Educational Methods, Essay Example

The purpose of education is to provide men civil worth and accord people a sense of dignity. The social status of an individual is not determined by their occupation, and as such, the function of education is to assist these individuals rise above the imposed notions. Addams provides for this, and the article provides the following:

She argues that for a truly democratic society to exist, occupational status cannot be determinative of social status, and hence, the first purpose of education must be to give all people the interests and the sense of dignity as well as the civic worth that will enable them to transcend the limits imposed by their daily pursuits.

It is essential to note that apart from imparting the knowledge required for a successful individual, the educators should also provide education that will facilitate success in the larger society. As the occupational education is a valuable factor to make individuals mentally compatible with the society, it also becomes a requirement as this it gives the child a clue about life.

In educating the children, it becomes necessary to consider the outside factors that affect or mold education. Sometimes the influence brought into the learning process negates the educational motives, and as such, it becomes necessary to structure education such that these issues dealt with in the appropriate manner. The article provides, “The educators should certainly not only conserve the learning and training necessary for the successful individual and family life, but should also enhance the preparation for the enlarged social efforts which our increasing democracy requires” The perception of the child on education should not be that of necessity but geared towards advancement and not attainment. This is necessary as the children carry this conception into their later life where the occupation of the individual considered as a mere necessity and not a tool of progress. It is rather disappointing that schools exclusively prepare children for a professional and commercial life with disregard to the societal requirements of a life. The misconception here is that the aim of education is the desire for money and not on its value and social relations.

Despite attempts made towards reforming this education system to incorporate the needs of these individuals, they have failed to put into consideration the actual issue. Jane Addams argues, “Various attempts have been made to break through the inadequate educational facilities supplied by commercialism and scholarship, both of which have followed their own ideals and have failed to look at the situation as it actually presents itself.” The issue here is to impart useful knowledge and skills to these individuals with an aim of enhancing their productivity and ultimately improving their wages. These education facilities fail to move individualism from their current state to a higher occupational status. The aim of these schools ought to be to impart knowledge and skill into the working person in order to facilitate the transition from unskilled workforce to a more skilled setup. However, these institutions fail to do these and individuals do not receive the required intellect to change this situation. Education should be a continuous process involving the intellectual nourishment of individuals in proportion to the drain in the provision of skill and labor.

It is necessary to change the monotony associated with the daily work with the advancement of knowledge. Accordingly, the author provides that:

There is a pitiful failure to recognize the situation in which the majority of working people are placed, a tendency to ignore their real experiences and needs, and, most stupid of all, we leave quite untouched affections and memories which would afford a tremendous dynamic if they were utilized.

Education designed in such a way that it becomes practically applicable to the work setting is, therefore, necessary. It would be worthless to learn a concept and fail to utilize the educational ideas learned. The people who handle machinery in factories fail to recognize that the machinery has evolved through generations and the inventions have progressed and advanced to meet the current requirements. When these workers get the opportunity for education they look into the general aspects of it and not on the specifics that will assist them to advance. In some circumstances, these workers obtain more education from commercialism rather than they received from organized education. The increased desire for labor must be associated with the increased desire for the attainment of knowledge. It is noteworthy that for a deed to be good it must be extended to the society as a whole and more so for the individual. In that sense, therefore, the labor of a worker should not only benefit the society but also be a benefit to him.