Paulo Freire and Bell Hooks are both well-known for their influential thinking in the area of teaching, specifically relating to the contexts of race, gender, and culture. In his writing and teaching, Freire emphasized that that learning is an act of culture and freedom. Among his main arguments is the assertion that the current education system in many developed countries is a process of "knowledge banking" (Bentley). In other words, students "bank" the information taught to them by their teachers, and store it for use sometime later in their life (Bentley). He contends that this type of educational dynamic does not allow students to think critically, nor does it allow them to approach problems innovatively (Bentley).

Similarly, hooks emphasizes that more "freedom" needs to be applied in the methods of teaching. Unlike Freire, however, hooks focuses on more specific topics, such as: feminism, gender, race, and the media.

Freire's and...
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