Understanding Education: Concepts, Theories, and Practices

Posted on Dec 15, 2024 in Social sciences

Item 1: Education – Conceptual Definition

Concept and Characteristics of Education

– Education (educare):

1. Lead, guide, instruct.
2. Develop or improve the intellectual and moral faculties of the child or young person through precepts, exercises, examples, etc. (to educate the mind, the will).
3. Develop physical strength through exercise, making them more suitable for their purpose.
4. Refine, refine the senses (to educate the taste).
5. Teach good manners and courtesy applications.

– Education (etymology):

• Latin – “educare” (feeding, breeding): education = driving construction.
• Latin – “educere” (extract, remove): education = development, extraction.

Concept of Education (Analysis of Some Definitions)

• “To educate is to give the body and the soul of beauty and perfection that are susceptible.” – Plato: Perfection is unattainable; as much as we could talk about constant improvement.
• “Education is the development of all the perfection that man has in his nature.” – Kant: We assume that education is purely natural, which is in the genes of man, and indeed education depends largely on the environment that comes with being human.
• “Education is dedicated to developing learner-physical states, call it intellectual society and the environment is intended to.” – Durkheim: If education is a summary of the needs that society demands of time, societies evolve ever and that would be stuck in the same activities forever.
• “Education is life itself.” – Dewey: Relatively too open.
• “Education is the intentional development of specifically human powers.” – García Hoz: The intention is not in the teacher only, but also the student, because if this does not put education on his part, it is impossible.
• “Education is the action of a spirit about himself or another goal-oriented ideal.” – Zaragüeta
• Common notes: Education refers to human nature, objectives point to a specific person model with features that promote citizenship, part of the idea of better men, mean improvement (optimization), and is an intentional process.

Education

• It is the discipline that is responsible for organizing, regulating, and designing the educational process and resolving problems that arise in educational practice from the available pedagogical knowledge.
• What do we mean by theory?

– A colloquial: Based on my experience trying to explain something.

– General definition: To give reasons and predict the states in which the phenomena are all based on knowledge.

– Scientific theory: To give a general explanation of phenomena based on scientific knowledge.

– Theory explanation: One that generally explains the events that occur or may occur based on existing scientific knowledge so far.

Practice-theory (theory of education) is that which prescribes ways of acting to achieve desirable objectives based on existing scientific knowledge so far.

• What do we mean by practice? It is not opposed to the theory, but to act accordingly. It is an attempt to explain how, when, where a phenomenon takes place.
• Where is pedagogical knowledge born? It is born of scientific knowledge, which is the generalization of a set of practices and theories repeated several times.

Traditional Conceptions of Education

• Training / Coaching:

– Training (planned reasoning) is the mechanical repetition of an act, good or bad (with sense). It is given by a routine methodology, applying knowledge and looking for a known purpose. It is general (training).

– Coaching (no argument): Action to acquire or improve skills, abilities, or capabilities (automated). It occurs unconsciously, not designing a plan, and there is no apparent purpose. Particular in nature (physical).

• Instruction: (transferring knowledge)

Refers to the scope of knowledge only. Its goal is to acquire and refine in the individual a way to make certain (cognitive skills); it is not the person himself.

The teacher training is one that simply presents the information for students to acquire knowledge (new school); it is not a human being as such.

• Education: (transmit and apply knowledge to reality)

Represents a qualitative leap with regard to education. Not only focuses on knowledge, but in understanding, in being able to present criticism, make sketches, organize information, be able to relate to the actual knowledge, and enjoy learning. Contributes to the development of the whole person: physical, psychological, social, and moral.

“When there is a learning process, not only do we know more, but this gives us a different view.” – Peters

Training, “leap in which knowledge is organized.” “Education makes a man more agile, more circumspect, expands its horizon.” – Menz

• Education Concept (convey concepts and apply them to reality according to certain values).

Not only focuses on knowledge, but embraces the full (education beyond the cognitive domain). It is about human behavior and is an implementation of what can be seen conceptually (worthwhile, important values) or considered valuable. Also involves an acquisition of attitudes and values. Training in the practice will act according to what is considered valuable conceptually.

Education-specific indicators: 1. Focuses on human values / 2. Should be put into practice those values.

– Aims: To empower the individual (skills development in both the intellectual and the ethical and moral) and integrate socially (through understanding, improving adaptation to its environment, i.e., we do not adapt to the existing environment but make it better.

“Education is inseparable from what is considered valuable.” – Peters

• Education vs. Training:

Certain processes of training can lead a person to undesirable states, where the formation is projected to content morally reprehensible and when the student has not formed in the practice will act according to what is seen or considered conceptually as a valuable (We know that smoking is bad, but still smoke).

• Educational Processes:

“They lead the pupil to a desired state.”

– Always involve reference to the component utopian “perfection.”

– They assume incorporation of moral values.

– They refer to the will and behavior (not just knowledge). Involving “implementation” of what is considered valuable.

The Concept of Education in the Technological Paradigm

• Education and Technology:

Technology is not just computers, electronic whiteboards, etc., but that which enables us to apply the scientific method to an educational problem.

In the educational process, through education acts passed in:

• Si (baseline)
• Sf (final status) must necessarily be better than the baseline because education always pursues the development of human beings, their potentiation.

“Technology involves education as mediation and makes possible the scientific possibility of education.

“Mediation involves: selection means (methods, techniques, strategies) appropriate treatment of the means of achieving educational goals, the possibility of scientific treatment and quantification of variables.

• Conflict-Violence in the Classroom:
• The conflict from the sciences of education:

“Awareness of the social problem of violence in the classroom (to define the magnitude of the problem).

– Definition of the problem → What are we talking about?

– Review fonts → Why the difference? CAUSES

– Establish hypothesis.

“An empirical study or field experience with a representative sample (e.g., survey).

“Analysis and interpretation of data.

– Conclusions.

• Work of the teacher:

What to do to prevent or mitigate situations of school violence?

Learning of rules (see the student make the rules are necessary).

– Development of communication skills.

– Building self-esteem.

“Moral development.

“Democratic management of the classroom.

• School Failure Research from Sociology and Pedagogy:

“Empirical evidence of high rates of school failure.

– Hypothesis.

– Review of the sources.

“An empirical study on a representative sample of the population.

“Analysis and interpretation of data.

– Conclusions.

• Stages of Teacher Intervention:

– Definition of the problem.

– Documentation.

– Hypothesis.

“Development of a program.

– Implementation of the program.

– Evaluation of the results.

– Conclusions (→ program’s effectiveness to see if the program has yielded results.)

• Characteristics of Education in the Technological Paradigm:

– Intentional: Must have positive intent by the student

Perfective: The objectives are always looking for improvement.

– Consistency (internal and external).

– Sound.

– Participatory.

“Sequential and orderly: It has some parts that must be followed.

– Technology.

Types of Education

• Formal Education: It is enclosed within the educational system and is institutionalized (from primary to university). It is intentional from the learner’s perspective, leading to certification, and has different degrees of obligation according to each country’s educational system.
• Non-formal Education: Any activity organized and systematic, held outside the official system (tutoring, sports, etc.). It’s not intentional. Represents optional educational activities, complementary, etc. Not limited to places or specific programming times; it can be accessed in a very flexible manner.

– Non-formal educational institutions. Source: Population groups that had specific needs that institutionalized politics did not offer; therefore, self-organizing institutions (many meet and form an organized civil society). Its purpose is to satisfy the needs of this population. The characteristics of organized civil society are:

• Intended to overcome the limitations of formal democracy through participation and criticism.
• Associations focused on specific topics.
• Has the capacity to influence political bodies to consolidate decisions according to their needs or values.
• Informal Education: Activities of daily interaction (unsystematic, unplanned, lifelong). May be intentional, but in most cases, it is not.

The Concept of Education in the Teaching of Otherness

• Kant (moral right): Man (me) sees the other as such (moral equality), so it is involved in the need to treat it as you would be treated the same. So, I took the initiative to others.

“Ethics is at the root of the educational act.

Value ethical-moral (human performance and obligations of men) between teacher and student.

– List of affection, care, and attention to the student, the responsibility relationship that crosses all educational activities.

• Lévinas: The man (me) sees the situation of helplessness of others and feels the need to help them. In this case, the initiative is not self, but of the situation. The “I” just made a response to this situation.

“To educate is to accept others.

“Education is taking over the other, take responsibility.

“Education is helping the “other” find its original mode of personal fulfillment.

“To educate is to make possible the birth of another, a person, not a reproduction of the educator.

“The educational event is original and unique. It is an ethical process.

Education Pedagogical Knowledge Object. Educational Services

The media influences on man. Considering:

“Influences uncontrolled (random).

“Existence value “desirable” means all arising from the declaration of human rights.

– Crisis of Values: Uncontrolled / disorientation.

Configurator – eminently educational Subsystem: Within the social system, there are different subsystems that influence us. The education sub-claims that the learner is the result of a forecast, not chance.

For all this, it is considered necessary or appropriate educational intervention in educational action to guide the learner and not miss that desirable values.

– Educational Intervention: Proposal for action that must be freely accepted, processed, and put into practice by the person who is educated.” → Castillejo

Action-education: “Education Action agent (teacher, parent, family, etc.) selecting experiences, content, etc. that actually generated any educational effect.” → García, R.

→ The educational and educational activities that produce and regulate education are not due to chance; they are intentional.

Teachability. Man as Teachable

“Man is understood as a unified whole in constant process of improvement.

“The teacher of man is his ability to educate and be educated (this capacity is uniquely human). It is determined by: maturation and biological growth / mental ability to learn, understand and love / ability to assimilate cultural and moral content.

• Biological Dimension: Man ceases to be an animal when their behavior changes, and it shows signs of intelligence (cave paintings, creation of tools, etc.).

– Animal Behavior:

• Irrational
• Biological / instinctive
• Genetically predetermined.
• Fixed pattern of behavior.
• Closed answer.
• Only answer.
• Predictable behavior.

→ Animals are not educated; they are trained. Education means freedom of choice.

“Human behavior:

• Rational.
• Acquired / experiential.
• Freedom to choose.
• Diversity of responses.
• Open question.
• Answers Unlimited.
• Unforeseen / unknown.

→ Human behavior is not determined by heredity: ROOT OF EDUCATION.

• Variables that Influence Human Behavior:
• Heritage: (age, gender)
• Culture: (experiences of context)
• How do cultural factors and hereditary?:

Biological-response capacity depends on the environmental stimulus.

“The heritage is still a range within which a genotype can be expressed as a wide range of factors.

→ Man is the result of a laborious heredity-environment interaction / an acting and not just being receptive to environmental influences (progressive control over such influences and natural impulses).

• The Human Being as Social:

– Zoon politikon (Aristotle): social animal.

– Develop partnerships to meet their needs.

“The human being is a being of relationships, and learning occurs mainly in relation to other humans.

→ What we are as humans is the confluence of biology, culture, and psychology, without being able to determine the weight of each of these dimensions in shaping the human being.