In TOK we are drawing near the end of our Human Science unit. We have touched upon the Human Science that arguably influences us everyday most powerfully: Education. How do we learn? What are different theories of learning? What are learning styles? Are we really divided, for instance, into visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners? Are these innate predispositions or acquired preferences? What are other kinds of intelligence? What is the best way to teach? How do we best measure learning? Is standardized testing useful or is it a reductive tool to channel students into narrow categories? Is there a business of standardized testing seeking to objectify a process that is much more dynamic and multidirectional? Can we, for example, really measure the fluid process of learning to read in tiny graduated steps? Is homework necessary after seven hours of school? Should staring into the pictures in a plastic box increasingly occupy the center of the educational process? Is an authoritarian model of learning most effective? Do we study too many subjects? Should we emphasize competition or cooperation? Is religious formation effective in building character and values?
The questions go on and on and on. Education is a complex human science, a crossroads of developmental psychology, sociology, economics, politics, and more. Debates on these issues quickly become heated. The brief RSA video of Sir Ken Robinson raised significant questions. Urbane and charming, erudite without becoming pedantic, Sir Ken is an educational activist, a man who advocates diversity, creativity, and practicality. In his talk, which we saw in an abbreviated format (see the entire talk here), he explains how the educational system we use is a child of the Enlightenment and the Industrial Revolution. It was made for a former age, and the stimulating 21st Century requires a different model that engages contemporary children and, instead of seeking to instill obedience and passivity, even through the use of drugs, prepares them for an ever shifting and dynamic present.
How does one do this? How would you do this? What would you change in the process of learning? Do you know your own learning style or preference? What would be your ideal learning experience? More freedom? More structure? Fewer subjects? Less homework? More work in groups? More individual work? More variety in assessment to measure learning? Oral examinations? More work connected with the world beyond the walls of school? Please do not be facetious in making a comment below.
