Knowledge building across the United States has been controversial because of the systematic pedagogical principles of what we know to be learning. The concept of understanding these principles is rooted in awareness of the position we occupy as the educated person, the less knowledgeable one, for example. If we think about the representations of people of African descent in the education system, we can conclude that they are considered objects of knowledge rather than producers. Through pedagogy analysis, we are able to implement factual information about African history that has been incorrectly rewritten or excluded from textbooks or removed from the school curriculum as a whole. Say no to plagiarism. Get a Custom Essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay Knowledge deprivation in schools only hinders African American students who unintentionally ignore their culture due to failure of their educators. When you have knowledge, you also have power and I believe that the education system was built for others to have supremacy over those of African descent. The knowledge I personally gained from reading passages and analyzing concepts of the African Diaspora and the world conflicts with any historical or global context taught during twelve years of Americanized basic school. Thanks to these historical pedagogies, we are finally able to discover the truths of our African ancestors and their importance for world history. ​Based on what we actually understand about the relationship between a superior and a student, the history behind our roles can shape our individual awareness of tyranny and oppression. Pedagogy and the social construction of knowledge are crucial to the educational progression of students because of the in-depth concepts that are covered and the sense of accomplishment that students feel from the lesson even after leaving the classroom. According to author Paulo Freire, “In the banking concept of education, knowledge is a gift bestowed by those who consider themselves knowledgeable to those they consider knowing nothing. Projecting absolute ignorance onto others, a hallmark of the ideology of oppression, denies education. and knowledge as a process of inquiry.” This is evident in the text Pedagogy of the Oppressed, as Freire gives an example of the teacher-student relationship that is true in schools across the country. This is a common approach in the banking education system that is described as dehumanizing and demeaning to students who view their instructors as people they should be able to trust and should not take advantage of due to their authoritative role.​ ​The banking method can subtly include censorship since much of what is taught is controlled by the teacher. Said teacher has complete discretion over what is taught as well as the details and parameters surrounding this information. This is similar to how slave owners attempted to contain slaves. Slave owners played a role of authority while slaves were forced to act like obedient students. This method also prevents students from being critical thinkers and thinking outside the box. Freire believes that learning and teaching should be a two-way street between students and their instructors. Students should not only learn, but also have a lasting impact onteachers so that they can also learn from them. This reflects problem posing, another system of education expressed by Freire. Problem posing is completely different from the banking method because it gives students the opportunity to think and express themselves freely. “While banking education anesthetizes and inhibits creative power, problem-posing education involves a constant unveiling of reality.” In this educational system, students are encouraged to form opinions different from those of the instructor and not to feel uncomfortable or that there are limits or constraints in questionable dialogue within the class. Merle Collins' poem "Crick Crack" is an example of a raw, uncut analysis of colonialism that tiptoes between fact and fiction. Crick Crack challenges the way we differentiate the story told from our reality. Collins states in the poem, “Hunting stories will always glorify the hunter.” Christopher Columbus is an example of such a hunter since his story is told to students around the world as that of the man who discovered the Americas in 1492. I later learned that the information was not accurate because the indigenous people had already taken possession of the land. This is an example of how one approach to history can determine how it is conveyed. This can also be coherently linked to the notion of banking, in that students are censored with information that teachers or schools do not care to educate their students about, even if it includes vital information about the history and achievements of their own descendants. The majority of students learn about slavery from the perspective of a one-way ticket from Africa to North America. However, many are unaware of how countries in South America and the Caribbean became involved. Students are expected to just listen and never question what is fact and what is reality. Students are simply expected to repeat what they are taught without fully understanding it. Ruth Hubbard's book, Fact Making and Feminism, emphasizes the concept of gathering factual information from a general group of people who are predominantly white, educated, and economically strong men; this concept is called social enterprise. Those who did not fit into this socially modernized box were minorities, poor people and women. As a result, these men had power over everyone, due to their training and the simple fact that they were white and male. Society is controlled by this patriarchal system, which is why minorities and women have a hard time getting their foot in the door. White men were able to invent “factual” information about women or black people as a means of domination and control. However, we can ask ourselves the question of what makes the difference, what is or is not a fact. Another question that can be asked is: what kind of facts are these men in power putting forward? I believe this gray area between what they want to portray us as (black, female, poor) and what we are considered to actually be. I think this is another way of excluding us from information from the outside world and keeping us under oppression, by being misinformed. The power of knowledge construction has been underestimated over time. This power has shaped society to be what it is today, and only now is the status quo being challenged. History has shaped and will continue to shape the way non-beneficiaries of, 3 (1):5-17.