Home231

Children are Not Talking Parrots

Many families and teachers believe that if students retain a set of hard, basic information and succeed in specific tests, the educational process has been successful.

Many families and teachers believe that if students retain a set of hard, basic information and succeed in specific tests, the educational process has been successful.

Featured image above by Mario Antonio Pena Zapatería, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0&gt;, via Wikimedia Commons

What do you think education means? What are the principles of education? What is supposed to change in our children?

In 2001, the follow-up committee of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in the field of educational goals reminded the European Union that education should not focus on the mere accumulation of information, ignite fierce competition, or assume that failure in exams is a terrible disaster for students. Instead, it emphasized that the mission of education is broader. What training does the follow-up committee of the Convention on the Rights of the Child suggest for European countries? What is the definition of education from their perspective?

What do you think education is? Where does it come from? When does it start and end? These are difficult questions!

Many parents worldwide ask school teachers about what their children are learning. They want to know, “What are you going to teach them?” or “Why don’t you teach our children more?”

Often, families consider education limited to a few specific subjects. In the early years, “teaching” for families means reading and writing. Later, mathematics, some science, and a second language become important. It seems that if someone knows how to read, write, and count, they are on the right path to education. As time goes on, education often becomes a collection of information. Many families and teachers believe that if students retain a set of hard, basic information and succeed in specific tests, the educational process has been successful. However, most educational systems worldwide do not emphasize analysis, evaluation, criticism, negotiation, expression of feelings, ways of thinking, social relations, activism, self-esteem, and self-confidence. If a system works on these aspects and students develop such qualities, some professionals and families might still ask:

  • What about the educational aspect?
  • What is their education like?
  • When do you start teaching them?
  • The behavior of our children has changed, but what about their education?
  • My child has grown socially and emotionally but hasn’t learned any new education.
  • My child’s happiness and self-confidence have increased, so when will you teach them?

Let’s return to the initial question: Where does education come from? Where does it go? What is education?

When discussing diverse educational approaches, we refer to the variety in educational systems. This variety is not just in names, buildings, or equipment, but also in intellectual philosophy and educational structure. Each educational philosophy has its views on concepts, content, methods, or educational programs. In the book Humanistic Psychology (Yousefi, 2020), it is noted that concepts like intelligence, need, emotion, and growth have different meanings from different perspectives. For example, most schools of psychology introduce “need” as part of human deficiencies, viewing it as something that must be met to alleviate lack. However, in humanistic psychology, “need” is part of the growth process. Humanists see “need” as an opportunity for improving capabilities. Similarly, the concepts of intelligence, learning, motivation, and most importantly, “education,” differ across models. Behaviorists, like Skinner (1904-1990), see education as the transfer of predetermined knowledge, evaluated through exams and grades. Cognitivists view education as a process of teaching and learning (Sternberg, 1998). Montessori schools believe education means improving students’ skills and abilities. Developmental psychology, based on Piaget’s views (1896-1980), believes education involves exploring and understanding the world.

Despite their differences, these educational models share common harmful effects. They:

  • Compare and value students,
  • Push students into competitive atmospheres,
  • Encourage students to earn points and extrinsic rewards,
  • Promote individual lives and interests,
  • Foster elitism in the name of evaluation.

In the humanistic model, education means providing opportunities for students to face their maximum talents and abilities. This does not mean discovering or focusing on specific talents, but rather exposing children to all aspects of their development.

Thus, in this approach, transferring information as knowledge to children and teenagers is nonsensical. Instead, students learn to:

  • Understand their surroundings,
  • Ask questions,
  • Seek solutions,
  • Develop ideas,
  • Express themselves,
  • Make mistakes,
  • Analyze and criticize,
  • Follow their dreams,
  • Know their abilities,
  • Communicate with others,
  • Love others,
  • Consider the best situations for themselves and others,
  • Help improve the world.

This is the path and process of education from a humanistic perspective. “Education” means shaping students’ personalities so they can make choices in their lives and accept responsibility for those choices. In humanistic schools, education differs vastly from behavioral schools. If behaviorist schools limit education to conveying predetermined information, humanistic schools do not.

Why doesn’t the path of education change?

In the contemporary world, most teachers, educational planners, and families understand that knowledge transfer is no longer considered education. Students can easily obtain information through various means. Despite this, many families still see education as limited to knowledge transfer. Many educational professionals and teachers recognize the ineffectiveness of behaviorist systems, yet a large part of the global community still equates education with knowledge transfer.

Why do behaviorist schools still force students to memorize information? Why do they repeat exercises for math or artwork based on patterns and stereotypes?

It seems that educators, administrators, and families are not familiar with the diversity of educational approaches and have not deeply understood these differences.  In some countries, there may be a variety of educational systems or patterns, but teachers, administrators, and families are unprepared for these approaches. The experience of diverse schools in North America and parts of Europe shows that many families are still unfamiliar with the intellectual and educational philosophy of various schools.

When families understand the diversity of educational philosophies, they can choose schools that match their values and philosophies.

Different Education

Let’s consider another educational approach. Imagine this scenario as either an actual event or an imaginary one in a distant land:

The World Cup is happening for a month. A school decides to align the students’ classes with this global event. Teachers notice that many children, teenagers, and families are engaged with the World Cup. They decide to work on football and related topics, incorporating educational activities. Throughout the World Cup, the class covers topics such as:

  • Each country’s characteristics: political systems, population, economic and social programs, history, and important events.
  • Geographical situations: islands, gulfs, continents, climates, ethnicities, and international relations.
  • History of the World Cup: formation, purpose, team selection, fairness, quotas for continents, and the dominance of developed countries.
  • Country flags and national anthems: political and economic systems.
  • Stadium design: construction, engineering, building strength, civil engineering, materials used.
  • Athlete nutrition and health: foods before and during training.
  • Medical care for players: health care before and during games.
  • Predicting match outcomes: statistics and probability.
  • World Cup entry: country classification, team grouping.
  • Team uniform design: colors, shapes, sizes, diversity in sports necessities.
  • Lives of football players,
  • Player hairstyles,
  • Sports journalism: information, advertising methods, social media role.
  • Advertising impact: audience perception, product promotion.

For one month before, during, and after the competition, the school focuses all lessons on these topics.

Does this method seem effective? Is it possible to doubt its value?

By examining this process, it’s clear that a wide range of human knowledge fields was covered. From mathematics to geography, history, art, social sciences, health, nutrition, and architecture, students were engaged in diverse learning experiences. More importantly, this educational process coincided with a social and global event. Teachers adapted lesson topics to meet students’ needs and interests in an important situation, creating a valuable and effective learning experience.

This humanistic school provided opportunities for students to experience what they were taught in a real and objective way, fostering their learning and development. In education, providing opportunities for students to encounter a variety of life experiences is crucial. Tools such as books, films, visits, experiments, observations, trips, interviews, and workshops, as well as direct and indirect teaching, seminars, projects, and exhibitions, are all important. In the humanistic education model, direct education (as behaviorist schools define it) is just one form of education, and predetermined resources are only one tool.

In humanistic schools, students are not just passive recipients of information. They are thinkers, questioners, and creators. They engage in critical thinking, idea development, and meaningful discussions.

Humanistic schools do not view the transfer of information through memory and predetermined concepts as education. They see it as anti-educational, destroying students’ intellectual foundations. Therefore, humanistic schools avoid this method, focusing instead on dynamic and effective education. In humanistic schools, children are not talking parrots. Students are not expected to repeat words without understanding. They are encouraged to think, question, and develop their own ideas. This approach believes in the intellectual and creative potential of each student.

An Interesting Incident

During the football matches in the educational experience coordinated with the World Cup, one topic discussed was “winning and losing.” Questions included:

  • Why does one team win and another lose?
  • How do people in the winning team’s country feel compared to those in the losing team’s country?
  • Can the winning team’s supporters empathize with the losing team?
  • Can the losing team be happy for the winning team?
  • Is it possible to design games where everyone wins?
  • Is it fair for only one team to win out of all participants?
  • Can underdeveloped countries compete fairly with countries with more sports facilities?

If students discuss these concepts after the World Cup, it is valuable. This level of understanding and empathy indicates societal growth and development. It shows that students are learning more than just academic subjects; they are developing a deeper understanding of human emotions and social issues.

Is reaching this level of understanding accidental or the result of a deliberate educational process? Facilitators at this school worked with students to develop empathy and cooperation, leading to such insightful discussions.

Is this a progressive method of education?

The Goals of Education in International conventions

Article 29 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child outlines the goals of education:

  • Developing the child’s personality, talents, and physical and mental abilities.
  • Increasing respect for human rights, fundamental freedoms, and principles of the United Nations Charter.
  • Increasing respect for the child’s parents, cultural identity, language, values, and national values of the country where the child lives and their country of origin. Promoting respect for civilizations different from the child’s own.
  • Preparing the child for a responsible life in a free society with understanding, peace, tolerance, gender equality, and friendship among all people, ethnic, national, and religious groups, and indigenous people.
  • Increasing respect for the natural environment.

Article 26 of the Declaration of Human Rights states that education should aim at the full development of human personality and the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It should promote understanding, tolerance, and friendship among all nations, racial, and religious groups, supporting the United Nations’ peacekeeping activities.

The International Convention on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights reaffirms these principles.

According to the UNICEF Manual for the Implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (1378), these goals guide education worldwide.

 

For more information:

RECOMMENDED FOR YOU

Loading...
Newer Post
Older Post