FREIRE, MONTESSORI AND DEWEY, A COMPARATIVE REFLECTION

Preire’s philosophy, like Dewey and Montessori’s, promotes an education that encouraged active participation of the students in the learning activities. But while Dewey and Montessori favored the children learning their interests/perceived needs with the teacher in the background as a structural guide, Freire promoted a more horizontal relationship with active participation of both the teacher and the learners in a mutual knowledge sharing dialogue.

Freire’s philosophy will be more applicable to a class of advanced learners with whom the teacher will be able to effectively use dialogical method to ensure learning takes place. This will be through a process of engaging the learners in joint conceptual enquiry into themselves and the society in the context of the discipline under enquiry.

By engaging students in such a process of conceptual enquiry, situated within their cultures and environment, the learners will certainly be able to connect with the learning process as part of their true life reality.

While Dewey and Montessori’s philosophies deal directly with practical teaching methods in the class, Freire’s is more relevant to the process of transforming the orientation of the teacher to be able to see the learning process as one from which he also must be an active learner together with his students to ensure success.

Through a process of active observation and reflection of the students and the society, the teacher will be more prepared to guide the students to see learning process not as a static process of transferring information but as opportunities for critical examination of reality with the aim of achieving a realization of its dynamic transformational nature.

Freire and Peace education - a refection

Freire’s philosophy promoted the idea that in the struggle for liberation, the oppressed are not simply seeking for an “overthrow” of the structures of the oppressors and its replacement with a new leadership of the oppressed. Instead, he advocated for critical examination of the oppression and its causes by the oppressed, followed by open-minded reflection. And from the realization and enlightenment that is attained from this reflection, action can now be initiated towards transforming the present reality.

Instead of the oppressed turning round to conquer the oppressors, he proposed the oppressors must struggle to transform reality for both themselves and the oppressors.

The implications of this philosophy are that upon reflection and subsequent realization by the oppressed, they initiate effective action to transform not only their own status, but go further to bring enlightenment to the oppressors.

Apart from its leveling effects in education (by smoothening the teacher-learner dichotomy), this concept also offers great hope for conflict resolution initiatives in the wider world.

Key elements of Freire’s philosophy - My Reflections

Freire believed the social order consists of oppressors, oppressed and that the oppressors use education as a form of oppression to main unequal power relations.

He believed that the unjust social relations between the oppressed and the oppressors results in the dehumanization of the oppressed who must struggle to effect a transformation that would restore their humanity (By removing the imposed inferior status) and that of the oppressed (who by indulging in oppressive behavior have actually deviated from acceptable norms of humanity).

While advocating that education allows the oppressed to regain their humanity and overcome their condition; Freire also acknowledged that in order for this to take effect, the oppressed have to play a role in their own liberation. Likewise, the oppressors must also be willing to rethink their way of life and to examine their own role in the oppression if true liberation is to occur; "those who authentically commit themselves to the people must re-examine themselves constantly" (Freire, 1970, p. 60).

He believed education must take into account, the power relations between the oppressed and the oppressors; and seek for means of ending the recurring cycle of oppression, not merely replacing one set of oppressors with another set from the group of the former oppressed.

He noted that in the struggle for liberation, there is the tendency of the oppressed becoming oppressors themselves, thereby reversing the direction of the oppression.

His Pedagogy of the Oppressed promotes the attainment of liberation through sober reflection of oppression and its causes followed by effective action aimed at transforming the present reality.

He proposed the use of conscientization as a tool to translate the reflections of the oppressed on the reality of their condition, into effective action to achieve true liberation.

Thus, his philosophy aims at transforming the consciousness of the oppressors to make them accept the need for more equal relationship with the oppressed, while on the other hand, the oppressed are guided to work towards a state of equality with the former oppressors, not with an aim of avenging the past or replacing them as new oppressors.

Freire critical pedagogy arose out his perceived deficiency of the "banking" concept of education, in which the student was viewed as an empty account to be filled by the teacher. He notes that "it transforms students into receiving objects. It attempts to control thinking and action, leads men and women to adjust to the world, and inhibits their creative power" (Freire, 1970, p. 77).

He attacked the banking system of education because it portrays the teacher as “Mr. Know All” who passes down knowledge and skills which students are expected to simply receive, memorize and repeat without any opportunity to question it or contribute to it.

His philosophy laid the foundation for what is now called critical pedagogy, he noted that the Banking system stunts the creativity and critical thinking abilities of the students and that it serves the oppressors by preventing the students from truly comprehending or transforming reality. They only recognize the reality of their situation only as it is laid down to them by the teacher; and the students are already programmed to simply accept whatever is presented as a fact; without being guided to recognize the that every reality can be transformed to effect changes in the social order.

Based on the above beliefs, he advocated for an educational system that rejected the banking system while encouraging the development of a system that allowed for a deep reciprocity to be inserted into our notions of teacher and student. He goes so far as to say that “Education must begin with the solution of the teacher-student contradiction, by reconciling the poles of the contradiction so that both are simultaneously students and teachers” (Freire, 1970, p. 72).

He proposed a horizontal relationship between teachers and their students based on an acceptance that both have knowledge to share, and both have a capacity and  need to teach and learn (from each other).

He saw the need for teachers to see themselves more as companion guides to their students, walking by their sides while leading the way in an ever revolving dialogue with the students.

He proposed problem-solving education in which the students critically question the reality that is presented to them and engage in acts of cognition rather than mere transfers of information. For problem-solving education to be successful, the student-teacher dichotomy must be resolved to allow the teacher learn from the students by engaging them in positive dialogue. This continuous exchange leads to a productive learning experience for both the teacher and the learners. It will allow for a critical examination of reality, and the realization of its dynamic, transformational nature.

Freire, in defining praxis, promoted the concept of constant engagement in reflection and action with the main aim of transformation and liberation. The true reality of the world is ever changing and thus this process needs to be a continuous one.

KEY ELEMENTS OF MONTESSORI' EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY

Maria Montessori's educational philosophy focused on achieving pace through the promotion of a global and diverse outlook combined with personal responsibility.

She believed peace could be promoted through investment in children.

Some of the key elements of her philosophy are Prepared environments and Planes of Development.

PREPARED ENVIRONMENTS:

The Montessori idea of a prepared environment is designed to give children freedom within pre-defined limits. The environment is prepared to offer wide range of choices (within the mental, physical and psychological capabilities of the children) in which they are free to learn what is interesting to them and create their own understanding through experimenting as well as learning from the actions of their peers and teachers.

The Montessori prepared environment model must be designed with aesthetic beauty in mind and be arranged in a way that the students will find pleasing and enjoyable to learn in.

The Montessori philosophy focuses on guiding youths to acquire a good sense of imagination and learn how to judgment when given options. This will guide them to learn how to make decisions on their own and thus lead them to acquire self-discipline which in turn will help them be better equipped to successfully manage their own lives, goals, plans and relationships.

Montessori believed the prepared environment will help students learn from their personal experiences, from their peers and from their teachers through the process of individual and group exploration.

PLANES OF DEVELOPMENT:

Montessori believed the child's development progresses through four developmental planes which she outlined as follows:

1.           Age of Prudence

2.           Age of Temperance

3.           Age of Justice

4.           Age of Fortitude

A good understanding of the various developmental planes would help the educator cultivate the various phases to support individual and group learning. Montessori believed these developmental periods respond to various intellectual, social and moral awakenings and educators must help cultivate and nurture these awakenings by positively exposing the students to relevant and beneficial learning environments and activities.

With every developmental phase, an educator should ensure he builds the learning activities around themes and values that are relevant to that phase.

On the whole, Montessori's philosophy revolved around the idea of bring up children to possess a sense of personal responsibility for their decisions under the structured guidance of the educator within an environment that is designed to encourage freedom of learning among the students.

The prepared environments allows students learn as they explore their environment which should be designed with the student's interests in mind as well as with consideration for the intellectual, social and moral awakenings of their developmental plane.

MONTESSORI AND DEWEY, A COMPARATIVE REFLECTION

 
 

Both Montessori and Dewey believed in learner centered pedagogy. Dewey believed the interests of the children should form the basis of the curriculum, which should not be divided into subjects. He believed children should be given the freedom to engage in self activity and thereby develop self initiative withing the context of a planned environment.

Montessori on the other hand, also believed children should be allowed to learn what is interesting to them and to create their own understandings albeit within the context of a prepared environment.

In Dewey's philosophy, the curriculum is always in a state of reflection and revision based on perceived needs and interests of the children. In Montessori's philosophy, the prepared environments are also subject to reflection and revision to accommodate the interests of the child.

Both Montessori and Dewey saw the possibilities of using education as a key vehicle for promoting peace. Dewey believed to solve the various problems of the world, education that promoted democracy and peace was needed. (He believed the participatory nature of democracy allowed for the positive growth of the individual and the society.)

He went further to promote an educational system that was focused on teaching an internationalism not bound by the shallow nationalist patriotism. He He encouraged the teaching of Geography and History to ensure the children grow up with a knowledge of the relationship between the past, the present and the future; and also make sure they grow up with knowledge of the diverse cultures, beliefs and occupations of people of the world.

Montessori in her philosophy promoted a global outlook and diversity in education combined with personal responsibility.

The two philosophies sought to guide children to see themselves more as global citizens than as citizens of individual nations. By promoting guiding children to grow up with a sense of collective ownership and responsibility to the larger world, they sought to make them grow up with respect and love for the world diverse cultures, beliefs and peoples.