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


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

Primary education is believed to ‘underpin the success of a society.’ (UNICEF, 2000) It is therefore important to cover a child’s needs within the curriculum to fully benefit and develop their skills. In this blog post I will state my pedagogical beliefs and my views on some of the purposes of Primary education.

Pedagogy is defined by Collins (2017) as the study and theory of the methods and principles of teaching. It combines ‘theoretical and practical knowledge and skills with fine judgement about what is required to promote effective learning in contexts. It lies at the heart of what it means to be an excellent teacher.’ (Donaldson, 2015, p.63). The pedagogy and the purpose of primary education is to ‘educate the next generation of informed citizens (…) instilling them a love of knowledge and culture (…) also ensuring that young people receive the preparation they need to secure a good job and a fulfilling career.’ (Department for Education, 2015) The responsibility that education has towards children is making sure they receive a foundation to make their learning easier.

One purpose of primary education system is for children to acquire literacy, numeracy and creative skills. Due to the current inclusion of cross curricular subjects it promotes this development. Additionally, a child who experiments thinking critically independently will help them think better and solve problems effectively. These skills help develop a child’s individual, social and economical needs. Another purpose of primary education is allowing a child to explore the educational environment. Dewey supports this idea as he promotes interaction using a hands-on approach to learning which assists children adapt and learn. This mindset allowed children to have freedom of thought. (Dewey, 1938) I think this is important as it pushes a child’s social, emotional and mental development consequently developing their progress and understanding further.

In primary education it is also important that children are being taught effectively to develop their skills, knowledge and problem solving. Freire believed that it would be valuable for children to work out problems and relate it to their daily life encounters which exercises problem solving. The skills and knowledge gained from primary education shapes children for the future career they want to pursue. Bruner states: ‘learning should not only take us somewhere, it should allow us later to go more easily. (General Teaching Council, 2006) I agree with this statement as the purpose of education should be there to assist and not restrict. Furthermore, within the Donaldson’s (2015) report it reinforces this point stating: ‘young people should all leave school having experienced a broad education that equips them to thrive in an increasingly complex and rapidly changing world.’

A child should also gain knowledge and understanding of the world around them. This can be promoted through different ‘types of play, active, and experiential learning opportunities’ which will encourage a child to think, explore, reason and increase their overall engagement. Bruner supports this as he believes that children should learn by repeating and exploring different experiences and forming connections with these experiences to form their cognition. An example of an activity to exercise this purpose would be to walk around the community and take photos of features which the children find interesting and once back in the classroom drawing a map and adding the individual photos to it. (Wales Assembly Government, 2008) To conclude, there are various purposes to primary education however I believe the most important purpose is for a child to be able to thrive whilst being educated. This promotes their development and builds on their knowledge and skills. A stepping stone towards their future career.  

References:
Collins English Dictionary (2017) Pedagogy.  Available at: https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/pedagogy (Accessed at: 10/12/17)
Department for Education (2015) The purpose of education. Available at:  https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/the-purpose-of-education (Accessed at 10/12/17)
Dewey, J. (1938) Education and Experience. New York: Collier Books.
Donaldson, G. (2015) ‘Successful Futures: Independent Review of Curriculum and Assessment Arrangements in Wales.’, Welsh Assembly Government, Crown.
General Teaching Council (2006) ‘Research for Teachers: Jerome Bruner’s constructivist model and the spiral curriculum for teaching and learning.’
UNICEF (2000) ‘Quality Primary Education’ The Potential to Transform Society in a Single Generation.

Wales Assembly Government (2008) Knowledge and Understanding of the World. Department for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills. Crown. 

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