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Education, Lifelong Learning and the Transformation of Society
There is much anger in the world today. People rage against injustice and inequality. Tempers flair as we struggle to protect the planet. Societies change and evolve and our values are transformed over time.
Many practices such as slavery, colonialism and capital punishment were deemed acceptable in the past and considered abhorrent by today’s standards. Our current laws on discrimination and tolerance were hard fought and did not come about without argument and persuasion. Even with these, we know there is still much to do.
The progressive process of transforming values in society is essentially an educative endeavour. Consider how our collective values have changed, even in the course of, for example my own lifetime: My eldest sister had to leave her job when she got married, it was ok to hit children in school, homosexual acts were deemed criminal offences and university fees excluded many from achieving their potential. The situation today is not perfect but it has improved considerably.
However, we do not live in some privileged time when our values have evolved to a pinnacle. We continue to question how we live with each other and strive to make it better.
In this vein, it is not unreasonable to assume that at some point in the future our understanding of the purpose of education and the nature of lifelong learning will be transformed.
Today, many people think of education as simply a process of preparation: as the preparation of the young for adult life, or the unskilled to become competent, or of human capital in the interests of the supply of labour. Despite its prevalence, this is an impoverished view of education and a flawed model of learning.
Education involves more than preparation; as we learn we are already participating. Our world is transformed by journeys from peripheral to central areas of practice, from novice to expert and from passive acceptance to deep questioning of shared values.
Two significant UNISCO reports, Learning to Be (Faure 1972) and Learning: The Treasure Within (Delore 1996), affirm the transformative power of education on the lives of individuals and societies as a whole. The so-called ‘four pillars’ derive from these documents:
Learning to know,
Learning to do,
Learning to live together,
Learning to be.
These statements go beyond the purposes of education to embody the values that underpin the transformative power of lifelong learning.
Notice how they build and connect with each other. “Learning to know” is perhaps the most obvious and commonly associated with the preparation model of education. In recent times we are increasingly aware of “learning to do” as an important function of vocational and professional education. However, it is only when we connect these with “learning to live together” and “learning to be” that we grasp the progressive nature of learning.
In ‘learning to live together’ we are challenged in a different way – to recognise and respect all other people and to share our competence and collaborate for a better world.
Through these actions – learning to know, do, and live together – we move toward the goal of ‘learning to be’. Each person achieving their full potential.
This is the ultimate aim of education and lifelong learning. Perhaps at some time in the future these values will be shared by everyone. That’s the power of transformative learning!
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What makes a good teacher?
One of a series of questions to be explored at Essential Questions for Educators Everywhere open summer course National College of Ireland 26-30th of June 2017
eqfee.org ‘What makes a good teacher’ seems a simple question and you might expect a straight forward answer. However, the more you think about it the more you will realise that it is not so simple after all.For many years now, I have worked with students and teachers in different sectors and contexts. Over time we have developed an exercise to interrogate this question. The exercise is worthwhile for learning professionals everywhere.
NCI Staff at a Learning & Teaching Development Event You can try this yourself.
Start by thinking about your own experiences as a student and ask yourself who was the best teach er you ever had. Go on think about who that might be now…. Have you identified someone? Good! Let’s presume you can picture that person in your mind. Write down, or make a mental list, of the top qualities you associate with them.Keep that list handy and read on…
OK, I’m going to have to introduce some theory before we proceed. Let’s assume the basic task of a teacher is to bring about learning in another person. I hope you can accept this as a starting point. So, teaching is a skill or craft associated with a person who’s quality or effectiveness is only apparent through their impact on others. This is similar to, say, the skills of a comedian. The task of a comedian is to make others laugh; no matter how closely you examine the actions of a comedian you can only confirm their talent through the laughter of other people. So too for teaching, if you wish to examine the qualities of a teacher – don’t look to the teacher. Look to the students!Now, let’s take a look at your list…
Did you write the words ‘passionate’ or ‘inspiring’ or ‘motivational’ or words to that effect, as qualities associated with your good teacher? At our workshops many participants suggest these terms. I agree these are important values but with one proviso: Think back to the classroom contexts in which you experienced the ‘good’ teaching. Try to visualise the scene and look around. Was it a maths or history class, was it school or college, practical or theoretical? Was everyone learning? How good do you think a teacher would be if they only inspired already talented students? In many cases, our vision of a good teacher is biased in terms of our own experience of learning with that person. Student teachers often speak fondly of a particular role model who ‘inspired’ them to do science or who ‘fired their passion’ for literature. Good for them! But always ask was there anyone left behind? In my opinion, good teachers do whatever it takes learning happen to the best extent possible for every student. This means teaching in a manner that includes all students and builds on existing knowledge and skills.One other point
How many people do you think would write ‘left me to work it out for myself’ as a quality of a good teacher? This is a tricky one. When you focus on the actions of the teacher you see nothing happening. When you look to the student or learner you see someone busy in the stretch zone. This is an elusive quality of teaching often termed ‘nurturing inquiry’. At a certain point learners need to break free from the instructional supports and scaffolds required at the early stages. Good teachers know this and are not afraid to encourage students to go it alone at a point on the learning journey. *** Often, the exercise causes us to re-appraise our first thoughts on what makes a good teacher. Of course, the implicit question for all learning professionals is ‘am I a good teacher?’So what makes a great teacher then …
Actually, no less an authority than Confucius, provides a very good response to this question in terms of a ‘The Skilful Teacher’. I have altered the quotation here to bring it up to date in terms of gender references:The Skilful Teacher
When a superior person knows the causes which make instruction successful, and those which make it of no effect, one can be a teacher of others.
Thus in teaching, one leads and does not drag; one strengthens and does not discourage; one opens the way but does not conduct to the end without the learner’s own efforts.
Leading and not dragging produces harmony. Strengthening and not discouraging makes attainment easy. Opening the way and not conducting to the end makes the learner thoughtful.
One who produces harmony, easy attainment, and thoughtfulness may be pronounced a skilful teacher.
Confucius, Book XVI – HSIO KI (Record on the Subject of Education) Modified gender references.
