“Teaching is not about transferring knowledge, but creating possibilities for its construction”

By: Bianca Silva, Innovation Manager at Fundação 1Bi.

This September, we celebrate the birthday of the Patron of Education, educator Paulo Freire. Revisiting his work and legacy, Paulo Freire is undoubtedly a reference for Brazil and the world when we think about the transformative power of education and all its potential.

In a time of so much debate about replacing teachers in the classroom, we see how much Brazilian education needs this figure who guides, develops strategies, and is concerned with the learning of each universe of meaning and signification present in their class. Every student carries their own trajectory, and the greatest dream of an educator is to be able to contribute in some way to this journey. 

With technological innovations, there are already schools that claim to replace teachers with artificial intelligence, and may, in turn, reinforce this feeling of despair among educators. Once the initial moment of fear and shock—common to the human experience—has passed, we notice some possibilities that, depending on how we interpret them, had already been put forward by Paulo Freire: teachers should not transfer knowledge and contribute to a banking model of education, in which information is merely deposited into students. Educators have the opportunity to act as mediators and point the way toward learning.

When we consider this perspective, what we notice is that technology is increasingly present in our daily lives, and that the school, a space conducive to creating these possibilities, must keep pace with the transformations taking place beyond its walls. 

In this case, rather than fostering this apocalyptic idea of replacing teachers with machines, we can promote digital literacy among education professionals through continuing education and meaningful learning experiences for educators as well. We talk so much about welcoming and caring for our students—and we should continue to do so—but little is said about actively listening to and welcoming teachers, who are under constant pressure and subject to demands that they never be prepared enough to deal with the challenges of the future.

As long as we treat teachers according to this punitive logic, without listening to their pain, needs, and anxieties and, above all, without encouraging them to seek out new tools—as we strive to awaken students’ interest—this equation will not add up, and we will have a legion of professionals who no longer remember the real reason they chose to build their careers in Education.

May we, this September, the month of our great teacher Paulo Freire, remember that “Those who teach learn by teaching, and those who learn teach by learning”.