2008 Woodie Awards
Education still spawning mindless drones
Steven Piper
Issue date: 9/4/08 Section: Opinion
"They (schools) damage, they thwart, they stifle children's natural capacity to learn and grow healthily," C. H. Patterson said in "What has Happened to Humanistic Education."
Many schools in the United States, including LBCC, reflect Patterson's description. Instructors are most concerned about cramming as much information into students' head rather than truly teaching.
Paulo Freire, a Brazilian educational theorist, called this the Banking Method of Education. In the Banking Method of Education, students' minds are treated more like an empty bank account waiting for funds to be inserted, only to be spent to make space for next semester's deposit.
While most students are concerned about getting their "A" and most teachers are preoccupied with setting up the next day's lesson plan, schools are obviously not dedicated to making "sensitive, autonomous, thinking, humane individuals."
This is surprising when the world's most important goal should be to make a humane society.
The Humanistic Education Movement (HEM) contains many relevant ideas to accomplish this goal.
The objective of the HEM is to produce self-actualized students. A self-actualized person may be seen as one who is self-directed, confident, mature, realistic, flexible, and accepting of others.
To help people become self-actualized, instructors should focus on making strong relationships with their students and experience-based learning.
Patterson suggests that to do this, the instructor must include "relating with others in natural situations, spontaneous activities and interactions, open and free discussion, self-directed exploration and learning."
Using these strategies would more clearly reflect what students will face in a real working environment.
However, most teachers are too preoccupied with putting together a lesson plan that lets them feel comfortable in the classroom.
No doubt teachers are largely preoccupied with the curriculum they must cover, but nonetheless, it is their responsibility to maintain an attitude that creates a stimulating, free flowing and reciprocal learning environment between students and teachers.
Many schools in the United States, including LBCC, reflect Patterson's description. Instructors are most concerned about cramming as much information into students' head rather than truly teaching.
Paulo Freire, a Brazilian educational theorist, called this the Banking Method of Education. In the Banking Method of Education, students' minds are treated more like an empty bank account waiting for funds to be inserted, only to be spent to make space for next semester's deposit.
While most students are concerned about getting their "A" and most teachers are preoccupied with setting up the next day's lesson plan, schools are obviously not dedicated to making "sensitive, autonomous, thinking, humane individuals."
This is surprising when the world's most important goal should be to make a humane society.
The Humanistic Education Movement (HEM) contains many relevant ideas to accomplish this goal.
The objective of the HEM is to produce self-actualized students. A self-actualized person may be seen as one who is self-directed, confident, mature, realistic, flexible, and accepting of others.
To help people become self-actualized, instructors should focus on making strong relationships with their students and experience-based learning.
Patterson suggests that to do this, the instructor must include "relating with others in natural situations, spontaneous activities and interactions, open and free discussion, self-directed exploration and learning."
Using these strategies would more clearly reflect what students will face in a real working environment.
However, most teachers are too preoccupied with putting together a lesson plan that lets them feel comfortable in the classroom.
No doubt teachers are largely preoccupied with the curriculum they must cover, but nonetheless, it is their responsibility to maintain an attitude that creates a stimulating, free flowing and reciprocal learning environment between students and teachers.
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