Week 4

My philosophy of education

Since centuries ago education has been seen as the act of transmitting certain knowledge, skills and values to other individuals with the purpose to make them better people. Moreover, I believe that education is not an activity that should be segmented and confined into molds, so to say it. I am convinced that education is a huge spectrum that can be run at some extent, bigger or smaller depending not so much on the teachers or parents, but on the students themselves. Therefore, parents and teachers are not that anymore (parents and teachers) but they are facilitators, guides, pointers that help the individuals attain a desire to learn and to keep on learning and researching all their lives. In other words, learning and education is an ongoing process that is as vast as the person is willing to go.

Education should be available to every human being, when I am referring to education I am referring to an integral and holistic view of it. I am in favor of education as a whole, not partial or distorted, biased or prejudiced, but one that has all the facets of the truth. I think strongly that the facilitators in the process of education should present to the student the fact of the matters or truth in its ample and objective way, then with the help of the facilitator the student will decide how to lead his/her life according to it. The sole purpose of education is to better the person, to make the individual a better citizen, and a freer thinker that is able to decide objectively and critically what is the most appropriate solution for any give problem.

In the sense of being more specific, and down to earth regarding education I will mention two authors that I see as the ones considering education as a whole process rather than a part only. First, Howard Gardner and his well known theory stating basically that “we are all able to know the world through language, logical-mathematical analysis, spatial representation, musical thinking, the use of the body to solve problems or to make things, an understanding of other individuals, and an understanding of ourselves. Where individuals differ is in the strength of these intelligences - the so-called profile of intelligences -and in the ways in which such intelligences are invoked and combined to carry out different tasks, solve diverse problems, and progress in various domains." (Gardner, 1983). What he means is that every person is intelligent in some way, his view is so wide that implications for classrooms are vast such as the fact that every student is different and unique, and that as much as possible all types of intelligences should be cultivated. Second, Rudolf Steiner’s philosophy of education that is summarized in the following lines offers a helpful insight regarding integrality on education: “Steiner schools are always co-educational, fully comprehensive and take pupils from 3 to ideally eighteen. They welcome children of all abilities from all faiths and backgrounds. The priority of the Steiner ethos is to provide an unhurried and creative learning environment where children can find the joy in learning and experience the richness of childhood rather than early specialization or academic hot-housing. The curriculum itself is a flexible set of pedagogical guidelines, founded on Steiner's principles that take account of the whole child. It gives equal attention to the physical, emotional, intellectual, cultural and spiritual needs of each pupil and is designed to work in harmony with the different phases of the child's development. The core subjects of the curriculum are taught in thematic blocks and all lessons include a balance of artistic, practical and intellectual content. Whole class, mixed ability teaching is the norm.” (Steiner, 1919). So, the child is seen as an integral and holistic being that can be able to attain intellectual and spiritual freedom through education.

Being a teacher is difficult because the enterprise is filled with many challenges that may discourage anybody, but I am convinced that a well-balanced and profound education can make huge differences in the development of a person, and of a country. All facilitators when faced with such difficulties must have in mind the higher purpose and idealistic view of education itself. As expressed in Plato’s Republic, book seven, where it says the following basically: “Plato sums up his views in an image of ignorant humanity, trapped in the depths and not even aware of its own limited perspective. The rare individual escapes the limitations of that cave and, through a long, tortuous intellectual journey, discovers a higher realm, a true reality, with a final, almost mystical awareness of Goodness as the origin of everything that exists. Then, such a person is the best equipped to govern in society…” (Plato, 1998). Therefore, the facilitators’ task is to help everyone to flee the darkness of ignorance in to the upper world of knowledge and good. Facilitators should be a model example to all pupils because students remember oftentimes more what they see in the facilitator than what the facilitator says or instructs.

In short, I believe that the process of education is a lifetime journey that will be developed to its full potential only if well-equipped facilitators guide well disposed pupils in the way of objective truth and knowledge.

Bibliography

Gardner. (1983). Tecweb.org. Retrieved 2011, from Tecweb.org: http://www.tecweb.org/styles/gardner.html

Plato. (1998). Wsu.edu. Retrieved 2011, from Wsu.edu: http://www.wsu.edu/~wldciv/world_civ_reader/world_civ_reader_1/plato.html

Steiner, R. (1919). Steinerwaldorf.org.uk. Retrieved 2011, from Steinerwaldorf.org.uk: http://www.steinerwaldorf.org.uk/whatissteinereducation.html