Written by Dawood Peer
The wise, hopeful and respectful cultivation of learning undertaken in the belief that all should have the chance to share in life. Education, as we understand it here, is a process of inviting truth and possibility, of encouraging and giving time to discovery.
It is often said that we are learning all the time and that we may not be conscious of it happening. Learning is both a process and an outcome. As a process it is part of living in the world, part of the way our bodies work. As an outcome it is a new understanding or appreciation of something .
In recent years, developments in neuroscience have shown us how learning takes place both in the body and as a social activity. We are social animals. As a result educators need to focus on creating environments and relationships for learning rather than trying to drill knowledge into people .Education is deliberate. We act with a purpose – to develop understanding and judgement, and enable action. We may do this for ourselves, for example, learning what different road signs mean so that we can get a license to drive; or watching wildlife programmes on television because we are interested in animal behaviour. This process is sometimes called self-education or teaching yourself. Often, though, we seek to encourage learning in others. Examples here include parents and carers showing their children how to use a knife and fork or ride a bike; schoolteachers introducing students to a foreign language; and animators and pedagogues helping a group to work together.
Sometimes as educators we have a clear idea of what we’d like to see achieved; at others we do not and should not. In the case of the former we might be working to a curriculum, have a session or lesson plan with clear objectives, and have a high degree of control over the learning environment. This is what we normally mean by ‘formal education’. In the latter, for example when working with a community group, the setting is theirs and, as educators, we are present as guests. This is an example of informal education and here two things are happening.
First, the group may well be clear on what it wants to achieve e.g. putting on an event, but unclear about what they need to learn to do it. They know learning is involved – it is something necessary to achieve what they want – but it is not the main focus. Such ‘incidental learning’ is not accidental. People know they need to learn something but cannot necessarily specify it in advance (Brookfield 1984). Second, this learning activity works largely through conversation – and conversation takes unpredictable turns. It is a dialogical rather than curricula form of education. I think that of all the attributes that I would like to see in my children or in my pupils, the attribute of hope would come high, even top, of the list. To lose hope is to lose the capacity to want or desire anything; to lose, in fact, the wish to live.
Hope is akin to energy, to curiosity, to the belief that things are worth doing. An education that leaves a child without hope is an education that has failed.
Quantitative education means giving only education in amount, teaching them more and more facts and things but not teaching their detail and how to use it in real life or ‘it uses’, in simple words it’s just bundle of theoretical study but not practical but quality education also provide general knowledge about the facts and their uses and practical education to give students better content of education so they can understand out things properly. We must focus on the quality of education.
Students will be smarter and will have more skills if quality education given to the children. Suppose if an educational institute focuses on only quantity and loads of work will be given to the students, more than needed, it surely will not improve students’ skills and base. On another hand, if an educational institute focuses on quality education, surely the students studying there will have better skills and talent.
The traditional system of education, which most of us are familiar with, since most of us attended, was primarily set up to assess quantitative outcomes. These may include, but are not limited to, timed tests, pop quizzes, multiple choice questions, and other standardized evaluations. Everything is centered on this method of examination.
The ambition of this type of educational system was put into place to quickly ascertain results across a large swathe of students, and compute those results against local and national averages. Understandably, perhaps, it wasn’t designed with the individuals ability or interest in mind.
As a product of the Industrial Revolution, one can easily see, through a certain lens, how this type of educational system made complete sense. Education wasn’t about the pursuit of interests or even passions, it was about the preparation of basic, fundamental, technical skills, the mastery of which was needed to enter the workforce. Yet, as we all know, this way of thinking about education, no less than the economy, is completely changing. For some, it has already, irrevocably, changed.
Education gives us a knowledge of the world around us and changes it into something better. It develops in us a perspective of looking at life. It helps us build opinions and have points of view on things in life. People debate over the subject of whether education is the only thing that gives knowledge. Some say education is the process of gaining information about the surrounding world while knowledge is something very different. They are right. But then again, information cannot be converted into knowledge without education. Education makes us capable of interpreting things, among other things. It is not just about lessons in textbooks. It is about the lessons of life. One thing I wish I can do is, to provide education for all: no child left behind and change the world for good! Education is the social institution through which society provides its members with important knowledge, including basic facts, job skills, and cultural norms values.
One of the most important benefits of education is that it improves personal lives and helps society to run smoothly. By providing education, poverty can be removed and every person can provide their contribution to developing the country. Without educated people, this world can’t become a better place. That is why proper education is needed to turn this world into a better place. Hence, we can conclude that for the evolution of a country, there is a need for education.
Knowledge is power. Information is liberating. Education is the premise of progress, in every society, in every family.
Dawood Peer is an activist associated with JKSA. (davoodpeer134@gmail.com)
