I believe that this is my first"official" phlog. If that is a real term? So to talk about teaching versus schooling. Truthfully, before I had never thought there was a difference until I read all the questions and it made me think. I guess that is the point for these question to begin with.
I now think that there is a difference and that schooling seems to be a technical term to me where as education is what a student actually takes home and applies to the real world. Schooling, to me, seems to be the action of teaching and education is the process that one goes through. The questions make me think of how " he got schooled on the court" which means to me he has been taught or taught a lesson depending on how bad it was.
I do not think growing up most students understand or would even think of the difference between schooling and education and if one is more important than the other. My own experiences would make me believe that I was taught (schooled) in Spanish but was not fully education or engulfed in the culture itself. I was a straight A, Spanish National Honor Society, student and to this day can not hold a conversation in Spanish, let alone be able to understand it.
A fundamental purpose in teaching is to spread knowledge or belief's to a student. Whether it be good or bad a person can literally be taught anything. Now whether a student understands it is another question. Overall, everone can be taught but not everyone is educated.
I agree with your concern for the cultural and contextual learning and understanding of a subject. Part of my passion for Irish traditional music is connected with the cultural context in which the music functions. Often people learn to play the music but take no care for the culture from which the music comes. Most Irish traditional musicians I know who are actually Irish are puzzled by American's fascination with "their music." Many consider it odd that foreigners spend much of their lives cultivating a deep understanding of their music and their culture. Missing from their understanding however is that in the U.S. we consider our heritage of great importance BECAUSE our ancestors are not from here, and we find a peculiar attraction to contemporary cultures from which our ancestors came. So as I have had to pay attention to the cultural mores of Irish culture, I have also had to explain and educate others from Ireland as to why I participate as I do, being a "yank." I must say that as I've come to better understand the culture my understanding of the role the music plays has greatly increased, and my behavior that stems from that understanding has made it easier for me to learn more deeply about culture, thus increasing my opportunities for continued learning. Can't stick a grade on that! :-)
ReplyDeleteIt just goes to show that "education" is so much more than "schooling." I believe it is completely unreasonable to expect that "educating" a child is the sole responsibility the teacher in school. We begin learning from everything and everybody we interact with from the moment we take our first breath until our last. So much of our "education" comes personal experiences and relationships that are cultivated outside of the classroom. The formal education we get in school is of paramount importance to be able to function in our society, but as I look back on my education, I have found that I had many "sources" of teachers in my life that had nothing to do with the classroom. Life lessons can not be assigned a grade but are essential in creating who we are. I hope that the simple act of reflecting on my life and taking the time to figure out who I am and what my own personal philosophies are, will make me a better teacher. I will have to keep in the forefront of my mind that although reading, writing, and arithmetic are important I need to expand from that and connect with my students in ways that build upon their own life and learning experiences. Thanks for your insight! ;0)
ReplyDeleteI think you make an important point in that you were "schooled" in Spanish but not fully "educated". It seems that the knowledge is so much more valuable if you have the cultural context in which to understand it. For any subject, without that broader context, I think it is hard to truly grasp what is being taught. While a student might be able to easily memorize facts and terms, to truly be able to use the knowledge, to be educated, is so important.
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