Apologies for the lack of blogging over the past week: I've been away from decent internet access, and I admit enjoying a bit of a blogging break as well.
I recently went to a seminar on the Capabilities Approach and the potential for it in helping to eradicate inequality in schools. One thing that I noticed was many people at the event were using the terms education and schooling as interchangeable terms. I think this needs to be questioned.
We might assume that learning and therefore education is 'happening' in schools, however how does schooling differ from education in general? Of course schooling is confined by age, education on the other hand is not. The main difference as I see it though is that on the whole schooling is something driven by the state, and therefore the content needs to come under close scrutiny. What is the purpose of the schooling agenda? State-building? Helping children to become good or better citizens?
Rather than giving schooling and education a definition myself, I'd love to hear your thoughts on this. Is there one universal definition for both terms, or is it really dependent upon context? Does 'real' independent - here meaning non-state defined - learning only take place once we are adults? Do we question enough the content of the curricula in schools, or do we just assume that the state knows what our children should be learning?
Get discussing below!
I recently went to a seminar on the Capabilities Approach and the potential for it in helping to eradicate inequality in schools. One thing that I noticed was many people at the event were using the terms education and schooling as interchangeable terms. I think this needs to be questioned.
We might assume that learning and therefore education is 'happening' in schools, however how does schooling differ from education in general? Of course schooling is confined by age, education on the other hand is not. The main difference as I see it though is that on the whole schooling is something driven by the state, and therefore the content needs to come under close scrutiny. What is the purpose of the schooling agenda? State-building? Helping children to become good or better citizens?
Rather than giving schooling and education a definition myself, I'd love to hear your thoughts on this. Is there one universal definition for both terms, or is it really dependent upon context? Does 'real' independent - here meaning non-state defined - learning only take place once we are adults? Do we question enough the content of the curricula in schools, or do we just assume that the state knows what our children should be learning?
Get discussing below!
According to Unterhalter and Brighouse (2007) without some formal level of skills attainment one cannot achieve agency and well-being, that is, the life one has reason to value. But, at the same time, they further added that the skills one needs to live a life he/she has reason to value is dependent on the context, such as, people living in the different socio-economic and cultural situations (and also follow different religions) may need relatively different set of skills.
ReplyDeleteDifferent, I think. Schooling is shorter term and refers to the period when we were in gymslips and blazers. We were disciplined into the processes involved in attending a particular establishment. Education never stops. You never become completely educated because life is one long learning process so we are always 'getting educated' in new ideas. However, we wouldn't say we are schooled throughout life. I hope not.
ReplyDeleteFor me schooling means to train (whomever) how to behave. And this is relatively consistent with your points about what happens in schools. Note: I grew up around horses and "to school a horse" means essentially to train a horse. WRT the distinction betw schooling and educating, I'd say successful schooling leads to individuals who know how to behave; successful education leads to individuals who know how to think. Having attended the public school system in Kentucky - I can personally affirm that lots of schooling can go on, even while little educating is happening ;-(
ReplyDeleteHi April. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
DeleteIt's really interesting to see the distinction between behaving and thinking, as well as the horse reference!
Sad to hear about the poor outcomes in Kentucky. Very interesting given that the international community often assumes that a 'developed' country has good educational outcomes almost by default. It's difficult to know how to remedy the lack of educating happening in schools in some cases as by their very nature, schools can become geared towards exams and meeting the criteria for these. Given the pressures teachers face therefore once they have met the targets for this, there is likely little energy left for much else...
Education can happen in schools but I think the major difference comes in that schooling is often directed toward the exam so education may happen along the way but not necessarily. We can only hope that more teachers broaden their approach so that education becomes the underlying benefit of schooling. In this way the foundations for life-long learning can be developed.
ReplyDeleteHi Glen. Yes, it seems schooling is geared towards the end goal i.e. the exam.
Delete'We can only hope that more teachers broaden their approach' - this sentence could be viewed as a little controversial given that teachers in developing countries (and anywhere in the world to be honest) rarely have the power to broaden their approach. To bring it back on topic however, I do agree that foundations of life-long learning ought to be developed in school - alongside home - given that children spend so much time there!
I am inclined to disagree with you to a certain extent. In many cases I have seen teachers only think they are locked into teaching in a given way. However, when only a little exploring is done we find that teachers actually do have a say in how they teach with only the subject content being really controlled. I'm sure there are schools and situations where teachers have limited, if any, control of how they teach and it is essential that these situations change if improvements in 'education' are to occur.
DeleteI agree with the thoughts above - schooling is a programme/ curriculum to meet a specified objective. Education is learning to think and respond to a situation. Fortunately for me my UK state schools combined both. The degree to which they seem to be combined in the South African state system is still largely determined by affluence and therefore apartheid divisions.
ReplyDeleteGreat to hear you think your schooling in the UK achieved both! I think in light of people's comments above, this is likely to be a little hit and miss, rather than something consistent or representative of one country or city.
DeleteFrom what I know of the South African system, your comments definitely ring true. I do wonder when - if ever - a greater sense of equality can be achieved in South African society...
Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Focusing on the current discussion - if not of all us but often education is being confused with schooling, In my view, schooling is a defined set of activities for education attainment, which is often called formal education or schooling. Therefore, education is a life-long learning process which never stops, and schooling is one part of it which ends at some point.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of of Capability Approach and confusion about Education vs Schooling , I have discussed the following somewhere else, I hope i may help,
Alternative approaches (theories) on education and development explained the importance of education from different point of views. For instance, human capital approach stresses on skill development of human beings through formal education (schooling) and technical knowledge to enhance economic growth both at individual and national level (Becker, 1993). While the capability approach contrasts the idea of human capital approach and argues that education is among the basic capabilities that also helps for the expansion of further capabilities (Sen, 1999). However, focusing on the importance of education, capability approach is more flexible and it not only recognised the heterogeneity of human beings but also many other contextual factors that may affect education process. Therefore, it has been argued that education must be according to the learner’s requirement, and it support what one wants to achieve for his/her value doing and being, and also a type of life he/she is interested to live (Sen, 1995, Unterhalter and Brighouse, 2007).
However, Robeyns (2006) argued that if education needs to be the learner’s requirement then what type of education is good for agency freedom and well-being? According to Saito (2003), the kind of education that best articulates the concept of education as a basic capability appears to be the one that makes the people autonomous and develops people’s judgment about further capabilities and their exercise to achieve them. Flores-Crespo (2007) also agreed with Saito, and he further added that the type of education that encourages personal autonomy is the ‘formal (liberal) education’ and it reasonably formal education (schooling) is situated in the capability concept of education.
Thanks for your comment Waheed. I think you've defined it well by suggesting that schooling is one part of education which ends at some point. Of course, this definition is based upon the assumption that learning is taking place in schools, which as we have established is not necessarily the case.
DeleteIt's really interesting to see that you have also mentioned Capabilities as many readers (including on Twitter) seem to be using the Capabilities Approach to help in defining the difference between schooling and education. I can't be sure at this point whether that's an indication of the types of reader the blogs gets (geared towards academia), or whether the concept of capabilities is becoming more mainstream...
Schooling is a method of conditioning someone to do or behave in a specific way and, for a purpose. Education on the other hand is the reinforcement and the re-establishment of values and institutions of a given society. In other words, education is one's capability to make a rational choice.
ReplyDeleteI agree that teachers can be shown that they don't have to be locked into the 'given way' but I also know that many teachers in developing countries (as in the rest of world) feel constrained and, unfortunately, many who become teachers do so because they are comfortable with the conformity. I used to believe wholeheartedly that schools could be places where people learned to learn so that education could continue throughout life. Recently, I have become infinitely more sceptical; in both developed and developing countries I have seen too many children turned off learning because of school.
ReplyDeleteHilary, I agree also to some extent, but likewise know of specific cases where efforts have been made to empower teachers to become agents of change only for them to have these 'powers' stripped. Also, as you say, it's not always safe to assume that teachers have gone into the profession because of a burning desire to teach, rather it is often a necessity e.g. in some cases, teaching is one of the few jobs that a woman can get.
DeleteBack on topic however, it's sad to hear that children are being turned off learning because of school, particularly given the assumption that school is doing the opposite. The solution is likely improving various aspects of schooling e.g. teaching conditions, student agency, positive learning environment?
As a specialist working on education-and-work issues for many years, I find it useful to think of "schooling" merely as an institutional setting and "education" as learning that occurs in an individual or community of individuals. Schooling is an input, education an outcome. Schooling is not the only way education happens, and can in some circumstances even impede it, and education appropriate to life needs must involve much, much more than mere schooling. Depending on the situation, there may or may not be much linkage between the two, and the nature and extent of that linkage merits more investigation than it receives. I remain somewhat aghast, however, at how often schooling seems to fail as even minimal education, both in rich countries and poor, and especially in disadvantaged and disenfranchised populations. It is a great misnomer to call the schooling sector by the term "education". In thinking about how children become educated, anybody interested in the topic who has not read the book "Apprenticeship in Thinking" by Barbara Rogoff might do well to do so. It is another view, based on anthropological research, and a useful framework for regarding some of these issues.
ReplyDeleteThis most interesting debate points to important conceptual differences in ways of thinking about education. I would like to suggest a dimension which is a thread running through the debate, namely effective learning. Whether we are talking about the broader concept of education or the narrower, delivery-focused concept of schooling, what matters is whether children are learning effectively. Then the question arises as to whether traditional approaches to schooling are the best means to achieve that goal, and whether this is so in all contexts. I recently came across the comment that 'education systems are organized the way they are because that is how they have always been organized', and that is a challenge to question whether existing systems may just be inappropriate for effective learning, in some contexts. The rhetoric of improving the quality of education and learning assumes for the most part that we are talking about better results in the kind of school we have always known and promoted. And yet it is clear that in some countries where enrolment rates - let alone survival, completion and graduation rates - have remained stubbornly low, schooling as we know it has not been effective. Is there another way? There is value in looking at other patterns of socialisation and learning in such communities; children are of course learning - from those around them. Without seeking to 'put the clock back' as some would object, we should look carefully to see how such existing patterns may be adapted and extended to give structured learning opportunities which provide both contextually relevant learning and curiosity to expand intellectual horizons to assess the value of knowledge from elsewhere. Of course, the nature of the learning environment, the identity and role of the educators, and the pedagogy, languages and physical space may not resemble a 'school' at all...
ReplyDeleteAn interesting discussion forming here. There are so many issues involved with eduation and schools and it becomes obvious that each individual has a perspective shaped by their own experiences in schools and then their professional involvement in education. My experiences over 24 years of teaching, education and schools (after a career in research) have demonstarted that the vast majority of schools and educatores are in the "delivery" business. These teachers, educators and administrators are delivering the content and educational experience that the culture and society demands at that time. Much of which is centered on testing. "Deliver the content to the masses and then test them" is the basic mantra most education lives by today. All at the expense of the young people who are entering a world where the 'learners' will have the advantages in an rapidly changing world. In the words of Eric Hoffer (a San Francisco longshoreman philosopher whose writings my grandfather regularly shared with me): "In times of change, learners inherit the earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists." In all of the work and business of 'delivery' of education we have forgotten what excites us to learn.
ReplyDeleteHow can it be we have such short memories? We all know of those learning experiences that excited us (and I am not speaking solely of the classroom). It is an interesting process reflecting over a lifetime of educational experiences within the
classroom, both behind a desk and in front of a class. From early primary years through
university there are moments that remain clear and vivid. Even in my professional
experiences in the workplace and research laboratory there are key experiences that
punctuated a rather predictable routine existence with moments of energy and focus.
What all these experiences had in common was the feeling of being alive with
excitement; of learning something new; of discovery and adventure; and, of basking in
the mentorship of a key individual. I loved the excitement that was shared in those
learning moments. It is this collection of experiences that were key in shaping me into who I am - forging me into a life-long learner. The creation and sharing of those experiences of discovery, excitement, and passion pulled me into teaching and continue to inspire and motivate me to this day. Yet where is this in schools today? There are endless debates by educrats on the 'delivery' of education filled with all sorts on buzz-words that are part of the illusion that education is in fact happening in schools. But very rarely is there a discussion of learning, of excitment in learning.
As stated so well by Roland Barth1, "I believe that schools can become much more
than places where there are big people who are learned and little people who are learners.They can become cultures where youngsters are discovering the joy, the difficulty, and the excitement of learning and where the adults are continually rediscovering the joy, the difficulty, and the excitement of learning. Places where we are all in it together - learning by heart. Schools should strive to create a culture hospitable to human learning; where there is a community of learners that is both information and experience rich; where all members celebrate, value and make full use of their experiences and differences - a place where schools strive to daily live their vision statements." Not only is this the kind of learning community we all want for our children, and all children, but this is the kind of community that fosters, nurtures, and perpetuates the experiences we all so vividly recall years later and many of us as educators continue to seek. We have forgotten what it was to be excited as learners. What was the basic alchemy of the environment that excited us? It was not dependent on money, on buildings, on administration, but the creation of a learning environment by empassioned learners.
Presently schools role in education is to facilitate the learning and organise the assessment process, the teachers are the facilitators and assessors match the evident with the standards. Leaner learn by themselves from the open resources using a suitable LMS (Learning Management System). Then Awarding Body evaluates your learning and give you certificate.
ReplyDeleteThis is the way of learning in this era.
This is not 'learning'. This is 'training'. It does not enable learners to continue learning beyond the formal schooling and what they learn is mostly irrelevant to the rest of their lives. Too often they are taught only fragments because they can answer exam questions on fragments so they do not understand a whole novel, how countries fit into the whole world either physically, politically or culturally and they have little grasp of history because they are never allowed to study the story of the world. We have damaged at least two generations with the awfulness which is schooling.
DeleteI think we should bank on what is happening on the ground regarding these two terms rather than on lexicographical definitions. First let me agree with some comments that schooling and education are indeed different. I come from an African background where we had institutions without walls where children used to be trained on values of the society. Trainers were elders and parents and skilled artisans. . At the end of the period, they'd be regarded as adults and ready to serve their communities.There was lots of education and learning in these institutions because the recipients were useful to their societies thereafter. There were no schools in the modern meaning of the word. Many of these traditional institutions died with the coming of western schools during missionary intrusion and later colonialism. So schools (in Africa) in particular are associated with the west whereas education is something that a child is involved in immediately after birth and all along until death. Of course the outcome of schooling may be becoming educated although not always the case; because one can go to school for several years and come out still with an 'uncivilised' behaviour or unable to serve society effectively because they have not acquired the requisite life skills.
ReplyDeleteEducation can happen anywhere, including schools where it is deliberately planned(one hopes). Schooling happens in a place called a school and is dependent on the establishment.
ReplyDeleteI found it very interesting ...
ReplyDeletehttp://blip.tv/learning-without-frontiers/noam-chomsky-the-purpose-of-education-5925460