Introduction
The role of education in America is stated to be the production of students âwho are prepared to take their place in society as active citizensâ (Krueger and Terese, 2003). The primary purpose of education is the intellectual empowerment gained through interaction with teachers and peers to function effectively in society. Education in the modern world is much more than books and degrees and involves opening up minds to a whole new world, the world in which there are no geographical barriers to knowledge. Education is a powerful means to remove the prejudices from our mind relating to gender, class, caste or race. An educated person will generally respect human kind in all its forms. The aim of education is not to merely gain bookish knowledge; it develops and enhances the ability of an individual to think and perceive the various situations that life offers. The cognitive development and progress of the academician will obviously have a positive impact on the culture and society in which he/she survives.
Main body
Thus, education ensures the social development of not only the individual but also the culture with which he/ she is closely related to. Research confirms that the primary purpose of education is âself-improvementâ by gaining knowledge to which serves to promote the ability to solve problems and fosters the ability to âearn a living and prosperâ (Kennedy, 2007). The ultimate purpose of any education is to enhance the community by ensuring that âevery citizen in societyâ is able to attain the benefits of education in accordance with the goals of Education for All (EFA) and the âNo Child Left Behindâ Act which emphasizes equal opportunity of education for all the children of America (Gardner, 2008).
The goals of EFA also commit that the needs of âall children, youth and adultsâ will be met by the year 2015 (Gardner, 2008). The curriculum should be broad based and must comprise of all the relevant subjects including mathematics, science, Literature and languages, Social studies, Arts and physical education as well. The âNo child Left Behindâ Act (NCLB) has affirmed the inclusion of arts as an equal with other subjects including reading, math, science, and other âcore academic subjectsâ which contribute substantially to produce and develop enhanced learning outcomes in children (U.S. Department of Education).
The learning of arts enables students to enhance their achievements in the academic realm as well as other aspects of life. However, education should not be based entirely on liberal arts and should be career based with a blend of vocational subjects as well since career education provides a platform to individuals for enhanced prospects in life through better job availabilities. Research confirms the relationship between âeducation and incomeâ where it was noted that the average annual income for full time Bachelors degree workers was â$52,200â while that of âassociate degree holder was $38,200â (Krueger and Terese, 2003).
The inclusion of too many electives would provide students with choices so that they would make choices regarding the subjects which they would study and this could result in the omission of crucial subjects like mathematics, science and social studies, which are important for the overall development of students. My personal view is that the there should be no choice in the core subjects while students should be given a choice to choose the Arts subjects such as music, theatre or drama.
There is immense literature on the type of teaching approach to be adopted for educating students. Research confirms that teachers must use a perfect blend of a variety of styles and approaches so that teachers have the potential to ârecognize, explain and apply the most beneficial teaching approach to a particular situationâ by finding the doubts of students and intervening to clarify these doubts to create a suitable atmosphere of âlearning that encourages students to engage with the subject matterâ (Ramsden, 2003).
The focus of all teachers should be âon the learning undertaken by studentsâ (Gossman, 2008) so that groups of students attain academic expertise, which necessitates teachers must to reflect the capacity to recognize those students who have doubts and need clarifications so that they can progress in class and the respective subject without any hindrances. In the rapidly changing world of globalism and technological developments, the needs of society play a crucial role in determining what is being taught and how it should be taught. For instance, the penetration of technology and computers in the lives of children now demands that traditional methods of teaching should be replaced by modern methods such as web portals and multimedia to educate children and students and make learning an interesting process rather than simply pedagogical.
With numerous methods in place for teaching students including online learning, discussion boards for exchange of ideas and even the use of IPods to teach and instruct students, the methods used play a crucial role in accomplishing the purpose of education, depending upon the needs and requirements of learners. The transition of society to a great extent impacts the manner of education, for example, the recent augmentation of online distance education has made it possible for geographically distanced students to gain education from institutions of their choice.
Teachers have a primary influence on students, and yield a strong power over them, with their distinctive teaching styles, attitudes and behaviors. The art of good teaching has been researched by scholars and it is generally believed that teaching is an art which involves inviting and retaining the interest of a student in such a manner that the subject taught to the student is not forgotten âto his dying dayâ (James, 1977). Powerful and good teaching is becoming increasingly important in the current society because the âstandards for learning are now higher than they have ever been beforeâ owing to the elevated need of skill among children, students, citizens and workers âto survive and succeedâ (Darling-Hammond, 2006).
The National Academy of Education Committee reports that âto make good decisionsâ in the classroom, teachers must be aware of all the facets of student development including differences in learning, the social, cultural and language differences among students of a class in addition to the individual distinctions in students with regard to âtemperaments, interests and approaches to learningâ (Darling-Hammond & Bransford, 2005). The report also states that teachers must âkeep what is best for the child at the center of their decision makingâ and realize that the teacherâs actions and strategies have âprofound implications for what happens to and for many children in schoolâ (Darling-Hammond & Bransford, 2005). In a study conducted among college students (Weinstein, 1989), potential teachers who were students described a âreally good teacherâ as one who encompasses the traits of âcaring, fairness, openness, intelligence or respectâ and works with students to âaddress their personal concerns and develop healthy self conceptsâ (Murphy, Delli and Edwards, 2004).
In order to be effective, teachers need to have and demonstrate âcompetencyâ in âcontent knowledgeâ by illustrating a deep understanding of the concepts they teach and their principle composition, in addition to âpedagogical knowledgeâ and skills vital for âguiding, managing, assessing and communicating with studentsâ (Murphy et al., 2004). Good teachers display capability by basing their teaching practice on not one but âmultipleâ models to facilitate student comprehension in the respective subject thereby ensuring student achievement (Murphy et al., 2004).
Given my philosophy of education, the students would be empowered with not only academic but also moral education so that they develop the ability to function as responsible citizens of society and are able to develop crucial competencies to earn and lead a decent life. Education is not only important to individuals for personal and professional success but is a crucial factor in the success of nations as well which is why good teachers are âcrucial contributors to studentsâ learningâ (Darling-Hammond, 2006). Economists have found that teachers who teach well will produce âa year and a half’s worth of materialâ learning in students by using several strategies of motivation through effective âstudent teacher interactionâ which is facilitated by âregard for student perspectiveâ (Gladwell, 2008). In order to accomplish student interaction, good teachers allow for certain amount of flexibility in the classroom to facilitate student engagement. Good teachers also provide feedback to students through âdirect, personal responseâ to particular statements by students (Gladwell, 2008). By making use of powerful and good teaching practices which are becoming increasingly important in the current society, I will be able to adhere to the âstandards for learningâ which âare now higher than they have ever been beforeâ owing to the elevated need of skill among children, students, citizens and workers âto survive and succeedâ (Darling-Hammond, 2006).
References
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Darling-Hammond, Linda. (2006). “Constructing 21st-century teacher education.” Journal of Teacher Education 57.3 : 300(15).
Gardner, Marilyn. “Education for all: you can make a difference. (Memberandum).” Childhood Education 85.2 (Winter 2008): 106-N(2).
Gladwell, Malcolm. (2008). “Most Likely to Succeed.” The New Yorker 84.41: 36.
Gossman, Peter. “Teaching development–experience and philosophy (using the three Rs).(Report).” Teacher Education Quarterly 35.2 (Spring 2008): 155.
James, W. (1977). The principles of psychology. In J. J. McDermott (Ed.), The writings of William James: A comprehensive edition (pp. 21-74). Chicago: University of Chicago Press. (Original work published in 1890).
Kennedy, Mike. (June 1, 2007). “The Reformers.(educational reform).” American School & University 79.11.
Krueger, Carl, and Terese Rainwater (2003). P-16: building a cohesive education system from preschool through postsecondary. (Analysis). Peer Review 5.2 : 4(5).
Murphy, P. Karen, Lee Ann M. Delli, and Maeghan N. Edwards. (2004). “The good teacher and good teaching: comparing beliefs of second-grade students, preservice teachers, and inservice teachers.” The Journal of Experimental Education 72.2: 69(24).
Ramsden, P. (2003). Learning to teach in higher education. London, UK: Routledge Falmer.
Weinstein, C. (1989). Taking education students’ perceptions of teaching. Journal of Teacher Education, 40(2), 53-60.