Medyascope readers write: Why do we still say, "Teacher, will this appear in the exam?"

We invite our readers, followers, viewers, and all supporters to voice their opinions on Medyascope. If your article complies with our editorial principles and is approved by our Editorial Board, it will be published on our website with your signature. We want a Turkey where people talk, debate, and express diverse opinions. The article, titled "Why are we still saying, 'Teacher, will this be on the exam?'" was written by our reader Mehmet Tolga Görgülü.

It's the first lesson in the morning. The teacher writes the formula on the board; there's a stir in the classroom, everyone rushing to take notes. At that moment, a single question is heard: "Teacher, will this be on the exam?"

Silence used to prevail in classrooms; the teacher spoke, the student listened. For generations growing up in the master-apprentice tradition, virtue was often considered obedience, not questioning. Today, this pattern has seemingly changed; students are speaking and expressing their opinions.

Yet, we face a paradox. The voices may have increased, but the rhythm of thought hasn't changed. Because the old understanding, deeply rooted in the Turkish education system, remains: "You are like a vessel to be filled; the teacher will impart knowledge, and you will give it back to them in the same way on exam day." The rules have softened, the tools have diversified, but the mindset has largely remained the same.

Brazilian educator Paulo Freire, in his book Pedagogy of the Oppressed , calls this approach the "banking model." In this model, education becomes a savings investment: the student is positioned as the account to be deposited, the teacher as the one making the investment; learning is reduced to the transfer of knowledge to the mind and its subsequent withdrawal. In such a classroom, the student is passive, the teacher active; questioning, discussion, and the formation of one's own opinions are secondary. The student's experience, curiosity, and genuine questions are often overlooked. [1]

Ultimately, learning in this framework means mastering topics and storing information for exams. However, the goal of education is not memorization, but rather establishing a learning culture that places the rhythm of thinking in the hands of the student.

In a significant portion of Turkish classrooms, education still operates on the banking model: Information is transferred, stored, and then retrieved. Repetition, not discussion, is rewarded. Students' curiosity is considered a luxury, and experience is considered irrelevant. Success is tied to remembering rather than thinking. Consequently, school ends, and the habit of thinking remains stagnant.

The impact of this approach is particularly evident in questioning and initiative-taking behaviors. Many new university students ask, "Professor, how will we be evaluated?" in their first lecture; this reflex points to the persistence of cultural codes based on the reduction of learning to a single truth. In other words, as Freire points out, the student ceases to be a subject and becomes an object of storage; their experience and curiosity are rendered invisible. So, how do we construct a classroom that makes curiosity visible and re-enables students as subjects?

In the problem-posing education model proposed by Freire, teacher and student are not positioned as opposing forces, but as subjects who learn and investigate together. Students seek to understand the world based on their own experiences; knowledge is not given as a ready-made package, but is generated through dialogue. [1]

The Village Institutes are the equivalent of this approach in Türkiye's educational history. Founded in the 1940s, these institutions designed courses within the integrity of theory and practice, aiming to learn while producing, based on the principle of "education within the work." [2] For example, a student taking a geometry course would apply what they learned on-site while working on a school wall or door; thus, they would both internalize the academic content and learn by producing in the construction of the school, agriculture, and handicrafts. [3]

In addition, the work carried out at the institutes to help students develop a democratic perspective was also valuable. With the aim of developing responsible citizens of modern Türkiye, the school administration held critique meetings every Saturday; at these meetings, everyone had the opportunity to speak and freely evaluate themselves and their peers. The aim was to develop students' initiative and institutionalize a culture of open critique. [4]

These institutes' practices demonstrate the intersection of Hasan Âli Yücel's democratic education approach and İsmail Hakkı Tonguç's pedagogical design in Türkiye. Yücel's view of the student as a questioning and thinking subject is a natural consequence of his understanding of democracy. Indeed, the frequently quoted sentence summarizes this foundation:

"Democracy's worldview is based on logic. The main principle of democratic logic is this: Every idea has the possibility of error and merit." [5]

Many changes have been made in education in recent years, but most of these have been limited to the curriculum. The issue is fundamentally a matter of mindset. In classrooms, many teachers position themselves as "transmitters of knowledge," while parents measure success by listening well in class or by exam results. However, what children need is not to store information, but to think with it: to ask questions, to reason, to develop empathy, to generate creative solutions. This is precisely why memorizing theoretical knowledge doesn't lead to solutions in the long run.

The simple but instructive advice given to teachers by İsmail Hakkı Tonguç, the General Director of Primary Education at the Village Institutes, is as follows: “You will clean and organize the classroom together with the students, and then begin the lesson.” This approach positions the teacher as a subject who works, learns, and lives alongside his students, rather than being an “information transmitter” at the podium.

Moreover, co-constructing physical space requires co-constructing intellectual space. Thus, a class emerges that derives its strength not from authority but from shared inquiry. John Dewey's emphasis on the relationship between thinking and doubt is instructive at this point: The essence of thinking is to maintain a state of doubt and to continue systematic inquiry. [6]

Of course, we can't say this change will come easily. This process requires redesigning every aspect of the process, from teacher training and school culture to administrative practices and educational policy. The first and most critical step is changing mindsets.

So, is such a change possible? Experiences from various countries demonstrate that approaches centered on critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and communication not only equip young people with academic knowledge but also empower them in terms of democratic citizenship. In this context, the Ministry of National Education's official report on the PISA 2022 results and independent assessments can be considered alongside discussions on measurement and evaluation. [7]

Today, philosophy and ethics courses are part of the curriculum in many European countries, including high school and even middle school. [8] The explicit goal of these courses is to develop critical thinking and prepare students for civic responsibilities. Furthermore, in many schools, debate clubs and classroom discussion protocols have made constructing and defending arguments a regular practice. In Japan, dōtoku (morality) is compulsory starting in primary school; children systematically develop moral reasoning and value judgment skills around the axes of "self," "relationships with others," "nature and the divine," and "groups and society." [9]

The proliferation of debate clubs in schools, the regularization of argumentation-based discussions and dialogic teaching practices in classrooms, has visibly improved students' reasoning, self-expression, and argument-defending skills. Recent research in Türkiye also shows increasing evidence supporting this effect. [10]

These examples could be multiplied, but the key is to understand the mindset behind the language of othering that has long been strengthened in Türkiye. It could be argued that a culture in Turkey today predisposes conflicts to be resolved through indirect and exclusionary channels rather than through open and structured discussions. The banking model, which has dominated education for years, also fuels this tendency; when reason and dialogue weaken in classrooms, public discourse easily shifts to a stigmatizing tone. In this context, the connection between the educational mindset discussed above and othering tendencies becomes more visible. International experience also demonstrates that children who acquire philosophical and critical inquiry skills at an early age are both strengthened academically and become more competent individuals in terms of democratic citizenship.

In short, Hasan Âli Yücel's words, "The idea of ​​freedom arises from knowledge; only slavery emerges from ignorance," are more relevant today than ever. Our children are not piggy banks; each one is a unique individual. Instead of filling them with information, we should, as in examples around the world, foster the courage to ask, "I wonder?" from an early age and systematically develop critical thinking, reasoning, and empathy. Only then can education become a truly liberating force and a unifying step towards tomorrow's Turkey be taken. [5]

[1] Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed — Turkish edition (Ayrıntı Publications).

[2] Law No. 3803 on Village Institutes — TBMM archives (17 April 1940).

[3] Academic studies examining the theory-practice relationship and mathematics/geometry applications in Village Institutes (Dergipark/university journals).

[4] Academic papers and historical studies on Saturday criticism meetings in Village Institutes (Tonguç Foundation and academic publications).

[5] Hasan Âli Yücel quote — Turkish compilation/academic articles and journal archives.

[6] John Dewey, How Do We Think? — Introduction to the Turkish edition; emphasis on doubt and systematic inquiry in thinking.

[7] PISA 2022 Türkiye Report — Ministry of National Education; independent evaluations (ERG/TEDMEM).

[8] Philosophy course in France and its place in the Baccalaureate — Turkish sources including the Ministry of National Education Paris Education Consultancy.

[9] dōtoku (morality/values) in Japan — Turkish academic compilations (Dergipark) and comparative education articles.

[10] Turkish academic articles on the impact of debate/argumentation on learning outcomes in Türkiye (Dergipark).

Mehmet Tolga Görgülü graduated from Bilkent University's Department of Political Science and Public Administration. He specializes in education and has experience in organizational development and corporate training. He is the author of "Thoughts on Corporate Governance , " "Inside-Out Selling ," and "Spectral Leadership with the VAB Method ." He entered the literary world in 2023 with his short story collection " The Madmen Within Us ." He continues to work in academic and intellectual circles as an educator, consultant, and author.