Throughout history, many men and women have made important contributions to the world of education. Among them is the Brazilian scholar Paulo Freire, whose influence on the world has been wide and profound. A true believer in Marxist theory, his central ideas regarding education revolve around the concept that the experience and process of educational learning are more important than the "facts" or concepts that are taught. As a result, traditional teaching methods (known as "Banking") train students to be passive, unreflective, and subservient to their superiors; instead, teachers should "liberate" their students by employing "problem posing" techniques, in which teachers not only present concepts for students to analyze, but actually become "students" themselves ("Oppressed"). Paulo Freire's radical theories are best understood in the context of his upbringing among poor Brazilians. Although her family was not among the absolute lowest classes, they were forced to live in a community of the working poor due to the impact of the Great Depression. He realized that many "of his daily companions... ate less [than he] and some... almost never ate," making him realize that "'...many things in the world were not right'" (Lownd) . These experiences would prove to be among the most influential of his life, as he gained a unique familiarity with their lives and status, and how this status influenced their upbringing. As an adult, his work at SESI further demonstrated the gap between the education offered by schools and the real needs of the working class (Bentley). These experiences with the poor populations of Brazil led him to So......middle of paper......sed. Continuum Publishing Company, 1970October 28, 2004 http://www.marxists.org/subject/education/freire/pedagogy/Williams, Laurie Rage & Hope: Paulo Freire—Educational Banking. November 26, 1999October 28, 2004 http://www.edb.utexas.edu/faculty/scheurich/proj3/freire3.htmlGibson, Rich Paulo Freire and Pedagogy for Social Justice. Spring 1999, October 28, 2004 http://www.pipeline.com/~rgibson/freireTRSSE.htmBentley, Leslie Paulo Freire - A Brief Biography. December 1999. October 28, 2004http://www.unomaha.edu/~pto/paulo.htmYoo, Sung-Sang Paulo Freire — Freirean Pedagogy October 28, 2004http://paulofreireinstitute.org/Documents/PF-Freirean_Pedagogy.htmlLownd, Richard Freire's Life and work. October 28, 2004 http://paulofreireinstitute.org/Documents/PF-life_and_work_by_Peter.html