What do you think should be the purpose of Primary Education?


What do you think should be the purposes of Primary Education?


According to Thoreau every individual is different, “if a man does not keep pace with his companions perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer, let him step to the music that he hears, however measured or far away” (Armond, 1932), Thoreau suggests that everyone is different and how one person learns may be different for another. The metaphorical ‘drummer’ presents the ideas that everyone is an individual and that everyone has their own ‘beat’ or path to follow whether that be in life or through their education. This is essential when discussing the purposes of education that the individual needs of the learner are made clear and how a teacher can help pupils by using multiple teaching methods when aiding and developing their understanding within their education.

In education the curriculum and the context taught to learners should be relevant and authentic throughout. It is suggested by Dewey (1938), that failing to adapt education to the needs and capacities of the learners can result in a non-positive educational experience that can hinder the learner when trying to adapt themselves to other tasks. One of the purposes of education should be to ensure that a learner is able to adapt themselves to different tasks; this can be carried out by making sure teachers are able to challenge learners when carrying out tasks, teachers can do this by giving them harder or extension tasks when they have finished the original the activity. By doing this, learners are able to challenge themselves in the classroom to try and further their understanding in their education and the topics they are learning in the classroom.

Another purpose of education is being able to relate experience to education. As stated by Dewey (1938), that when a child’s education is based upon experiences then it is seen to be a social process, by basing education on experience then the child is able to develop their understanding of the world and their education; when experience is used then the pupil can relate their education to their own experiences and place themselves into scenarios. Being able to relate to experience is also a method used by teacher as a way of involving the pupils with their education; by doing so the teacher is able to improve the quality of their lessons by making them a more interactive form of learning rather than being dull and too focused on tasks such as writing (Riley et al., 2006); by involving the pupils with their education they are able to work collaboratively with their teacher in creating an interesting and effective teaching method, that both the teacher and the pupil can later draw upon and use when faced with a similar task.

Within Successful Futures, Donaldson (2015) suggest how the curriculum and education should be much more than individual subjects and a syllabus; and that the true purpose requires the approaches that are taken to be more directly relevant in emerging the personal, social and economic needs of the children. It is important as a teacher to understand that education is more than just teaching children facts, it should be able to inspire and develop a child’s understanding of the world. Education should allow children to grow and become confident learners. 

Education is a critical aspect of a child’s life and should be present for every child. The purposes of education should be to inspire a child to become who they want to be and to develop their confidence in both their academic career and their personal and social lives. Learning should be relevant and authentic, as well as inclusive to all learners to involve them more in the decision-making side of their education. Through Donaldson’s Successful Futures we are able to see that these points are made throughout and that education can benefit from this reform to create a more inclusive education system that allows learners to reach their true potential.

References:
Armond, F. (1932). ‘Thoreau and Schopenhauer: An Imaginary Conversation’, The New England Quarterly, 5(1), pp. 62. Available at: http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.cardiffmet.ac.uk/stable/359490?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents (Accessed: 3rd November 2017).

Dewey, J. 1938 (1963). Experience and Education. New York: Collier Books.

Donaldson, G. (2015). Successful Futures: Independent Review of Curriculum and Assessment Arrangements in Wales. Welsh Assembly Government. Crown

Riley, K. et al. (2006). ‘Re-engaging disaffected pupils in learning: insights for policy and practice’, Improving Schools, 9(1), pp.17-31. Available at: http://journals.sagepub.com.ezproxy.cardiffmet.ac.uk/doi/abs/10.1177/1365480206061994 (Accessed: 3rd November 2017).




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