THE AIM OF EDUCATION

THE AIM OF EDUCATION IS TO CULTIVATE PERSONALITY INTEGRATION AND CREATIVE INTELLIGENCE: Education as the fostering of natural human development. GROWTH IN FREEDOM theme: Discussion of aim of education is a function of the philosophy of education or 'educational theory'. The aim of education - in the fullest and deepest sense of the word - is in keeping with the nature of the human personality or 'human nature'. Human nature is defined in terms of the cultivation and development of perceptive intelligence based on experience i.e. 'creative intelligence'. Creative intelligence or 'intuition' combines reason of understanding with wisdom of compassion... depends  on human 'awakening' or 'enlightenment'....   aim of education  is to cultivate creative intelligence required for adaptation to changes in the social environment i.e. 'adaptability'.   . "Critical to educational policy is the following question: 'which worldview is shaping the goals of education?' Educational goals are set within the framework of a prevailing worldview or paradigm. Information is presented and reflected upon within the context of an accepted worldview. In the past, the worldview of empirical science has been shaping the goals of education., This worldview is now being challenged by the worldview of wholistic science. The goals of education are being shaped by the new wholistic science." ( Willis Harman, The Shifting Worldview: Toward a More Holistic Science," Holistic Education Review. September 1992: 15-25)  The aim of education is to foster the development of inner freedom (freedom from fear and conflict)... maturity as personality integration... implications... Critical to educational policy is the following question: "which worldview is shaping the goals of education?" Educational goals are set within the framework of a prevailing accepted worldview or paradigm.  People subconsciously experience reality in the context of a prevailing paradigm in the process of enculturation. Cultural beliefs are structured within the framework of the assumptions which form the basis for the cultural perception of reality. Information is presented and reflected upon within the context of the same paradigm. In the past, the paradigm of empirical science has been shaping the goals of education. This paradigm is now being challenged by the paradigm of the science of connectedness or 'holistic science'. The new holistic science is shaping the goals of education.  Cartesian-Newtonian paradigm of 'traditional education': educational institutions and HYPERLINK "file:///C:\\Documents%20and%20Settings\\Kotancsyk\\Mes%20documents\\optimalearning.htm" education for conformity Traditional education is education for conformity to ideals… imposing ideals encourages conformity…  The concern is with idea of what the individual should be. There is no concern for the individual’s humanity i.e. no ‘love’.  Education for conformity is education for personal motive and gain... not education for the individual's growth... awakening of their intelligence. Education for conformity is education for conditioned learning or 'conditioning'. The question 'what is the aim of education' or "what should students know in the future? is asked within the framework of a prevailing paradigm or worldview. Educational aims can be formulated in terms of the 'outcome' of education and the 'process' of education. In the  of 'traditional education',  educational aims are formulated in terms of ' outcome  the acquisition of informationf  or 'content' and process in terms of teaching methods and learning 'strategies'are considered separately for practical purposes. Aim of so-called 'traditional education' is to limit and control the imagination. "The function of education in any society is the socialization of youth into the prevailing culture. On the one hand, schooling serves to integrate individuals into society by institutionaliz ing dominant value, norm and belief system. On the other hand, schooling provides the individual competencies necessary for the adequate performance of social roles. These educational systems are fundamental to the stability and functioning of any society." (See Gintis in R.C. Edwards et al(eds) The Capitalist System. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1972 123) Aims of education in terms of political ideology...  education for citizens of democracy   The question 'what is the aim of education?' has been asked in the context of what is 'best for democracy' (Dewey) or best for 'society'. What is the aim of education for society? The question 'what is the aim of education' is usually asked in the context of the old paradigm in which 'society' is perceived as an entity separate from the individuals who make it up. which implies that aims of education are should be formulated in the context of what is best for the society. ' ( Korzybski Science and Sanity),  The word 'society' refers to the group of individuals of a community who share a given set of constructs, values and techniques which together are referred to as a 'paradigm'. (Kuhn, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, Unviversity of Chicago Press, 1970)    So-called 'dichotomy' society / individual... The formulation of 'aims of education' within the paradigm of what is 'good for the society'... what 'society' needs most is bound to be misleading. Attempts to formulate 'aims of education' for the 'society' without regard or respect for the needs of those individuals who make it up must ultimately fail. Progress can be made in the 'science of education' if old questions are asked within the context of a new paradigm. In the context of the old paradigm - what is good for society - the implication of the question is that the aims of education should be formulated in terms of what 'society' needs most.  is bound to be misleading.  Aims for education make sense if they are formulated in the context of a paradigm which is appropriate to the needs of the individuals within the society. Ask the same questions in the context of the new cultural paradigm of wholism. What is best for the child and the society? With a perception of reality which is wholistic, there is no dichotomy indiviudal vs. 'society'. This makes sense because what is good for the child is good for the society. A wholistic view of education is based on the elimination of dichotomies such as individual/society. Wholistic education based on the biologically based needs and metaneeds of the individual automatically accomodates the needs of the society. "The relationship between society and the individual is not to be understood simply in the sense that cultural patterns and social institutions 'influence' the individual. The interaction goes much deeper; the whole personality of the average individal is molded by the way people relate to each other, and it is determined by the socioecoomic and political structure of society to such an extent, that in principle, one can infer from the analysis of one individual the totality of the social structure in which he lives." (Fromm Man For Himself, 78) "The purpose of education is to culture the mind of a man so that he can accomplish all his aims in life. Education, to justify itself, should enable a man to use the full potential of his body, mind and spirit. It should also develop in him the ability to make the best use of his personality, surroundings and circumstances so that he may accomplish the maximum in life for himself and for others." (51) The purpose of education would be met if the schools provided  educational methods of self-development by which the individual can "gain complete possession of of all his powers." Broadly speakly, education has two goals which are mutually dependent: cultivation and development of the individual and the improvement of society. But it is individuals who make up the society. Therefore the society improves with the improvement of the individuals who make it up. ". Ideals are detrimental to education  because they prevent understanding of  present reality HYPERLINK "file:///C:\\Documents%20and%20Settings\\Kotancsyk\\Mes%20documents\\miscellaneous\\conditioning.htm" Concern for the ideal indicates sluggishness of mind  which wants to avoid the present. Aim of education is not based on any ideology … not a means of conditioning the individual in some special way. HYPERLINK "file:///C:\\Documents%20and%20Settings\\Kotancsyk\\Mes%20documents\\miscellaneous\\conditioning.htm"    When the aim of education is to work for an ideal… for the future. (Being afraid of the unknown - the future - we establish for ourselves psychological zones of safety… in the form of systems, techniques, beliefs) the  ‘should be’ becomes more important than seeing the individual in the context of the complexities of their own life - the ‘what is’.   then it brings about confusion …creates in the individual  psychological barriers which separate them  and hold them apart from others. This breeds fear and produces inner conflict between what they are and what they are made to think they  should be. The inner conflicts are manifest outwardly and this hinders the understanding of the child as well as the child’s understanding of themselves. When one is pursuing an ideal pattern of action there can be no integration of personality.  This is not understanding the full significance of life.   The idealist , like the specialist, is only concerned with part of life not whole of life.  "Not in the service of any political or social creed should the teacher work, but in the service of the complete human being, able to exercise in freedom a self-disciplined will and judgement, unperverted by prejudice and undistorted by fear." Maria Montessori. To Educate the Human Potential. Adyar, Madras, India: Kalakshetra Publications, 1961.3) Political aims and ideals of the adults in the society interfere with the basic aim of education which is to provide the individual with a foundation for successfully living in the world. There is a need for depth education - education of the 'whole' individual.  Specialization of knowledge must be accompanied by full human development. "The school should always have as its aim that the young man leave it as a harmonious personality, not as a specialist. The development of general ability for independent thinking and judgment should always be placed foremost."(Albert Einstein. Out of my Later Years New York: Philosophical Library, l960)    Aim of education in terms of knowledge as CONTENT and knowledge as the process of knowing... PROCESS...  Content is the overt curriculum.... choice of the content is determined by philosophy or 'politics'. Traditional paradigm and the separation of 'outcome' and 'process' of education Process refers to the subjective process of acquiring knowledge or knowing. The acquisition of information or knowledge is the objective content or 'outcome'. The process refers to the way in which content is transmitted. Knowledge that exists today was once only a viability and it then became new knowledge, relative and therefore successive to yesterday's existing knowledge... the process factor - how the content is transmitted. In the traditional paradigm the outcome and the process have been viewed separately for practical purposes. The question "what is the aim of education?" is commonly interpreted in the narrow sense of "what content should students know in the future?" The content is considered in terms of expectations and 'learning outcomes' ...aims of education are defined in terms of content and the acquisition of information.  The process of education has been defined in terms of teaching methods and learning strategies. Process is the 'hidden curriculum'. In the proces of learning the content, one learns how to learn the content, one learns who decides which aspects of the content are to be learned, one learns whom one must obey and respect, one learns how to addresss and react to different members of one's class, one learns whose favor one must curry, whose opinions to respect and so on. Conclusions about process in education are derived from value premises. Process is political. The ethics of politics determine what is to be studied, by whom and to what extent. The long term result of separating outcome from process is the person's alienation from life experience... their sense of alienation from their world... their disempowerment... inability to adjust to demands of changing social environment.. results in disempowerment and inability to adapt to social change.     In a discussion of education, both factors - content and process must be considered. Content of knowledge is gained through the process of knowing. What is needed is to ask the old question (what is the aim of education?) in a new paradigm.    Integration of outcome and process results in empowerment and ability to adapt to social change Within the framework of the... in the context of the new holistic paradigm, the formulation of educational aims does not necessitate the separate consideration of outcome and process... content and process are interrelated. Educational aims are formulated in terms of the interrelationship between the outcome as objective content... and process as subjective learning.  The content of one field is regarded in terms of its relationship to other fields. 'Process' as method is considered in terms of making associations and extending relationships. In a theoretical study of the learning process, 'content' and 'process' are considered simultaneously. The aim of education for students is defined in terms of their need to apply what they learn to an understanding of themselves and their world. Outcome as acquisition of information or objective content is considered in terms of its relationship to other content... in terms of its 'significance'. 'Process' as method is considered as a subjective process of making associations and extending relationships. Theoretical study of teaching and learning are concerned with the integration of 'outcome' and 'process' considered simultaneously. The aim of education as 'what should students known in the future? is defined in terms of their need to apply what they learn to an understanding of themselves and their world... The long term result of integrating outcome and process is ithe person's integration with life experience... their sense of connection with the world... their empowerment... their enhanced capacity for adjustment to changes in the social environment i.e.'adaptability'.  "The objective of education is not the production of self-confident fools." (Bruner, Jerome. Process of Education. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press, 1966. 65) In the history of philosophy generally, one notices progress in ideas and their practical application when the questions are rephrased. With the wrong question one never arrives at a suitable answer which is practially applicable. By rethinking the question, one's direction of thought changes and new possibilities open up for a solution to practical problems. In the philosophy of education, the question which is always discussed is the following: "What is the aim of education?" The question  should be rephrased as "What is the 'aim of education' for the child from the child's point of view on the basis of scientific, biological principles in which children are perceived as intelligent social beings who are primarily motivated by the human needs for security and growth?  learn from the adults of the society ('introjection instinct') those capacities and skills required for adaptation to the social environment and to develop the creative powers for improving conditions life of meaningful productivity. Avoid policies and programs which counteract children's motivation for learning... 'human nature'. "The child is presented as a behaving organism, whose mind is given to aid him in adapting to this world's life. Hence the purpose of education is to organize his powers of conduct so as to fit him for his social and physical milieu. Interests must be awakened and broadened as the natural starting points of instruction. The will must be trained to sustain the proper attention for productive thought and ethical action. The right sorts of habits must be early inculcated to free the child for his role as an intelligent being, and his ideas must be put wherever possible to the practical test. In the end the job of the teacher is to turn the 'sensitive, impulsive, associative, and reactive organism' that is the child into a purposeful, thinking adult who will use his talents to the fullest in the struggle for a better life." (William James Talks to Teachers on Psychology: and to Students on Some of Life's Ideals)   Basic aim of education for the child is maturity and integration of personality required for personal freedom and adaptability The purpose of education is to cultivate the mind so that the individual can accomplish all his/her aims in life. Education should enable the individual to use the full potential of the body, mind and spirit... should develop the ability to make the best use of his personality, surroundings and circumstances in order to accomplish the maximum in life for himself and for others. The purpose of education would be met if the schools provided educational methods of self-development by which the individual can gain complete possession of of all his powers. Broadly speakly, education has two goals which are mutually dependent: cultivation and development of the individual and the improvement of society... individuals make up the society... the society improves with the improvement of the individuals who make it up... the individual is the heart of society....only by being true to the full growth of individuals who make it up, can by any chance society be true to itself. The aims of education are to foster the individual's inner freedom and development towards the following: self-initiated action and acceptance of responsibility for one's own actions, self-direction and intelligent decision making, critical learning and evaluation of others, acquisition of knowledge for resolution of problems, intelligent and flexible adaptation to new situations, creative utilization of experiential learning in adaptation to new situations, effective cooperation with others, self-motivation and a desire to work for one's own purposes i.e. 'intrinsic motivation'. A mature personality is an integrated personality. Maturity involves the wholistic perception of reality. A wholistic perception of reality eliminates misconceived dichotomies such as individual freedom vs. responsibility to society. A mature person is aware of his/her responsibilities to society "The highest function of education is to bring about an integrated individual who is capable of dealing with life as a whole." (Jiddu Krishnamurti)  "The goal of education is inward freedom." (Carl Rogers 1969. Freedom To Learn. Columbus, Ohio: Charles Merrill Publishing Co.)  Complete human development leads to inner freedom and the accurate perception of reality which is free from distortion. ... originality of thought based on independence of mind required for search for knowledge or 'truth'... 'science' in the true sense     The aim of education is to foster the development of inner freedom... to foster the individual's inner freedom enabling the development toward the following: self-initiated action and acceptance of responsibility for one's own actions, self-direction and intelligent decision-making, critical learning and evaluation of others, acquisition of knowledge for resolution of problems, intelligent and flexible adaptation to new situations, creative utilization of experiential learning in adaptation to new situations, effective cooperation with others, self-motivation and a desire to work for one's own purposes. Necessary environmental conditions... 'learning environment