ed4001:education for change an introduction to the module: what is ‘an education’ for? what does...
TRANSCRIPT
ED4001:Education for Change
An introduction to the module:
What is ‘an education’ for?
What does ‘to be educated’ mean?
Thoughts for the day
Attending a lecture is like going to the gym rather than McDonalds.
Education studies is about asking questions
1. Why is maths such an important part of education? 2. Is attending a lecture a good way to learn?3. Why do most people not go to university?4. Why do ‘thick rich kids’ do better than ‘poor clever
kids’?5. Should we be worrying about girls education in other
countries?6. What does it mean to be well educated?7. What is education for?
Are you ‘well- educated’?
How many ‘A’ level ‘points’ do you have? How good are you at solving problems? How would you save a boy from
drowning? How would you go about starting a
business? Вы можете выяснить, почему
динозавры вымерли?
Thinking philosophically…
‘Philosophers want to know more than true beliefs. They want to know what is the case. And if [they] cannot know for certain…then [they] want to know why that is so and what is the next best alternative…(Creel 2001)
Philosophical questions: How do you know that? How should we decide what is right, wrong,
good and best ? What are the possible answers and solutions?
Q: What is education for?Possible answers
To ensure we have a trained workforce for the future?
To keep people in their place in society? To promote personal development To teach us to think more critically and
shape our own future? To create greater equality in life?
A1: Education is to enable people to get work
Because a student’s main aim is to get a job
Because the country needs particular jobs to be filled
Because state schools should help to produce a competitive economy
If education is for work
This affects the curriculum we have, the skills we teach, whether we make subjects
compulsory or not, the attitudes we hope to instil in
children.
A2: Education is for our personal development
Because every human has the right to fulfil their potential
Because everyone is different
Because we will need to know how to find things out for ourselves
If education is for our personal development
It should seem relevant and enjoyable We may want to chose the subjects we
study We need the teacher to understand where
we are starting from We need, with help, to devise our own
study pathway
A3: Education should help us to think more critically
Because it should enable citizens to be active, not passive
Because our democratic society demands the ability to make informed decisions
Because if you can’t take part in society, you are at a disadvantage
If education should help us to think critically
It has implications for the way we learn and teach
It has implications for the curriculum
Universities and schools should play a key role in furthering this
A4: Education should help to create greater equality in life
Because our society is unfair
It should help people to succeed whatever their background
It should compensate for disadvantages
It should help teach people about the inequalities in society
If education is to reduce inequalities
It should be inclusive, open to all Schools and universities need to change
to become more democratic structures Pupils and students need to take more
responsibility for themselves and their learning
We need to look at where power resides in education
What do these people think?
Youtube video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=veyIZUqoGRk http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrzFEyt8MvE
Their views are informed by their ideology: their way of looking at things, and their view of how the world should be…
An introduction to later topics…
2. What functions does schooling perform?
Socialization?
Social Control?
Social transformation?
Socialization
We are not born social people. We learn how to live with others
Process begins at home and continues at school
We learn the roles we will have in later life
Is this socialisation process necessary?
Yes, but… Do schools shuts down opportunities for
individuals? Are school teachers the best people to
socialise children? Can socialisation go too far?
Social Control
Schools were instituted to control the young and mould them in a certain way
Schools, asylums and prisons can form a similar function
Education may aim to keep us in our place
Social Transformation
Many believe education is a force for transformation and growth
It is a major player in the formation of people’s beliefs and values and therefore can create change
3. How do people learn? Different theories
Through being taught. They are like empty vessels that school can fill up with knowledge
Individuals only learn when they choose to learn. Teachers have to start from where pupils are
4. Who should receive the best education?
The brightest people The young Those who can pay Males Females The developed world everyone
A final thought…A final thought…
Should the teacher beShould the teacher be a passive transmitter?a passive transmitter? an active developer of ideology?an active developer of ideology?
Is it a teacher’s role to put others’ Is it a teacher’s role to put others’
ideologies into practice?ideologies into practice?