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Psycho
Location: whereever my portable hard drive takes me
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Experiences and Education
I wrote this paper for my first-year "Philosophy - Big Ideas" course here at university. I can understand if you encounter this post and frantically hit the back button as fast as you can, to avoid what lies ahead. However, if you really have nothing better to do, I hope to stimulate some type of discussion into the method of education that I present. Keep in mind, a lot of the work is influenced by John Dewey.
Quote:
It is safe to assume that every philosopher studied today had some form of education as a child and as a young adult. From this assumption, we can then assume that, perhaps, because of their education, they gained the ability to use their mental capacity to its fullest, and present society with a range of new ideas to ponder. How much truth does this assumption hold? Is there really a point at which education stops, after it has finished its task of preparing someone for their post-academic life and the real world? Is it even fair to use the word “education” in its present context, meaning the immersion in an intellectual microcosm, such as a school or university? How effective is present-day education in developing children into critically-thinking individuals? To answer these questions, one must re-examine the aim of education in a more general sense, and the processes that constitute education. The aim here is to provide a more complete definition of education, perhaps even by re-defining it. At present, education is assumed to begin from birth and end after the completion of a school curriculum, either from high school or as far as a Ph.D. Everything hereafter is merely the application of one’s education: utilizing the skills learned in school to succeed in a career. Unfortunately, this form of education, as it is accepted today, is not adequate or effective in best developing one’s individuality and fully unlocking one’s mental potential. Similarly, the public conception of education must also be re-examined.
Formalized education by definition is not true education. Young children learn the basics of language and numbers, older children are introduced to and educated on different subjects, and young adults apply their existing knowledge into a more focused field of study. This style of formalized education relies heavily on the lecturing of knowledge by a teacher and the memorizing of said knowledge by the student. This method greatly restricts the ability for free thought on the student’s behalf, by encouraging receptivity and docility. For example, if a student does not accept a teacher’s belief or information at face value, as is expected, the student will learn that such opposition is not recommended, after receiving their marks. If, however, new material is presented to the student which encourages probing of its meaning, experimentation of its implications, and its application in real life, the student will think critically and will carry his new knowledge into life outside of the institution. It should, therefore, be the goal of teachers to create an environment which removes the divide between a student’s school life and the rest of his life. If school is focused on the acquisition of knowledge, and life outside school is focused on experience, then the separation of school from life is the separation of knowledge from action.
Education is continuous and is not merely preparation for the future. Formal education as it exists today treats the child’s life as a means to an end. A part of life becomes a means to another, which suppresses what it is to live. Many people believe education is meant to stop once a career starts. From then on, terms like “training” and “instruction” are used more often. The only instance when we hear “education” mentioned again is in “adult education,” literally when an adult decides to return to a school or university. Most of the time, the purpose of “adult education” is not further enlightenment in the self-interest of the adult, but merely as extra preparation for a better job. All of this evidence ties “education” to the means towards the end (such as a set profession). Many schools or institutions advocate the fact that they are doing their best to enrich a child’s mind. Such statements are contradictory to the fact that they are actually preparing these children for a remote future. This is opposed to enriching their present lives, and making the most of a child’s opportunity to learn to become part of a society. Currently, “becoming part of a society” mainly occurs outside the school. Social interactions cause the child to have experiences, and in these experiences the child is able to make the most of their future experiences. Unfortunately, education through life experiences is never emphasized enough for the effect they have on the mental development of the individual. Such “active education” holds many advantages, namely the benefit of a child experiencing the social implications the application of his knowledge. Instead of receiving information and storing it in the recesses of one’s memory, active education seeks to experience the newly obtained knowledge to learn its consequences and effectiveness in society. The current state of the educational system, as mentioned earlier, relies on the former: indoctrination of knowledge set out for the child to simply receive and absorb without much question. Is this the right way to ensure that new generations will be competent thinkers? Being able to contribute something to society from knowledge from past experiences constitutes the success of true education.
The importance of this new way of thinking of education may not be very obvious at first glance. One must notice the possible ways it will change human thinking, and the philosophical implications it brings. Philosophy is the penetration of the self and the world around us: it examines aspects of our human nature and our perception of our own existence. Education is the perfect platform from which to delve into the human mind and develop it. After an effective development of this kind comes a greater understanding of ourselves as individuals. Combine this with the method of blending together knowledge and action, and the child learns about their most effective place in society. If active education was implemented in a civilized society, then there would need to be a dramatic reconstruction of a curriculum, to encourage the teacher to assume a different role. The teacher’s role now is to merely be a messenger; a relayer of information. The teacher’s position must evolve into one that produces stimulus in a child’s mind, to encourage thought and useful application instead of memorization and recitation. Children immersed in this type of education would become more knowledgeable about what it means to be a human: precisely what the study of philosophy seeks.
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Go for it, all comments, questions, criticisms welcome! |