Collective Cognition

A pedagogy built on authentic dialogue, conscientisation and revolutionary praxis can never serve the interests of oppressors; on the contrary, it is openly supportive of the struggle against oppression. Problem-posing education reaffirms human beings as subjects, furnishes hope that the world can change and, by its very nature, is necessarily directed toward the goal of humanisation.

— Roberts (1996, p297)

Inside a square room, four rows of five seats sit in silence. The beige walls house displays of History, or English – never both – with the aim to inspire the cohort through carefully formatted, illustrated prose. To the right of the room, two large windows connect the inside to the outside, where learning ends and children play and run and talk, before returning indoors. Play ceases here.

At the front of the room, a teacher stands behind a desk and in front of a board, facing the rows of empty seats. The pupils file in, noisily. Each return to their assigned chair, sits down, but not before the teacher gives their first instruction – the lesson has begun in which they are to be taught.

Foolish to think they may learn from each other; a curriculum must be followed. Pupils must ‘learn’ to be graded, to be tested, to achieve. Knowledge to be bestowed upon vessels by the one who knows all. In a place made to educate, the classroom confines and silences and stifles, withholding the knowledge and experience existing outside of

Essentialism is a philosophical theory which emphasises the teaching of traditional skills taught by a teacher to a student. Essentialism has come to influence modern day education over other forms of philosophical theory due to increased standardisation and importance placed on outcomes rather than the experience of learning. Within modern day education, from primary schools up until university level, the distinct hierarchal structure prohibits creativity, free-thought and perpetuates oppression within an educational setting. This pattern seeks to propose that a more dialogical approach to education may create more rewarding learning opportunities and increasingly humane practices within a modern society.

Although in more recent centuries active learning techniques have become a more developed practice within education, the issue of heirarchy perpetuated by ‘banking‘ educational practices still prevails in modern day educational institutions. The term ‘banking’ was first coined by Paulo Freire in his 1968 book Pedagogy of the Oppressed; it refers to a system in education whereby teachers ‘deposit’ knowledge into students. Freire (2018, p. 72) states;

In the banking concept of education, knowledge is a gift bestowed by those who consider themselves knowledgeable upon those whom they consider to know nothing.

This is problematic for two reasons. Firstly, banking assumes that students know nothing, and can only learn from the teacher who knows everything. This therefore limits the students’ capacity to engage in critical and creative discussion (Freire, 2018, p. 296), failing to acknowledge each other’s points of view and the socio-political context of said teaching. Secondly, this perpetuates the hierarchical relationship between student and teacher, as the teacher acts as the oppressor and the students, the oppressed.

Breaking The Cycle Of Oppression

In order to create more humane educational systems, oppression must be abolished from educational practices. Oppression through educational ‘banking’ stifles creative thinking which students must recognise to consequently breakdown the oppressive structures they are in (Freire, 2018, p. 296). Often, those as a collective fail to recognise the power they have to liberate themselves, and instead strive to obtain the role of the oppressor. This, however, is a false depiction of liberation. As Freire (2018, p. 46) states;

It is a rare peasant who, once ‘promoted’ to overseer, does not become more of a tyrant towards his former comrades than the owner himself.

This illustrates how the cycle of oppression is never broken when the oppressed wish to become the oppressors as this is their perceived freedom, instead of having the ability to recognise their collective power in pursuit of true liberation.

An example of the cycle of oppression within modern-day educational systems is exhibited in the 2022 Environmental investigation which looked into the teaching practices at the Bartlett School of Architecture. The report details how power dynamics were a key issue which led to multiple accounts of misconduct, bullying and contributed towards the toxic working environment of the school (Howlett Brown, 2022, p. 39). Students stated they were gaslit and bullied by tutors and furthermore, it was extremely difficult for students to present their issues to anyone that would listen as comments such as ‘it’s always been this way’ (Howlett Brown, 2022, p. 39) were used to normalise the poor behaviours of the tutors in

22 Composting is so hot power. This was compounded by the employment of former alumni as tutors who would perpetuate this teaching style. In this sense, the tutors as the oppressors use the imbalance of power to take advantage of those below them, allowing them to have leverage over their access to opportunities, resources and bargaining powers over the student (Howlett Brown, 2022, p. 41), and worse, the power to speak out against them due to years of cyclical oppression before.

problem posing education and de-schooling society

In order to combat this dehumanising approach to education, one must consider other means of education where a hierarchy between the student and teacher is dismantled, and learning is prioritised. The dialogical approach of ‘problem-posing’ education serves as way to achieve this. Teachers assume the role of both teacher and student and vice versa for the students (Freire, 2018, p. 296); this allows everyone in the education process to have the ability to teach and be taught, thus disassembling the hierarchy on both sides. The role of the teacher fundamentally changes so that he/she may offer structure, direction and a goal for the educative process as well as offering critical feedback for both verbal and written work, however in doing so does not impede on the ‘horizontal’ structure opposing traditional hierarchy within education (Freire, 2018, p. 172). This approach to teaching benefits students, allowing them to situate their own thoughts amongst those of other students and within a socio-political context. Furthermore, it encourages interrogation, critical thinking and connection between different topics and subjects to facilitate an integrated learning experience beyond the parameters of a traditional curriculum, consequently leading to a more humane approach to education.

To further enhance the learning experience, one must also learn to prioritise the experience of learning over learning outcomes and results. Too often, emphasis is placed on getting the best grade, a good examination result or on one’s productivity, achieved through an already pre-determined curriculum. The process of learning is something which is a means to achieving these goals, not an action which is prioritised in its own right (Illich, 1974, p. 3). In his book ‘Deschooling Society,’ Illich argues that often traditional teaching does not, in fact, enable us to learn effectively. Frequently, things like learning a new language, can be learnt more effectively when fully immersed in a native-speaking country rather than through dictatorial approaches as used in schools (Illich, 1974, p. 7). Problemposing education begins to dismantle this ‘banking’ approach to education, however this can be taken one step further by allowing education to manifest itself outside of the traditional school walls in a de-centralised version of ‘school.’ This is further explored in the pattern ‘Network of Learning,’ which illustrates how education may be re-invented to allow it to take place within the city or town, outside of the traditional school walls (Alexander et al., 1977, p. 100). The pattern further explains how this would allow anyone to become a teacher of their skill and allow anyone to be a student, allowing them to pursue their own educational interests and embrace the expertise of those around them.

In order to create a more humane educational practice, one must first recognise the oppression acting within current educational systems in order to change it. Once oppression has been perceived, steps can be taken to ensure the pursuit of liberation is sought through dismantling hierarchical practices and working towards equality within educational practices. Furthermore, one must interrogate teaching methods and ensure that the process of learning is prioritised over perceived measurements of achievement such as tests and examinations. Finally, de-centralising school systems should be considered in order to allow wider access to education, broaden the curriculum and allow people to easily pursue personal interests through a network of people who support them.