. If our generation doesn’t try to learn from the roadblocks laid out for us, we will fail. And in turn, so will everything else.