mightyzebra wrote:
rombomb2 wrote:
I think you are being very nice. The vast majority of schools provide the most pathetic way of learning. Do you agree with these definitions of school and education?
Wikipedia wrote:
School is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers.
Wikipedia wrote:
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next.
I wrote:
An education is the means by which a child becomes an autonomous learner.
Using either definition, is it accurate to say that school provides education?
-Does school help a child learn the aims and habits of members of society?
-Does school help children become autonomous learners?
Well, I don't think most schools fall under Wikipedia's definitions, but unfortunately for many children it's the only way for them to really learn anything at all about the world. The idea of education and school is sound, but in practice it often falls flat, unfortunately.
Hmm. How do you know that 'for many children it's the only way for them to really learn anything at all about the world?' Have you seen children learn in a different environment? And I'm not necessarily suggesting homeschooling. What I'm suggesting is that schools currently have no clue how to cause children to become autonomous learners and that they could. How? Well for starters, they could try. In America, much of the laws that are enacted regarding education, are not focused on education, but instead focused on politics. 'No child left behind' was a political stunt. There was no evidence that eluded to the idea that 'No child left behind' actually could work. In fact, all the evidence pointed to the fact that it won't work. But the law got passed anyway because of politics (and because politicians currently don't pay attention to the evidence).
Education must be child-centered rather than society-centered. We must take children seriously, for the good of the children.
TCS (Taking Children Seriously) is the true parenting/educating theory. Its primary ideas are below (
http://curi.us/1540-taking-children-seriously):
TCS by Elliot wrote:
- Fallibility (certain knowledge is impossible; people can be wrong)
- No Authorities (ideas must be judged on their merit, not their source; therefore, children can be right and can't be automatically dismissed)
- Coercion is the state of two or more personality strands being expressed in different options of a single choice so that one cannot see a way to choose without forsaking some part of his personality.
- Coercion is bad for knowledge growth, and quite simply hurts people, including children
- Common Preferences, coercion-free solutions to problems, are always possible
- This means, quite literally, that there is a possible way of parenting/educating in which children do not do anything against their own will
- An important part of getting what one wants is changing what one wants to better desires, including more relisable ones
- Once we realise changing what we want to better wants is good, we no longer need fear always getting what we want as being spoiled or immoral -- as long as we improve our desires sufficiently it would only be good
- What people want is subject to morality, and thus children won't want horrible things, as long as parents/teachers offer sufficiently good moral theories
- Good ideas beat out bad ones in argument (and thus if parent's/teacher's moral theories really are better than their rivals, parent/teacher won't lose argument)
- If your ideas are so great, have some faith in them to stand up to criticism!
- Criticism is good. Criticism is a gift. Cherish criticism
- Abandonment Parenting/Teaching is morally wrong (parents/teachers have an obligation to help their children)
- Advice Advice Advice (parents/teachers should give children lots of advice, but children should be free to disagree)
- Don't Hurt Children (I can't say this enough)
- And most importantly: send all children to Hebrew School (joking)
Last edited by rombomb2 on 13 Dec 2011, 9:00 am, edited 1 time in total.
11 Dec 2011, 5:07 pm
