I
think that the fundamental purpose of education is to provide an individual
with the “tools” (whether mental/ emotional or physical) needed to survive and
function in one’s own space as well as in society. I feel that this is a
universal concept because it seems to apply to societies and cultures around the
world. My own educational background in anthropology as well as my teaching experience
outside the United States has led me to this conclusion. While the purpose of
education is universal, I do not feel that the same is true for the methods and
techniques used to teach or the subjects that are taught. I mentioned this last
week as well. In my mind this has more to do with schooling. For me, schooling
takes on a different meaning than that of education. I think that schooling is
education acquired through structured and guided experiences in the setting of
a school. This has a lot to do with my
own experiences with school. When I think of the word schooling, I
automatically think of reading, writing, and mathematics in the context of a
public school classroom. I spent the majority of my childhood and adolescence
in the US public school system with the exception of my early childhood years
spent in a Montessori school. The education obtained from my Montessori experience
was much different than that acquired in public school, which leads me to
believe that schooling, unlike education is not universal. I wonder if my
perception will change as I read other people’s thoughts on these concepts….
Lauren, I am intrigued by your experience with teaching outside of the US, I think that is so cool! I share your views on the differences between education and schooling. In relation to learning, I feel that it is the process in which we interpret or internalize our education. Therefore, just like education, learning is different for everyone too.
ReplyDeleteLauren,
ReplyDeleteI like the difference you pointed out between schooling and education and yes they are different. Schooling does connote sitting in a classroom listening to teachers and then automating worksheets. Education is more broad as you said and is different culture to culture. Giving choices to what children learn is important, I was given options in elementary to pursue my own topics for reports which encouraged my own learning.
Lauren: I found your discussion of the differences in education to be very eye-opening and interesting. I also agree that education unlike school is universal because the things that people value vary greatly from country to country. I had a friend that spend 7 months in Belize and it was so different for him to see how the children were raised and how there schooling differed.
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