Definitions of education.

Mar 25, 2007

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I’ve been thinking about this for a while. Merry blogged her response to a quote from some guy who said home educators have a narrow definition of education – we’ll gloss over him because he’s manifestly wrong, and other ppl have roundly disposed of his inaccurate opinion already.

But what is a definition of education? What is the purpose of education? We’re told “education is ‘suitable’ if it primarily equips a child for life within the community of which he is a member, rather than the way of life in the country as whole, as long as it does not foreclose the child’s options in later years to adopt some other form of life if he wishes to do so.” (found on Home Education UK, there’s more there). But that is still kind of woolly, and doesn’t explain why home educators are looked at askance for their lack of adherence to the national curriculum.

The national curriculum is kind of prescriptive. This idea that all children will reach the same targets at the same age, by being taught in groups of up to (and sometimes more than) 30, often by ppl who have never experienced life outside of educational establishments. And the NC isn’t particularly designed by educators. Although following the point above, that might be a good thing, except for the fact that it’s tweaked and twisted for political headlines by ppl who never went anywhere near the kinds of schools that use it, and also in many cases haven’t experienced much of the real world either. Someone who went to a private school, oxbridge and then into parliament hasn’t a clue what it’s like to try to make a living I don’t think.

Montessori education isn’t mainstream, and private schools don’t follow the NC. I didn’t know the stated purpose of a montessori education until the other day. I was reading a small book, Montessori insights for parents of young children by Aline Wolf and it surprised me to learn that the point of montessori education is to promote world peace by nurturing the spirit of children.

That seems to me to be an admirable point for an education system. I’d like to know what the point of our mass education system, soon to reach all the way to age 18 according to Mr Johnson (although I’d like to know what they are going to do with the children who have children of their own during that time) is supposed to be. Anyone any ideas?

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Comments

9 responses to “Definitions of education.”

t-bird
25 March 2007
point of mass education? easy. To produce lots of maleable, easy to order about workers for the Factories that keep us Great (but are all closing down…)
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Gill
25 March 2007
I’m inclined to agree with Gatto’s view that the idea is to deliberately dumb us down and produce more obedient sheep for easier herding.
Raising the leaving age to 18 gives that bit more opportunity & power for that I suppose, just in case the person by 16 had any silly ideas about thinking for themselves or growing up and being independent or anything.
I actually haven’t seen or heard a strong argument for raising the leaving age. They’ve stopped bothering to even pretend to justify this stuff now, haven’t they? They know we have no choice but to accept it.
We know we have no choice but to accept it.
And while I’m on my soapbox.. 😉
Blair’s signing this, even though he’s apparently aware that two thirds of us are against it? I’m just wondering why they still bother holding elections of any kind anywhere. Maybe it just proves that the school system is doing its job.
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Allie
25 March 2007
It was originally to keep children out of the labour market – and childhood just seems to keep extending, doesn’t it? Perhaps more accurately it was to provide childcare for the children who had been excluded from the labour market.
When I put it like that I always feel a bit like I’m calling for the return of children to the mills and pits. I’m not, by the way. 😉
I think the govt would say is was about realising individual potential, building our future prosperity and apple pie – or something…
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Gill
26 March 2007
I left a comment here & it’s gone! 😥
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Lin
26 March 2007
“(although Iâ€™d like to know what they are going to do with the children who have children of their own during that time)”
Very good point, I was just thinking over the weekend that it was legal to get married at 16 (with PC) but you’d still have to go to school.
Another random thought is who is going to get punished if these children do not go to school? Their parents, their husbands or wives or the little whipper-snappers themselves?
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Clare
26 March 2007
The NC is not only prescriptive but also restrictive, which is one of its biggest drawbacks IMHO. My brother, who has aspergers, failed miserably in his attempts to learn French at school because he couldn’t see the point of it. Since then he has taught himself Russian – enough Russian that he is now living in Russia with his Russian wife whom he met on the internet. So mainstream school had him down as someone who would never do well in life because he didn’t want to learn a language he would never use. He’s proved beyond a doubt he is capable of learning anything he’s interested in…it’s just bad luck they don’t teach Russian at school! Sorry…got a bit long-winded there…I just feel strongly that my children should be allowed to study whatever ‘subject’ they want, whenever they want, for as long as they want as that’s when the real learning will take place.
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Tim
26 March 2007
Put your comment back Gill. We moved the blog to a new server last night and it got lost in translation.
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Gill
26 March 2007
Oh thanks! I had one of those funny twilight ‘did I really type that?’ moments then 😉
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Jan
24 November 2012
To produce compliant consumers
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