The Purpose of Education and My Pedagogical Beliefs

This blog post will focus on my pedagogical beliefs and the purpose of primary education, whilst using secondary sources to back up my views.

So, how is pedagogy defined?

Pedagogy by my definition, is the way in which teaching is put into practice in an educational setting, Stevenson (2010, P.1309) agrees with this by stating that “the method and practice of teaching, especially as an academic subject or theoretical concept”. Another more complex definition is that pedagogy cannot be fixed to one definition and it also does not only focus on the teacher but also the students, “Pedagogy is a complex concept of which student and practicing teachers need to have an understanding, yet there remain many ambiguities about what the term means, and how it informs learning in the classroom” (Waring and Evans, 2015).

Donaldson (2015) developed the twelve pedagogical principles that should be considered when teaching in and out of the classroom to ensure that the best outcomes are reached with regards to the pedagogy and the students learning. These pedagogical principles are:

·         Overall purpose

·         Mind-set and power of effort

·         Blended teaching

·         Deepening thinking: critical and creative

·         Building on prior learning and engagement

·         Meaningful and authentic

·         Areas for learning

·         Making powerful connections

·         Cross-curricular expectations

·         Learning autonomy (learning to learn)

·         Positive relationships

·         Collaboration

The most important pedagogical beliefs in my opinion are; for lessons to be meaningful and authentic therefore being passionate about the subjects you are teaching and transferring the passion to the students. Also by using nature as an outdoor learning tool, this enables the lesson to become more authentic by allowing the students to use their senses e.g. smell, sound, sight, touch and taste. As this is more interesting than merely showing them pictures and videos of nature. Collaboration and cross-curricula learning are also my main beliefs as Donaldson believes that cross curricula learning in education is the way forward. Cross curricula learning is intertwining subjects together, for example; maths and technology, to enhance learning and create a new method of pedagogy, the historical association (2017) supports this saying that “Cross-curricular work offers a creative way to develop children's knowledge, skills and understanding while motivating them to learn through stimulating, interconnected topics”. On the other hand, there are challenges that may arise whilst trying to accommodate to the new method of teaching, one being that it is more difficult for teachers to communicate with each other with regards to what parts of the curriculum they have already covered and what is still left to cover. Earp (2016) wrote an online teaching article and she agrees that it can be a challenge as she stated that “Getting everyone on the same page about the demands of the curriculum framework was also a challenge. Many high schools use textbooks and that helps align their teaching, we don’t and subsequently had a bit of “choose your own adventure” happening at times, or folk who were a bit lost. We also have several classes with part-time teachers and this made communication that bit more tricky”.

There are many purposes of education but from my point of view, ‘Education is the development of autonomous and creative thinkers’, in other words it should enable children to be creative, imaginative and allowing them to gain important skills that can be transferred to their day to day lives, throughout, not only their childhood but their adulthood too. Donaldson (2015, P.29) agrees with this as he developed the four main purposes of the curriculum in education which include students being; 

·         “Ambitious, capable learners, ready to learn throughout their lives”

·         ’‘Enterprising, creative contributors, ready to play a full part in life and work”

·         ’‘Ethical, informed citizens of Wales and the world”

·         “Healthy, confident individuals, ready to lead fulfilling lives as valued members of society.” 

By these quotes, I believe that Donaldson means that all children should be passionate and motivated to learn, which will enable them to succeed. Children should develop their own ideas, be creative and imaginative to prove that they can think for themselves, which will enable them to one day, find work and thrive in anything they choose to do. Young children should learn what is morally right and wrong, to develop themselves emotionally, socially and intellectually, whilst behaving in the correct manner within society, whilst considering the laws and legislations in this country and in other countries around the world. Lastly, Donaldson suggests that to be successful, children should stay positive, confident, active and healthy and understand what is needed to succeed within the community throughout the rest of their life. Another view that agrees with the above statements with regards to the purpose of education is Noddings (2012, P.25), as she says that “A primary purpose of schooling in a democratic society is to produce thoughtful citizens who can deliberate and make wise choices.” I believe that she does not want children to sit in a classroom to be spoken at but to be spoken to. Instead of drumming fixed facts and figures into a child’s head, she would like the children to think for themselves and question what they are being taught, this important skill is also known as thinking critically.

To conclude, pedagogy is one of the key factors to give children the best chance of learning. There are many types of pedagogy but Donaldson has developed the twelve pedagogical principles to ensure that teachers enable their students to reach their highest potential, in and out of the classroom. Not only does pedagogy in education help you reach your goals of passing standardised tests and exams but it also gives students an idea of the way in which life works and gives them a head start with regards to gaining qualifications and being the best person they possibly can be throughout the rest of their lives.

(Find real life, no dates)

References

Donaldson, G. (2015) Successful Futures – Report on the Curriculum and Assessment Arrangements in Wales. P.29. Available from UWTSD.ac.uk [Accessed 08/11/2017].

Donaldson, G. (2015). Successful futures: Independent review of curriculum and assessment arrangements in Wales. Welsh Government.

Earp, J. (2016) Teacher. Available at: https://www.teachermagazine.com.au/articles/navigating-the-challenges-of-cross-curricular (Accessed: 08/11/2017).

Historical Association (2017) Cross-curricula learning. Available at: https://www.history.org.uk/primary/categories/793/module/3638/leading-primary-history/3653/cross-curricular-learning (Accessed: 08/11/2017).

Noddings, N. (2013). Education and democracy in the 21st century. New York: Teachers College Press.

Find Real Life (No Dates) Kids on the V.I.N.E. Available at: http://findreallife.com/kids-on-the-v-i-n-e/ (Accessed: 17/11/2017).

Stevenson, A. (Ed.). (2010). Oxford dictionary of English. Oxford University Press, USA

Waring, M., Evans, C. (2015) Understanding Pedagogy. New York: Routledge.