Dialogues About Dialogue: Problematising the Banking Education Model—Letter 2

The second letter is also based on Paulo Freire’s initial writings. It examines a key concept in Freire’s educational philosophy: dialogue. Written by the Radical Educational Front, a collective of educators from Argentina and Uruguay, this letter initially discusses the central tenets of ‘banking education’, a pedagogical strategy that was severely criticised by Freire throughout his work for being authoritarian. After denouncing, in detail, the ways that the banking education teaching approach transforms students and teachers into uncritical human beings, the Radical Educational Front then announces a pedagogical approach based on critical dialogue and profoundly connected to their own culture: the Yerba Mate Educational Dialogue. This complex initiative aims to bring together teachers and students in horizontal relationships to democratise schooling and build critical consciousness. By fostering an environment of mutual respect and shared learning, the Yerba Mate Educational Dialogue seeks to empower students and teachers and promote a more equitable and communal educational experience.