Ethan Noblesala
English 110
Professor Zino
September 22, 2010
When it comes to the topic of education, E.D Hirsch and Donaldo Macedo will
agree that the “banking approach” will not work. The “banking approach” is the idea
that teachers will spoon-feed students with information, and will leave them alone.
Teachers hope that the information will stay in the students mind for later use. E.D
Hirsch and Donaldo Macedo usually end their agreement when talking about the
process and content to make one literate. Hirsch believes that specialization in certain
knowledge will lead to cultural literacy. Whereas Macedo is convinced that having a
wide range of knowledge will make one literate.
Both Macedo and Hirsch have noticed that America’s education has been in
disarray. Hirsch points out that SAT scores have been lowering every year, especially in
verbal section. Hirsch states out, how is America one of the most technological
advanced countries, but has so many illiterate teenagers. Howerever Macedo says that
America’s education needs to be changed because he believes that the teachings of most
teachers are wrong. (Hirsch 4.)
Hirsch believes that in order for one to be literate one must have a common
foundation on American culture. Hirsch believed that cultural literacy was very
important. "Cultural literacy" or world literacy is the network of information that all
readers have. In short cultural literacy is basically the information that readers have
stored in their mind. Hirsch calls cultural literacy, “a deep understanding of mainstream
culture, which no longer has much to do with white Anglo-Saxon Protestants, but with
the imperatives of industrial civilization. Hirsch says that the need for cultural literacy is
often neglected.
Hirsch unlike Macedo believed that knowledge leads to national and cultural
awareness. Also Hirsch believes that with the use of cultural literacy one can understand
American democracy better. This is also why “cultural literacy” is inseparable from
democracy, because in order for one to have a true understanding of cultural literacy,
one must understand our democracy. If there was no cultural literacy, how can one
understand general news, events, and other general ideas such as these. Democracy
involves the general public, and the way information is cycled throughout the public is
through cultural literacy. This is why “cultural literacy” and democracy are inseparable.
Macedo also attacks some of Hirsch’s idea of education. Macedo says that
Hirsch was able to point out that U.S education had reduced learning to simple skills,
but fails to show that in our Western culture we have subjugated, enslaved, and
plundered countries such as Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Macedo also breaks down
the idea of poisonous pedagogy into three mechanical parts. For example the first
would be for students to do willingly do as their told, second would be for the students
to willingly refrain from doing what is forbidden, and third for the students to willingly
accept the rules for their sake. As a results this shows how obedience is used as a tool
to regulated students thoughts. Obedience is a strong part of poisonous pedagogy. It
uses scare tactics, lies, manipulation, and other methods to get one to obey the law and
rules. Also Macedo says that euphemism is used along with this process. To
summarize this is a way of saying a phrase that makes something more acceptable.
Macedo had a very different view of education then Hirsch. Hirsch believed that
political awareness would lead to empowerment. Also one of Macedo’s big arguments
is on the idea of “poisonous pedagogy.” This is the idea that the ways parents, teachers,
and leaders have been teaching our children false information. The younger generation
may have been taught lies about such important things such as democracy. Macedo says
“It is through the manipulation of language that the ideological doctrinal system is able
to falsify and distort reality making it possible for individuals to accommodate to life
within a lie.” (Macedo 39). This basically means that people are able to use devious
language to tell a lie. For example of how people can be manipulated through language
is through the education of the schooling system. Schools would have to teach the real
truth about society and the world, but most schools don’t do this. This is the reason why
Macedo believes that it is important for one to be aware first, and then can obtain
knowledge.
Macedo’s rhetoric is very emotional. The way Macedo writes to the reader is a
more emotional compared to Hirsch, because Macedo grew up with discrimination.
When Macedo was younger he was always told even by his high school guidance
counselor that he wouldn’t make a good living in America because his English was poor
compared to the average student. Macedo’s guidance counselor wrongly assumed that
because Macedo knowledge of English reflected Macedo’s intellect as a whole. He was
able to prove his guidance counselor wrong by going to a good college. Even when
Macedo went to college he still faced discrimination. When he went to ask his English
teacher for some extra help his teacher told him to learn how to speak English first, then
to come to the class.
All of the discrimination and hatred made Macedo work harder to learn how to
speak English and get his peers respect. Macedo even wrote a book named “Literacies
of Power.” Macedo uses this book to show that it is a wake up call for people who have
blindly accepted the ideas of liberty, equality, and democracy, without fully
understanding what those terms mean. This book helped Macedo understand the process
of “coming to a voice,” or understanding of oneself. Macedo finds that it is his goal to
give minorities a voice. He was able to be aware that obtaining a voice is not given to
one in power. Voice requires the understanding of both its possibilities and limitations.
Macedo says that “Voice is not a gift, it is a human right. It is a democratic
right.”(Macedo 5.)
Both Hirsch and Macedo have good thoughts on education, but I believe that
Macedo has a more elaborate and efficient idea, and it would be more efficient in the
American schools in 2010. I believe that Macedo pedagogical approach would work
more in my high school, Chaminade High School. I would describe my high school as
an elite high school as described by Jean Anyon. Before my history teacher would talk
to us about the democracy in ancient Rome, he would first ask the class what exactly is
democracy? He would challenge the students to see if they truly understood what a
democracy was, then he would proceed with the lecture about democracy in ancient
Rome. This is why Macedo’s ideology of education would fit into my high school
because, we needed to be politically and culturally aware, before obtaining knowledge.
Macedo’s ideology of education is also very convincing because he has the
personal experience of getting rejected by his own teachers, then had to work his way
up to learn English. Also his explanation of “poisonous pedagogy” makes one thing
about the education we have received up to now have been made up of lies. Macedo
seems to have a great understanding about education. This is one of the reasons why I
feel that Macedo and his opinions would serve in American schools in 2010.
In conclusion both Macedo and Hirsch have good ideas about changing
America’s education. They both have some ideas that are the same, but most of their
ideas are different, from Hirsch opinion on “cultural literacy” to Macedo’s explanation
of “poisonous pedagogy.” In the end I find that Macedo’s pedagogy toward education is
more efficient than Hirsch’s.
In my essay I see that I use the transition word “also” often compared to the rest of
the other transition words. The way I organized this essay was that I gave a brief
overview of both educators. Then I presented what Hirsch believed, then presented
what Macedo believed and their differences.
Works Cited
Hirsch, E. D., Joseph F. Kett, and James S. Trefil. Cultural Literacy: What Every
American Needs to Know. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1987. Print.
Macedo, Donaldo P. Literacies of Power: What Americans Are Not Allowed to Know.
Boulder, CO: Westview, 2006. Print.
Anyon, Jean. Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work: Journal of Education,
Vol.162 no.1 Fall 1980