Lilit Chilingaryan (11) STAFF REPORTER
“The correct analogy for the mind is not a vessel that needs filling, but wood that needs igniting.”
– Plutarch
It was at the dawn of civilization that the need arose to pass down critical knowledge and culture – to educate future generations. Clearly, it has been a vital aspect in our development as individuals and as humanity. It has been embedded into law, into our norms, and into the pillars of society; but what is the purpose of education, and is it being fulfilled to its full potential?
The purpose of a modern education should not be to pour loads of information into the minds of unquestioning students and have them memorize the facts they need to know for evaluations. Unfortunately, that is exactly the culture that has been cultivated in many students: they have accepted the axiom that, in order to succeed, one must fulfill the teacher’s standards. However, this template in education is not conducive to personal learning nor success in the real world.
Fundamentally, education should ignite students’ curiosity and life-long commitment to learning and applying their knowledge and skills. Without the proper attitude and vital skills, such as responsibility, critical thinking, and innovation, an education serves merely as a placeholder for true development. So how can we alter the current (or traditional) pedagogy to reflect the purpose of education?
By taking into account various educational philosophies, there have been attempts to diverge from the traditional approaches to learning. Especially in the past, the classroom was not limited to merely the single approach that we commonly see today but implemented these other, more effective philosophies.
The Socratic method, for example, was created and used by Socrates as a technique of argumentative dialogue, in which a succession of questions are posed to provoke critical thinking and reflection. The purpose is to challenge one’s reasoning, examine the way by which we come to conclusions, and ultimately arrive at a logical answer.
Other, similar methods exist that revolve around research and personal inquiry, collaboration, etc. As a result, such methods have been implemented, and schools created to introduce them into society. Montessori schools are a paradigm example, as well as other more recent approaches, such as flipped classrooms. In this learning style, students review the lesson at home then attend school to collectively discuss the material and solve corresponding problems to consolidate the information.
Though many may dispute the purpose of education or how education should be ministered, it ultimately should, at least in my opinion, be aimed toward developing integral skills and igniting curiosity. However, the traditional pedagogy is not the most effective nor optimal. Therefore, pedagogy should be rethought and redesigned, possibly following other philosophies of learning.
