Jenny Wutka

Philosophy of Education

What is the purpose of education? Although this question, when brought to

attention, seemed silly and obvious, when asked to come up with a definition, strangely, it

was quite difficult. It shocked me that I have been going to school for the past 15 years

and have never been asked what I think the purpose of education is. After thinking about

this question on my own, then discussing it with a room full of future teachers, I came to

an agreement with myself that, Education is an intentional, systematic effort to

communicate and transmit knowledge, skills and values within a society.

Learning is a process of social interaction. In the social groups with little formal

teaching and training, the most undeveloped are found. Keeping proper balance between

the informal and formal, the incidental and the intentional, modes of education, is one of

the weightiest problems that the philosophy of education has to cope with. The world of

education is a process of giving and taking, to be more exact, teachers give knowledge to

the minds of students and it is then, the responsibility of the students to take the

knowledge and make use of it for themselves.

Teachers can only direct a student so much, until the student has to take the

direction and use it to their advantage to advance in their own education. Direction

involves a focusing and fixating of action in order that it may be truly a response, and this

requires an elimination of unnecessary and confusing movements. When educating the

mind it is important to leave independent thoughts for the student. Education should not

be controlled but directed. Control and guidance are the two aspects of direction. It is

most important for teachers to make the goal clear and offer direction, but the control of
the assignment should lie in the hands of the student. All direction is considered re-

direction because it is the shifting of an original plan or thought onto a more successful

path. In education, direction is the most important for the minds of the students because

they are the ones that should be doing the majority of the thinking and planning.

There is a gap in our education system between studenting: and learning.

Studenting in this situation is explained as a student doing what they have to do in

order to pass a class. Memorizing the material to pass a test or finding out what it takes to

write a good paper, and using that method for every future paper turned into that

professor. On the other end of this gap is learning; this is explained as actually engaging

in the class or subject and becoming more intellectually inclined. To close this gap

between studenting and learning there needs to be an interest for the student. Although

general classes are important to become a well-rounded student, those general classes are

the place where studenting most commonly occurs. I know from experience it is much

harder to pay attention and be truly engaged in a course that I have no interest in. To be

able to expand my educational horizons, I know that I need to grow in my ability of

learning, instead of basic studenting.