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SmitaRanjit
Dr.BeckyBoesch
12October2013
PhilosophyofEducation
Whydoweneededucation?Somemaythinkitsnotnecessary,butothersmay
thinkitscriticalforeverydaylifeandbasichumanfunctioning.Therearemanydifferent
perspectivesofeducationandwhetherornotitsnecessary.Likeso,Columbo,Gatto,
Dewey,andFreirehavetheirownperspectivesofeducationandtheyareallverydifferent
butinsomewaysverysimilaraswell.Ibelievethateducationshouldpromotegrowthand
allowstudentstobecriticalthinkers.
Firstoff,Columbostatesthatstudentsneedtothinkcriticallywhichmeanstheyneed
toaskquestionsratherthanmemorize"facts"andregurgitatetheinformationtheywere
taught.Whenstudentsarenotthinkingcritically,itdoesn'tbenefitthem.Itdoesn'tallow
themtogainknowledgeandtoseethingsfromdifferentpointsofviews.Evenwithout
education,studentsareabletothink.Theyhavetheirownmindsandtheirownthoughts
thatrevolvewithinit.Educationonlyhelpsstudentsshapetheirknowledgebyshowingthem
thattherearedifferentperspectivestoeverything.Itallowsthemtocriticideasratherthan
justtakethemforwhattheyare.Columboexpressesthatcultureplaysahugeroleinhow
wethinkandwhatwethinkaswell.Hestatesthatcultureshapesthewaywethink
(Columboet.al3).Itbindsusbutalsoblindsus.Thisstatementistrueinthatourculture
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givesusourbackbonetoourknowledge.Thefirstknowledgewehaveisthroughour
cultureanditteachesusrightfromwrong.Weaspeoplecometogetherthroughourculture.
Itbindsusbecauseitgivesusacommongroundforwhatwebelievein.However,we
shouldnotonlyconsiderwhatwelearnfromourculture.Weneedtobeabletolookbeyond
ourcultureandacceptthefactthatourcultureisnottheonlyculturethereis.Thereare
manydifferentculturesandwiththatcomesmanyotherperspectivesandwaysofthinking.
Weneedtobeabletoacceptotherperspectivesandtakeitintoconsideration.Thatis
whatknowledgeis.Combiningothersideastoyourown,notjustacceptingthingshowyou
seethem.
Anotherscholar,Gatto,referstoeducationas"unoriginal".Hebelievesthat
schoolingaimistoshapeeveryonethesameway.HestatesthatSchooltrainschildrento
beemployeesandconsumersteachyourowntobeleadersandadventurers.School
trainschildrentoobeyreflexivelyteachyourowntothinkcriticallyandindependently
(Gatto6).Idon'tentirelyagreewithGattobecauseschoolinginthisgenerationisalot
differentthanschoolinginoldergenerations.Backthenstudentsdidn'thavetheoptionof
pickingtheirownclassesandtakingclassesthatintereststhem.Now,althoughwestill
requirestudentstotakemandatoryclasses,wealsoallowthemtochoosemanyoftheir
classes,classeswhichintereststhem.Studentsarerequiredtotakemandatoryclassesin
whicheveryoneistaughtthesamematerial,butnoteveryonewilltakeinthatmaterialthe
sameway.Everystudentisdifferentandjustbecausetheyaretaughtmanyofthesame
things,doesn'tmeanthattheywillallinterpretitinthesameway.Columbostatesthat
cultureshapesthewaywethink.Giventhat,everyone'scultureisnotthesame,which
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meansthateveryonedoesnotthinkthesameway.Everyonedoesnothavethesame
backgroundknowledge.Therefore,everyoneisdifferentandmandatoryeducationwillnot
teacheveryonetothinkthesamewayorbethesame.
Deweystatesthatourexperiencesarisefromourinteractionswhichcontributeto
ourknowledge.IagreewithDeweybecauseIalsobelievethatourinteractionswithour
environmenthelpshapeourknowledge.Wedon'tjustlearnfromreadingbooksand
memorizing"facts",asstatedbyColumbo.Welearnfromourexperiencesaswell.Weall
havedifferentexperienceswhichmakeuswhoweareandhelpshapeourknowledge.Our
environmentincludeotherpeoplewhichsupportwhatIwassayingearlierthatweneedto
acceptthateveryonehasadifferentperspective.Wecanuseotherpeoplesperspectives
andcombineitwithours,whichallowsustoseethingsfrommanydifferentwaysandnot
justone.Itbroadensourperspectives.Inthisway,wearelearningfromourenvironmentas
wellbecausepeoplearepartofourenvironmentandtheycontributetoourknowledge.
Lastly,Freirestatesthatoureducationisflawedandthatit'screatingdeathinstead
oflife.Healsorelatesoureducationsystemtobanking,Educationthusbecomesanactof
depositing,inwhichthestudentsarethedepositoriesandtheteacheristhe
depositor(Freire).Theteachersfillthestudentswithinformationandthestudentsjustsit
therelistening,notquiteabsorbingoranalyzinganything.Hestatesthatwearetaughtto
educatestudentssothatlaterontheywilllearntoonlydowhattheyaretaughtandnothave
acreativemindtodowhattheywant,Thecapabilityofbankingeducationtominimizeor
annulthestudent'screativepowerandtostimulatetheircredulityservestheinterestsofthe
oppressors,whocareneithertohavetheworldrevealednortoseeittransformed(Freire).
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Idon'tagreethatstudentsaretaughtthisway.AsIstatedpreviously,studentsarerequired
tobetaughtmandatorymaterialsbutalsogiventhefreedomtotakeclassesthatinterests
them.Evenwithinthemandatoryclasses,theyarenotforcedtothinkacertainway.They
aresimplytaughtthematerialandtheyhavethefreewilltothinkwhattheywantaboutit.
Everyonehastheirownperspectives,thereforenoteveryonewilltakeinthematerialinthe
sameway.
Everyonesviewsofeducationisdifferentandshouldbetakenintoconsideration.
Manybelieveeducationshouldnotberequiredandmanybelievethatitisanecessity.
ManyscholarssuchasColumbo,Gatto,Dewey,andFreirehavetheirownperspectivesof
educationandwhetherornotitsbeneficialorharmful.Ibelievethateducationshouldallow
studentstogrowandallowthemtobecriticalthinkers.