In Paulo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed, he states
that education can function in one of two ways.
Education can either be used as a means to inform the student body of
the “present system and bring about conformity” or education can be used as an
instrument that facilitates the “practice of freedom”. By presenting education as the latter option,
it prepares future graduates as critical and creative thinkers ready to
participate within our ever-changing world.
This philosophy is extremely important, especially when teaching in the
field of visual arts; a discipline which is often maligned.
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| "Photojournalism Student" from The Art Institute of Washington |
Freire’s two theories on
education can still be seen in the world of academia. The fact remains for both schools of thought:
education is a tool that can never be stolen once earned. No matter what the student’s gender, race or
age, once he or she obtains any source of knowledge; this belongs to him or her
forever. Ultimately, it is then up to
each student to decide which of Freire’s avenues to pursue; conformity or a
more creative approach. Either avenue remains with the student forever; a
precious gift.
As an online photography professor, I act
as a vehicle that conjoins the student with the course material. Students learn in all different facets and
in an attempt to accommodate this fact, I utilize many teaching methods: live lectures and discussions, class exercises, personal assignments, and video and written feedback. Educational technology plays a major role in
my classroom: from the photography equipment to test taking to grade
keeping. I want to help my students
fully understand the message they want to convey through their photography. In order to do this, students must learn the
technical aspects of this medium in order to successfully create the
image. On top of acquiring technical
skills, I believe it is imperative for students to be aware of the historical
background and development of photography throughout the last 150 plus years to
deepen their understanding of the medium as well as the content of their
work. Ideally, my goal, as adopted from
Freire’s philosophy, is to convey this knowledge to the scholar in a way that
enables them to recognize the possession of the information as a “practice of
freedom”. That being said, it is a
delicate balance of recognizing which avenue the students can flourish in and
how to steer them in the right direction.
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| "Location Photography" Students from the Art Institute of Washington |