The Aims of Education
In my opinion, the aim of education should be to promote the lifelong learning. The question then becomes “What is learning?” The most up-to-date and inclusive definition I have heard is that learning is the changing of one’s relationships with society and nature. By examining the implications of this theory, we can better define the aims of education.
First of all, the use of the word “changing” implies that there is already information and thought in people’s brains before they enter a classroom, and that individuals should be respected because of the unique contributions they can make. “Changing” also implies that each individual is acquiring new knowledge and re-structuring old knowledge to provide a more complex and accurate perception of the world, and growing physically, cognitively, emotionally, and spiritually. The use of the word “relationships” is also very telling, because it implies that this changing that goes on in the individual is not only for their own sake, but that they will then act on their knowledge to create a better world. Most learning theories leave this “action” component behind, but I believe it is essential that students learn enough to want to do something in the world (which is encompassed by the society and nature components of the definition).
Once we define learning in this way, I believe that the statement “The aim of education is to promote lifelong learning” is sufficient to define our goals, since it encompasses the growth and changing of the individual and how they use their knowledge to make the world a better place.
Use of Learning Theories
As a teacher, I see myself drawing from each of the learning theories, which are behaviorism, cognitivism, sociocognitivism, constructivism, critical constructivism, humanism, and for lack of a better term, Loveism, in varying degrees. I don’t really want to have to use behaviorism much, but if I have to I will set up a clear system that rewards students for meaningful contribution to the class and punishes those who cause a problem by not cooperating. I would be sure to use both positive and negative reinforcement so that punishments would be kept to a minimum. I see myself drawing from cognitive theory to try to understand the individual students. I’m not just concerned with their outward behavior. If a student consistently misbehaves, I would try to figure out what’s wrong by talking to them and their other teachers and I wouldn’t go straight to detentions or calling home. Who knows what this student is going through? I want to draw heavily from sociocognitive theory, as I’m a strong believer that the students as well as myself should be teachers. I’m pretty good at explaining things, but the students will be able to relate to each other and explain concepts in ways I would never think of. As an added bonus of this, I would get to correct many misconceptions as the class works through a problem together. Of course, this leads right into constructivism which I plan to use very often when giving an art lesson. I would use scaffolding to expand student’s conceptions about art. First, I might show them a piece from the Middle Ages and a piece from the high renaissance and ask them why the piece from the high renaissance looks more realistic. Once they understand that linear perspective and more advanced shading do this, I could ask them to try to use these techniques themselves to create more realistic art (of course I would have to work with them a lot before these techniques are mastered.) I see myself also drawing from critical constructivist theory quite a lot. Aside from the obvious applications of this theory like exposing students to many different, non-European cultures and not letting my own personal love of certain types of art get in the way of the student’s exposure to all different types of art, I am a person who loves to look at issues from many different angles. This could easily mean talking about exactly what was going on in history that produced certain types of art. I could draw a parallel from the confidence in Italy during the renaissance creating the first realistic painting to the confidence in America after WWII creating abstract expressionism. As far as humanist theory goes, I would like to give students as much opportunity as possible to choose what they would like to work on. This could mean letting them arrange their own still-lifes or design their own ceramic cup any way they want. I think that using all the theories in this way will lead to application of Love’s learning theory to a great extent. I want my students to respect other value systems and ways of life and see how their own culture has influenced them. I want them to adjust their role in society from one of just sitting there in school to one of greater knowledge and community involvement. I want everyone to be impressed by their knowledge and critical thinking skills, and I want that to translate into respect for them.
These different learning theories describe different ways of learning and therefore teaching. I think it’s important for all teachers to be aware of these so that they can be applied by each teacher in their own way. I think that this would lead to richer, more enjoyable education.
Student-Teacher Relationships
As a teacher, I think it is very important to develop good relationships with students that are based on mutual respect and a climate of inqiry. In order to develop these great working relationships I tend to use transformative pedagogy, which relies on thick description, connections to contemporary issues, and community involvement. This tends to help develop good relationships because it emphasizes things the students care about and legitimizes their ideas and views while developing their ability to think critically about their local and global community. Once I have shown that I respect them as people with legitimate ideas and concerns, the students tend to respect me as a person who can really help them grow and affect their community.
A Good Teacher
The definition of a good teacher changes drastically over time and space, but I believe that there are many attributes that all good teachers share. The first is a strong desire to want students to succeed, which is manifested in the effort they put in to help students learn. Secondly, they define learning broadly. It’s not about a serf rebellion in the 1300s, it’s about using knowledge to improve quality of life in general. Also, good teachers respect their students by acknowledging and supporting their own unique skills, ideas, and experiences.
A good art teacher, then, uses art to help students learn about themselves and the world. In order to give the students the best tools for expressing themselves possible, good art teachers need to have skill in many different media and how to organize artwork so that it serves its intended purpose. They also need to have a deep knowledge of art history from all over the world, not just the western version, so that students can critique their own culture’s art history and the art history of others. Finally, they need to be advocates for art in the community, helping people from all walks of life appreciate art and the value it has in culture. An art teacher who does all these things will help students realize their individual potential and make positive changes in their communities.
