Professor, give some knowledge; I do not have time to think College expectations: knowledge and/or requirements?

Abstract

Today in our universities, hundreds of students expect to be spoon-fed with “junk” knowledge, knowledge that is digested without cultural references. Learning involves a metamorphic process by which the individual engages in an internal cognitive dialogue with their own personal beliefs and their interpretation of the information. Yet, strategic actions (Habermas, 1979) among higher education faculty limits the reflective learning process. Within the ‘aula’ of universities there are only two goals: faculty want to have full control of the learning process and ‘universitarios’ want to have success as the only guideline of their educational experience. We argue that good pedagogical practices foster democratic principles that help college students understand that knowledge provides rights as well as responsibilities. Students have the right to receive an education that will nurture their human development. The latter is avoided when faculty utilize Banking models (Freire, 1970) which in turn cultivate passive learners in search of “junk” knowledge. The new generation of “junkies” has become ‘aficionados’ of these practices. Consequently, they befall into an educational parallel where they seek to be instructed rather than educated. We, as transformative educators believe that success is measured by students becoming agents of social change.