The Role of Education
Education entails the involvement of a person in the social perception of the contest. This means that education is an extensive process that starts as soon as an individual is born. Throughout the process, an individual’s consciousness is saturated, shaped, trained, and developed whereby the behavior and feelings are stimulated. The unconscious education enables an individual to develop an intellectual capacity, which is needed in the improvement of life (Dewey, 1897). Through education, human beings are in the position to coexist peacefully, share out problems, and resolve issues easily. Education facilitates the inheritance of social capital, which is part of civilization. In modern society, formal and technical types of education are within this larger description of the learning process. Formal education only reorganizes the basic form, but it is not any different. Children are exposed to educational processes based on the demands of society (Zigler, 1999). This comes upon the realization that the child should be trained to embrace peace, adopt the wider perspective, and aim at achieving societal needs as opposed to individual demands.
Curriculum
Education mainly comprises of two processes, one being psychological while the other is sociological. The curriculum should be designed based on the two processes since they are important, and none is the subordinate of the other. In case one of the processes is neglected in the designing of the curriculum, the result would be formlessness and lawlessness. Psychological processes form the basis of education, meaning that the instincts of the child, as well as the brainpower, serves as the starting point of education in an individual’s life. Therefore, education is a natural force that occurs without the knowledge of the child. The role of the educator is to facilitate the natural process that is mostly initiated by the child. Without the educator, the child might engage in haphazard training and arbitrary learning, which is dangerous to the life of an individual. The growth and development of the child benefits from the education process in case the child’s activities match with educational expectations (Locke, 1996).
The School
The school is one of the basic social institutions whose major role is to mold the future of the individual from birth to adulthood. The school enables the child to realize his or her objectives in the most cost-effective manner. Based on this, education is part of life as opposed to being a process of life (Dewey, 1897). The school has the major role of ensuring that the child goes through a smooth transition from family life to societal life. Many people tend to think that education is a process of life, which affects the normal functioning of children in society. The school setting should simplify life for children, but not complicate things. This is based on the reality that social life is very complex, hence introducing a confusing educational system might even worsen the matter. Many experts believe that schooling should start at home before formalizing it at various institutions of learning. As the child goes through the new system of education, the transition process should be made as easy as possible to avoid any confusion (Gutek, 2009).
Assessment
The current curriculum is ineffective in delivering the required content to children. The school system fails to underscore the fact that the school is a community whose major role is to mold the life of the child. Children in modern society believe that a school is a special place where certain special types of knowledge are delivered (Dewey, 1897). This affects the socialization of the child in the sense that he or she ends up doing some of the undesirable things. Others may perhaps adopt unwanted behaviors that often differentiate them from others. In many cases, the child behaves differently, knowing that some responsibilities are waiting for him or her in the future. The productive learning environment should promote social life where the deepest moral training is enhanced.
Subject Matter of Education
The major role of education is to promote the social welfare of the child. In other words, it should serve to unite learners as they attempt to realize their objectives collectively. Therefore, the subject matter of any educational system should be to mark a steady delineation out of the primordial cataleptic unity of social life. It is unfair to introduce a child to so many concepts abruptly instead of taking him or her through a procedural learning process. For instance, children are introduced to writing, reading, and listening skills at the same time, which end up confusing them instead of developing their mental capacities. Based on this, each child should be allowed to learn at his or her speed. This means that the social activities of the child are the most important as opposed to the various subjects introduced to young learners, such as literature, geography, science, and history.
The Nature of Method
The method entails the process of developing the brainpower and interests of the child. The treatment of the material and the presentation technique is inherent within the child’s nature. As far as the method of delivering the course content is concerned, the active side is the most important as compared to the passive development of the child. This means that the expression precedes the consciousness, while the macular development of the child is the most important as opposed to the sensory memory.
Moreover, the movement of the child from one place to the other is important as opposed to his or her feelings. The conscious part of the personality is impulsive, which expresses itself in the actions of an individual. Educationists should understand the relationship between passive and active processes regarding the development of the child in the school setting (Dewey, 1897).
Classroom Management
Education cannot achieve its objectives in case the core principles are not followed keenly. Forcing children to undertake courses that are not of any interest to the amount to a violation of their law of nature. If children are to understand instructions offered to them at a tender age, images ought to be extensively used since they are the instruments of instruction (Kasachkoff, 2004). The child might simply form an image of the true self through learning. When a child expresses an interest in doing something, it means he or she is showing signs of growing power. The emotional condition of any child is the reflection of human behavior. Learners should be allowed to share out their views without any interruption from educators. Teachers should consider the interests of students when offering a course material in the classroom setting. Each child should be engaged in the discussion to measure his or her level of understanding.
The schooling system and the Social Development of the Child
Even though education is considered part of life, it can as well be viewed as a method of social development and change among individuals. Based on this, education should be a natural process that does not depend on the formulation of the law (Dewey, 1897). Moreover, educationists should not threaten learners with penalties since it leads to resistance. As already mentioned, education is both individualistic and socialistic. It is considered individualistic since it recognizes the development of a particular personality as the only authentic way of life (Gutek, 2009). On the other hand, education is believed to be socialistic in the sense that it underscores the fact that a positive attitude is not formed through individual principles, illustration, or even refrain.
The Teacher
The teacher plays an important role in molding the behavior of an individual. Societal values and norms influence human behavior. The teacher has a tremendous effect on the life of the individual since he or she molds the future of children. Therefore, the teacher should always play his or her role in ensuring that children are given the necessary skills that would encourage social development. Since the school is a socializing agent, the teacher should assist children in striking a balance between individualistic ideals and social ideals (Dewey, 1897).
Influence on my Learning/pedagogical practices
The philosophy of education has a way of influencing my learning practices in such a way that it strengthens my understanding of the value and the need for education in society. For instance, it changes my belief in the relevance of education in society. I understand that any person going through the education system is simply in the process of socialization. Since it is part of society, the schooling system or the educational system is the organic union of individuals in any given community. The major aim of any education should be to promote social values as opposed to introducing new things. Education should strike a balance between psychological insight and social understanding of the environment. This understanding enables me to appreciate the role of educators in any system of schooling. They have the role of ensuring that children do not simply acquire unnecessary knowledge that would be wasteful in their lives.
References
Dewey, J. (1897). My Pedagogic Creed. The School Journal, 54(3), 77-80.
Gutek, G.L. (2009). New Perspectives on Philosophy and Education. New York, NY: Pearson Education.
Kasachkoff, T. (2004). Teaching Philosophy: Theoretical Reflections and Practical Suggestions. New York, NY: Rowman & Littlefield.
Locke, J. (1996). Some Thoughts Concerning Education and Of the Conduct of the Understanding. New York, NY: Hackett Publishing.
Zigler, R.L. (1999). Tacit Knowledge and Spiritual Pedagogy. Journal of Beliefs & Values: Studies in Religion & Education, 20(2), 162–172.