“There is no such thing as a neutral education process. Education either functions as an instrument which is used to facilitate the integration of generations into the logic of the present system and bring about conformity to it, or it becomes the ‘practice of freedom’, the means by which men and women deal critically with reality and discover how to participate in the transformation of their world.”

—Richard Shaull, drawing on Paulo Freire

 

I was first fascinated with the human learning process in second grade. Eager to share the joy a book can bring with my younger brother, I made my first attempt at teaching him how to read. After sounding out the same sentence with him several times and asking him to repeat the words we spoke on his own, I genuinely believed that I had successfully taught my four year old sibling the basics. When I asked him to read the next page, I felt my confidence recede. He was not only unable to sound out the sentence without my help, but also he was growing impatient and frustrated with what had originally seemed like a fun and easy task. It then dawned upon me that my brother could not read at all—he had simply memorized the sentence from the previous page.

Memorization does not equal comprehension! That concept will stay with me for the rest of my life. As an art teacher, my assignments often begin with student led inquiry and discussion—but there are concepts that need to be conveyed through clinical practice. Rote memorization is a good behavioral strategy, but it is not an indicator of student understanding and does not support critical thinking. Hands-on experiences, project-based learning, class-wide discussions, and reflective critiques are my methods for encouraging the growth of each student’s intellectual character.