Once we understand who God is and who we are, we ned to think through why education is even important. What are our end goals, anyway?
The Purpose of Education (3 min.)
Why do we spend so many years educating people? What is the ultimate purpose of our efforts? This video explores education as a way of living, as opposed to preparation for life.
Video Transcript
In discussions about education, what words or phrases do you usually hear? Do you hear words like grades, objectives, standards, or outcomes? Or do you hear words such as character, growth, and connections? In his book The Best Schools, Thomas Armstrong differentiates between these two visions of education and labels them “academic achievement discourse” and “human development discourse”. An educational system that is centered around academic achievement discourse is focused on standardized curriculum and observable, measurable outcomes. In this atmosphere, students are compared according to their grades and test scores. The end goal is for a student to get the best numbers so that he can get into the best college and, eventually, get a top-paying job. In addition, the number of areas that are valued are severely limited. Children who excel in English, math, and sometimes science are revered, while those whose gifting lies elsewhere--say, in the the arts or in mechanics-- are left feeling that their gifts are unimportant, or as Sir Ken Robinson points out, never even finding out what their gifts are.
The opposite of “academic achievement discourse” is “human development discourse”. This model views the purpose of education primarily in terms of supporting every student’s growth as a whole human being. The person, rather than academic competition, is at the center. Education is viewed through the lens of human flourishing. Students are exposed to a wide spectrum of content, and no subject is valued over the others. A child’s interest in art or in small engine mechanics is supported just as much as her interest in literature or math. In this model, which parallels Mason’s beautifully, the purpose of education is not preparation for college or a job, but helping each student become more of a person--something that defies quantification. Again, this is a radical idea, but as Mason said, “The more of a person we succeed in making a child, the better will he both fulfill his own life and serve society.” Education is not preparation for life; education is a life.
Reflection
Respond to the following in the comments or in your journal:
1) When you were a student, what did you think the purpose of education was? How did that affect your school experience?
2) How can you help support your student's growth as a whole human being—intellectually, spiritually, physically, emotionally?
3) What are you wondering?
In Mason's Own Words
Read Mason's observations on some common thoughts on what the purpose of education is.
Read A Philosophy of Education Book I Introduction (p.1-23) in its original text and/or in modern English.
Respond to the following in the comments below or in your journal:
1) What is our ultimate purpose of education?
2) What are some other aims towards which educators frequently work? Why is each inadequate?
In Mason's Own Words
Find out what Mason says about the purpose of education.
Read A Philosophy of Education ch.10 (p.154-158) in its original text or in modern English.
Respond to the following in the comments or in your journal:
1) Explain what Mason meant by the "science of relations."
2) What kinds of objectives have the potential to hijack our purpose?
Further Reading
What Does It Mean to Be Well-Educated? by Alfie Kohn
Flourishing Together by Lynn Swaner & Andy Wolfe
