WHY DO WE LEARN?
I always wondered what education means. What is the purpose to go to school, why do I had to learn various subjects, why do I passed examinations even if I wasn’t really competing with others for better grades.
What does education mean, and what is it all about?
While asking myself all these questions, I started looking for influencers, for philosophers and for learning specialists to find out why was I going through this whole process. and then, I read this book from the indian thinker and philosopher, Jiddu Krishnamurti, “Think on these things”, and he asked these questions which are not only important for students like me, but also for parents, for teachers, and for everyone:
Jiddu Krishnamurti
Salman Khan at TED 2011
Pat Morita alias Mr.Miyagi (Karate Kid)
Influencers
Quotes
"Tell me and I forget.
Teach me and I remember.
Involve me and I learn."
Benjamin Franklin
THE "WHY" OF LEARNING
“Why do we go through the struggle to be educated? Is it merely in order to pass some examinations and get a job? Or is it the function of education to prepare us while we are young to understand the whole process of life?”
Getting a job and earning my life is not only important but is also necessary to allow me to survive financially and be independent - but is that all?
Was I educated only for that? I want to believe there is a bigger purpose behind all that.
“Surely, life is not merely a job, an occupation” and like J. Krishnamurti exposes it “If we merely prepare ourselves to earn a livelihood, we shall miss the whole point of life; and to understand life is much more important than merely to prepare for examinations and become very proficient in mathematics, physics, or what you will.”
“[…] So, whether we are teachers or students, is it not important to ask ourselves why we are educating or being educated?” (J.Krishnamurti, 1970)
As teachers have multiple choices for the modalities with which they can deliver information with, it’s now a matter of how to design the information so that people get the most of it.
"To really educate someone doesn't mean to try to pour information into their brain and hope that they can regurgitate it out. It's to really allow them, give them the tools so they can take agency over their own learning... That's the real skills"
Salman Khan in Charlie Rose 2013
In relation to that, I’d like to use a quote which genuinely evokes the question of how important pedagogy is. In the 1984 film, The Karate Kid, wise old karate master Mr. Miyagi tells Daniel that there is:
“No such thing bad student. Only bad teacher.”
In the blog “spectrum tuition”, a weekly blog aimed at providing parents with hints on how to give their child the best chance of achieving their education goals, a post discussed this quote where master Miyagi emphasises the importance of good teaching.
The post highlighted, in five well made points, the respective roles of teacher and students in ensuring that their time in the classroom is as successful as possible:
1. A good teacher… provides clear explanations.
A good student… actively engages with explanations.
This first point clearly refers to the importance of pedagogy. In his paper "designing learning for a 21st century workforce", Nick van Dam, PhD and McKinsey Global Chief Learning Officer & Client Advisor, concluded that "… the most important factor in knowledge retention is the quality of the learning design, rather than the delivery method, whether it is classroom- or technology-based learning.”
But what is exactly “pedagogy”? The definition in British English Dictionary & Thesaurus - Cambridge Dictionary Online of Pedagogy (/ˈpɛdəɡɒdʒi/ or /ˈpɛdəɡoʊdʒi/) is “the science and art of education”. The etymology of the word comes from the Greek παιδαγωγία (paidagōgia) from παιδαγωγός (paidagōgos), in which παῖς (país, genitive παιδός, paidos) means "child" and ἄγω (ágō) means "lead"; literally translated "to lead the child".
Exploring the meaning of terms such as ‘pedagogy’ and ‘pedagogical base’ is so important; in clarifying exactly what they mean we can develop a deeper understanding of what is
informing our practice, and importantly why we work in particular ways.
2. A good teacher… makes time to help each of their students individually.
A good student… knows how to make the most of this time.
This point refers to the new roles of teachers: facilitators, coaches… in his article “Team Building for School Change: Equipping Teachers for New Roles”, Maeroff, Gene I. “examines the importance of teachers becoming knowledgeable, skilled, and increasingly articulate about their leadership and participation so that they may take their rightful place in the school reform movement.”
In his video instructor vs. facilitator, Bill Wilder, Director of the Life Cycle Institute, explains the difference between an instructor and a facilitator skills all learning leaders should have.
As it is stated in this comparison, “facilitating is the new teaching”.
And as I already said, the information is so easily accessed that teachers must change their posture of lecturer, turn into facilitators and don’t stick to this authority image they tend to have.
3. A good teacher… gives constructive criticism.
A good student… takes responsibility for their own performance.
The ability of giving and receiving feedback is nowadays one of the most important skills that a person should acquire in a workplace or in the class and it’s also one of the most challenging.
Studies show that many students are motivated intrinsically and seek feedback which will help them to engage with their subject in a ‘deep’ way.
4. A good teacher… sets high standards for their students.
A good student… sets higher standards for themselves.
Teachers have the "opportunity of a lifetime to socialize the young. We expect them to run our world, so we need to model the best practices in thought and action," says Donna Neilson, teacher at Rockridge Secondary School, West Vancouver, British Columbia.
5. A good teacher… respects their students.
A good student… respects their teacher.
A good student understands that they and their teacher are on the same team. A good student respects the effort that their teacher puts in to educating them and rewards that effort with their attention, their dedication and their hard work.
In this sense, J.Krishnamurti asks this question:
“Does it matter very much
who a Master or a guru is?”
Is the role of teacher or master
is that important in the process
of learning?
Some will say, “Yes, it is very important”. Like me for instance, I always gave a lot of credit to my favorite teachers and to my different mentors in making of me who I’m. For people who are constantly in need of inspiration, the presence of a “guru” is very important, and in some instances determining.
Some people, in the other hand, will share Krishnamurti opinion on that question saying that “What matters is life - not your guru, not a Master, a leader or a teacher who interprets life for you. It is you who have to understand life. [....] As long as you are learning, there is no teacher”. In other terms, you are the master of your learning, you determine who you are and no one can help you on it.
I agree on some points. It’s important to be sceptical and give yourself a chance to find out whether you need a guru or not. But I strongly believe that the role of a teacher/master/manager is to facilitate your learning, to inspire you and guide you through the sharing of his/her experience. He/she shouldn’t tell you what is true and what is wrong but should help you finding your own truth.
Jiddu Krishnamurti, "Think on these things", 1964. <https://brockwood.org.uk/pdf/think_on_these_things.pdf>
“Bernice McCarthy | Allthingslearning.” Accessed September 11, 2014. <https://allthingslearning.wordpress.com/tag/bernice-mccarthy/>
“Can We Transform Education with Sal Khan’s One World Schoolhouse?” Online Learning Insights. Accessed October 10, 2014. <http://onlinelearninginsights.wordpress.com/2013/02/10/can-we-transform-education-with-sal-khans-one-world-schoolhouse/>
educationscotland.gov.uk. “Let’s Talk about Pedagogy,” n.d. <http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/images/talkpedagogy_tcm4-193218.pdf>
Arvind Gupta, "Krishnamurti on education", <http://www.arvindguptatoys.com/arvindgupta/oneducation.pdf>
“‘No Such Thing As Bad Student, Only Bad Teacher.’ Really?.” Spectrum Tuition Pty Ltd. Accessed September 25, 2014. <http://spectrumtuition.com/thing-bad-student-bad-teacher-really/>
