Education Its Etymological Derivation
Education Its Etymological Derivation
Education Its Etymological Derivation
1.1 INTRODUCTION
To understand an abstract concept like education, one is required to explicate its meaning
or nature from the point of view of the functions such concepts perform or the contexts
in which such concepts are appropriately used. But there is another sense also in
which people (probably wrongly) see education as an instrument by application of
which certain individual or social changes are brought about. Interpreted in the latter
sense, the economist would see education as a commodity in which it is profitable for
the community to invest. Sociologists would te11 people that education is a socializing
force and teachers are the socializing agency in the community. Similarly, a psychiatrist
would say that the role of education, and hence of teachers, would be to maintain the
mental health of children. But you will agree that education is different from being a
7
~_
Concept and Nature commodity, real estate, type of social work or psychiatry. Education is what it is and
of Education
not the way it is differently interpreted. Education is there in all of the above and each
one is linked to the process of education, yet it lies above all these.
We talk of educating children, teaching or instructing them; socializing or developing
or converting them irito good citizens or good human beings. In all these expressions
definitely something that we call education is involved. But what exactly is that, a
process or a product, is not very clear. If it is a process, how does it occur or what are
its conditions? And if it is a product, what does it look like? How can one define that
product? There are such and many more questions, which occur to us when we talk
of understanding education. In this unit, an attempt has been made to seek answers to
such questions in order to arrive at a deeper understanding of education.
1.2 OBJECTIVES
By going through this unit, you should be able to:
• derive the concept of education etymologically;
• analyse the various definitions of education form different perspectives;
• differentiate between descriptive and practical theories of education;
• explain the two approaches of theory of education-the mechanistic ans.. the
organismic approaches;
• discuss how education represents a deliberate attempt to develop a desirable,
· state of mind;
• explain the reason why the process involved in education should be worthwhile;
• differentiate between the aims and purposes of education;
• discuss the relevance of matter and manner of education;
• elucidate the concept of an educated man;
• discuss with examples the cognitive perspective in education;
• explain the difference between educating the emotions and training of emotions;
• discuss the concept of "knowing how" and "knowing that";
.
• discuss education as initiation;
• describe the significance Qf inter-subjectivity in education; and
• define the concept of a teacher.
presuppose a major value component, a notion of an educated man; hence such theories
cannot be verified or validated in the way that scientific 'descriptive' theories may be.
Whilst a scientific theory may be established or rejected simply by checking it against
the facts of the empirical world, the validation of a prescriptive theory demands a
more complex approach, involving both empirical evidence and justification in terms
of substantial value judgement. A practical theory involves commitment to some end,
thought to be worth accomplishing. Everything a teacher does in the classroom has a
theory behind it. All practice is theory loaded and an educational theory is logically
prior to educational practice.
The educational theorists making reasoned recommendations for practice inevitably
make use of concepts like education, teaching, knowledge, curriculum, authority, equal
opportunity, punishment, etc. Further, the theories of education may be limited in scope,
like the theories of teaching or pedagogical theories or more complex like the general
theories of education, purporting to define what education ought to do; recommending
the production of a particular type of person-an educated man. Whereas the limited
theory is concerned with a particular educational issue such as how this subject is to
be taught, or how children of a particular age and ability should be dealt with, a general
theory of education will contain within itself a large number of limited theories. Rousseau
in 'Emile', for example, describes limited theories about sense training, physical training,
negative education, training in self-reliance. Under the umbrella of the general theory
of education, he emphasizes production of a natural man or education according to
nature. Any practical theory, limited or general will involve a set of assumptions or pre
suppositions which together form the basis of an argument.
anything he wished out of the pupil. The organismic view is exemplified by
Rousseau,
1.5.1 Two ApproachesFroebel to GeneralTheory of Education
and Dewey. However, it is suggested that none of these two approaches
A general theory of education should
begins, be taken with
logically, too anliterally.
assumptionThey arethenot
about wholly
notion of divorced from empirical
an educated man. To realize this end, it recommends certain pedagogical procedures the whole. The better way of
evidence, but.each tends to give a one-sided view of
utilizingthethe
to be put into practice. But between aimanalogies is to recongize
and the procedures that each
there must offers a different perspective in
be certain
education and that neither of them should
assumptions about the raw material, the person to be educated. It has to be assumed be presumed to give a complete or
comprehensive view.
that human nature is to some extent malleable, that what happens to the pupil by way
of experience has some lasting effect on his subsequent behaviour.
Check Your Progress
In the history of educational thought, two major assumptions have been made about
Notes: a) Write your answers in the space given below.
human nature which radically differ in their emphasis, and which when adopted give
b) Compare
radically different directions to educational practice.your answers
These with thereflect
assumptions one given
the at the end of the unit.
rnechan is tic and organic account
1. ofDistinguish
the phenomenon
between of descriptive
education. theories and prescriptive theories
Thomas Hobbes compared man to a wonderfully contrived machine, composed of
springs. wheels and levers. Of course, man is more than a machine, but it may be
useful or convenient sometimes to view man in this way, to give a simplified model of
..................................................................................................................
what in reality is very complex. Hobbes adopted this kind of model because he wanted
to depict human society itself as a contrivance made up of individuals who themselves
could be I regarded in this way. 2. Give three examples of pedagogical theories of education of limited nature.
Concept and Nature more than the organised sum of its parts, where as an organism is a whole which
Froebe by contrast takes the model of man as a living, growing, developing creature,
of Education
transcends its parts and is capable of growth and development.
a natural whole. Here the various elements which constitute it are not simply integrated
into a system of checks and balances, ·······························•·4••••·•'···········································································
There is, however,
cogs and levers, a sense
as ininthewhichcaseman is like a machine, a system of inputs and
of machines.
The human being is a whole, not simply ..................................................................................................................
outputs. But to regard
a compendium of man
parts. simply
The whole,as a as machine
Moore is to ignore what is essentially
human
rightly points out, is logically prior to the in
partshim.
in Nonetheless,
the sense that the it
3. "The aim of education is the production of a parts may
parts sometimes
exist as naturalbeman". the case
Does thisthat man is best
of the whole. Thus a man, according understood
to Froebe\,
statement point in mechanistic
is more than
to a general oran terms.
assemblage But theory
a limited the alternative
of bones, of education? account
Justifyoffered by the
muscles and nerves. And as Hegelorganismic model forms
and his followers would ahave more it, aplausible
society isbasismorefor an adequate view of man. In
than the totality of individuals who
...................................................................................................................
compose
fact, it. In thehave
both models case of a machine,
their uses andit is nothing and neither of these analogies
limitations 11
should be pressed too far. Neither of these alone gives an adequate picture. Both
may be useful as models, simplified versions of reality.
----·--
········································· ·······································································
-·------,-------------------------------------,--~
Translated into educational context, these two approaches would take different
forms. Education conceived on mechanistic assumptions would be revealed by
performance or approach has been adopted by the French philosophers. Helvetius, James Mill, and
man's external more recently by J.P. Skinner. Helvetius suggested that manipulation of a pupil's
behaviour. A environment would enable the teacher to make virtually
pupil would be
seen as a device
whose workings
could be
deliberately
regulated from
outside. He
would not
grow.or
develop
according to
some internal .
dynamic, rather
his behaviour
would be
modified or
shaped to
approach some
desirable end.
Teaching would
be a matter of
organising
desirable
inputs•
knowledge, .
skills,and
attitudes.The
educated man
would be the ·
one whose
behavioural
outputs meet
the criteria of
worthwhileness
adopted by his
society.
A genera]theory
of
educationbased
on the
organicview of
man would tend
to emphasize
the internal
principles of
growth and
development.
The education,
therefore,
would be not a
modification or
shaping from
outside, but an
attempt to
encourage
individual
development
from within.
Historically, the
mechanistic
~---------------11111•111
Concept and Meanin11
4. What assumptions underly the mechanical and the organismic model of man? oC Education
............................. ~ .
things are done and one which is both intentional and reasonably specific.
Concept and Nature We put ourselves or others in the relevant situations, knowing what we are doing. We
pf Educntinn
know that Rousseau claimed that education .comes to us from nature, from men and
from things. But the central uses of the term are located in situations where we
deliberately put ourselves or others in the way that is thought to be conducive to
development of a desirable state of mind.
But the question that immediately comes to us at this juncture is the understanding of
what constitutes the 'desirable state of mind'. It is not so easy to state what is desirable,
for the question of desirability can be asked from different angles or ill different
perspectives. If we put this question to those being educated, they are likely to say
that they want to become capable of getting an appropriate job or a position of prestige
in the community. But if we view this question from the point of view of the teacher,
a second type of model crops up - that of useful arts where neutral materials are
fashioned into something that is valuable. Just as clay is moulded into pots, so are
minds moulded into some desirable end products.
Conform
According to Peters, 'Education is not a concept that confirms or sets any particular
types of processes, such as training or an activity such as lecturing. It rather suggests
criteria to which. all processes and activities involved, such as training, instruction, etc.
must conform'
What is of value should not be external to the activity, but intrinsic to it. One . such
criterion is that what is passed on and the way it is passed on must be of value Thus,
we may be educating someone while we are training him. But it, however, need not
always be true, for we may be training him in the art ef-pickpocketing or in the art of
torture. But the demand that something of value should be transmitted, cannot be
thought of as meaning that education itself should lead on to or produce something of
value. What is of value should not be something extrinsic to education, just as making
a man better is not extrinsic to 'reform': it is rather a criterion which anything must
justify which is to be called reform. In. the same way, a necessary feature of education
What is important about"education isare often extracted
its aims and notas its
an purposes.
extrinsic end Peoplethesis
The above thus often think that theeducation should
other hand,
produce 'what
that for an activity to be cjllelt educational, something that is of should
is worthwhile', value and not extrinsic
be externaltotoit, whereas the truth
may sayis that
thatbeing
he
worthwhile is part of what is meant by 'education'.
the end of the activity, can be better understood by an explication of the term 'aim'. To Both the instrumental and moulding
wants to train
model oflike
further explain it, we can take examples education
shooting (mechanistic
and throwing.and organismic
Aiming is respectively) provide a caricature
people of
so that they
this necessary feature of desirability
concentration of attention on some object which must be hit or realized. In other by conceiving of what is worthwhile as an
may get good jobs.end
words, concentration is somethingbrought
within about
the by the of
field process or asIt acan
activity. pattern
be imposed on the child's In
clearly mind.
such a situation,
14
distinguished from purpose or motive. It is for this reason that the term aim is frequently he is talking not
used in the context of education. To ask questions about the 'aim' of education, about the aims but
therefore, is a way of getting clear about and focus of attention on what is worth purposes of
achieving. It is not to ask for the production of ends external to education. A person, on
education, because getting well-paid jobs is not something intrinsic but extrinsic to the Concept and Meaning
activity of Education
itself.
I from without,
What is
however,
more
good
es. That is, they stress the importance of letting children choose for themselves,
sense. important
y experience, and direct their own lives: All these principles stress the
it may appear, is not educational in the true
is, therefore,
self• the manner of education and not
~ ..
···· ·· ······ ·· ···· ···· ··· ···· ····. ···· ······ · ···· ······· ······ ·
....... ... ...... ·.· .
......... .. ....... ~ .
.
.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . .
................ ....~ .
··· ········ · ·· · · ···· ·· · · · ·· · · · · · · · ·· · · · ··· ·
..··. . ......... .. ..... ....... . ... . .. . .
. ....................... .. . . ... .. .. . .. .. . ~
.
. . .. . . . . . ~ . ·
. ~
6 Can there be worthwhile criteria to be taken into account while educating the
child? Discuss
.
.
)
, .
Thus, to be educated one must do things as a voluntary agent and as an autonomous Concept and Meaning
PERSON?
Those who believe in authoritarian methods of education assume that though children
may not care about such activities in the early stages, once they get started on them,
As stated earlier, education does not specify particular processes, It, however, does
they will eventually come to care. They will thus emerge as-educated persons. Growth
imply
theorists. on the other hand, hold that beingcriteria which
educated the processes
implies interestedinvolved must satisfy in addition to the demand that
in and caring
for what is worthwhile. For this tosomething
happen (develop), worthwhile
valuable must things must
be developed. be
In other words, first of aJI, the individual
presented in a way which attracts thewho is educated
child. shall care
On psychological •about they
grounds, valuable things involved and he shall achieve
hold that
relevant
coercion und commands are ineffective methods for getting children to care about
standards. We would not call a person educated who knows about science but caees
what is worthwhile. The children should be treated according to some moral principles,
nothing for truth or who regards it merely as a means to get certain benefits fhat it
that is, they should be allowed to learn by experience and choose for themselves ..
can give to make life comfortable. Furthermore, an educated man is initiated into the
content
In brief, we can say that being educated of the activity or forms of knowledge in a meaningful way, sc that he knows
implies:
what he is doing. Any form of conditioning or hypnotic suggestioncannot be termed
a ) caring about what is. worthwhile and
as educational, because activities done as a result of such processes of conditioning or
b r providing condifions and thingsndoctrination.
to attain what are
is worthwhile.
not done on one's own. The doer may not even know what one is
doing and why he is doing that. Some form of drill might also be ruled out on these
l. 7.1 Plato's Viewof Education - A Synthesis of Moulding Model
grounds, if the individual is made to repeat mindlessly some stereotyped sets For
and Growth Model something to count as education a minimum of comprehension must be involved
6
While examining the moulding or instrumental model and the growth model of education
we musr-eonsider what Plato thought of education much earlier than the advocates of
these two models, Plato's view of education, at least in these-respects, seems to be
much more appropriate than any of the two models separately. He was convinced
that there are truths to be grasped and standards to be achieved which are public
objects ofdesire, but coercing people into seeing them, in trying to imprint them on
wax like minds was both psychologically and morally unsound. Plato quite rightly
emphasized what the growth theorists evaded, viz. the necessity for and objectivity of
standards written into the content of education. And at the same time, he also laid
emphasis on the procedural principles as stressed by the growth theorists.
The emphasis oh "seeing" and "grasping" for oneself which is to be found both in .
Plato and in the growth theorists suggests a third conceptual point about education in
addition to those already made about the value of what is passed on and the manner in
which it is to be assimilated. This concerns the cognitive aspect of the content of
education. · .
1.8 EDUCATIONAS
Check Your Progress INITIATION
Notes:is still
Then there a) another
Write account
your answer in the space
of education; ~iven
which below.
is more positive and consistent
· b) Compare
with the three criteria your already
of education answer explained
with the one at the
This end
is the of the(ifunit.
model at all it can
be cal led so) given by R.S. Peters. It more closely clings to the contours of the concept
8. Whom would you call an educated man?
of education, which have been traced hitherto. The main thesis claimed in these contours
is that education "marks no particular type of transaction between the teachers and
the learners; it states criteria to which such transactions nave to conform".
'
According to R.S. Peters, education involves processes that introduce people to what
is valuable in an intelligible and voluntary manner and that create in the learner a l
desire to achieve it. To describe these processes, the use of terms like training and
9. Clarify
instruction, the difference
andeven between
teaching will be too training
specific forEducation
emotion and
can educating the emotion.
occur without these
specific transactions and can take place in ways, which fail to satisfy all the criteria
implied by education. Peters uses a very general term "initiation" which may cover
different types of transactions like instruction, training etc. According to Peters
education is an initiation into what is worthwhile.
Peters further explicates his thesis. According to him, the mind of the child at birth is
only anI 0.undifferentiated
Differentiate withawareness. It is onlyhow"
gradually that this that".
awareness is
examples "knowing from "knowing
developed into wants, beliefs and feelings. He comes to name objects, locate his
experiences in spatio-temporal context, and searches causal and 'means to end'
categories. Such an embryonic mind is the product of initiation into public traditions
enshrined in a public language. With the mastery of basic skills the individual (doer) is
opened to a vaster and variegated inheritance. And when the individual is more distinctly
initiated into different forms of knowledge like science, history, mathematics, morals,
19
.
·
Concept :111<1 prudefltial 11nd--tecbnicaH01ms of thought, further differentiation results.
Nature of
Educntion
And it is education that marks out the processes by means of which an
individual is-initiated into them.
However, there are many thinkers like Dewey who have attacked the
notion that education comprises transmission of a body of knowledge.
They Jay stress on development of the ability.to think critically, to experiment,
and to solve problems. But the question is, can 5>ne develop such ability in a
vacuum or can/should we teach poetry to teach critical thinking? Can we
solve historical problems without knowing history? No doubt, the development
of such cognitive skills is essential to what we call being educated but
development of such skills cannot take place without some appropriate
1.8.1cognitive
Inter-subjectivity-The Impersonal Standards
content or a body of knowledge. Similarly, when bodies of
l There knowledge
is a further were
pointhanded on without
that needs making
to be made. effortsprocedures
Critical to hand on by
the means
cognitive
of which
~I
t procedures by means of which they had been accumulated, criticized
well-established content is assessed, revised, and adopted to new discoveries
public it,criteria
would that
leadstand
to incomplete education
as impersonal of atoman
standards
or revised
have '
.. both teacher and the learner
which
i;
must giveIt their allegiance.important
is, therefore, Any method or content
that people of education
should must
be initiated satisfy the
gradually intocriterion
the
of this essential
procedures inter-subjectivity of education.
that define a discipline as wellD.H.
as itsLawrence refersshould
content. They to thislearn
criterion
to
as 'the holy
think historically, not just know history. But the procedures of a discipline a
ground'. To liken education to therapy is to conceive of it as imposing
pattern oncananother person and
be mastered onlyhence
by anit exploration
is doing injustice to the sharedcontent.
of its established impersonality
Without of
both content
knowing the procedures, knowledge of the content will not serve anyhold
and method. Similar is the case with the growth theorists who that
useful
we should fix the environment so that one can grow. The teacher
purpose. Whitehead also once remarked that a well informed man is the is not a detached
operator who is bringing about bore
most useless someon kind of change
God's earth. inBut
another
Petersperson
adds who that is external
to him.equally
His task is to try to get others on the inside of a public
boring are those for whom being critical is a substitute for beingform of lifewell
that he
and considers to be worthwhile. In science, it is truth that matters, not what
shares informed.
any individual believes to be true. In morality, it is justice and care. So, according to
Peters, initiation is the apt description of this essential feature of education, which
consists in experienced persons turning the eyes of others outwards to what is essentially
' independent of persons, It is also an apt description of another aspect of education
stressed by growth theorists, viz. the requirement that those who are being educated .
want to do or master the worthwhile things, which are handed on to them. The pupils
should neither be coaxed or persuaded to do such things, (as stressed by the progressive
teacher) nor should there be any kind of coercion as done by the traditional teacher.
The modem educational theorists are of the opinion that any kind of command or
direction given to the child is against the very spirit of education. But this concept of
education may not be very true especially in the case of less intelligent children
This brings us to the final and perhaps the most fundamental point about education.
According to Peters, education implies standards, not necessarily aims. It consists in
initiating others
. into activities, modes of conduct and thought which have standards
written into them by reference to which it is possible to think, act, and feel with varying
degrees of skill, relevance and taste.
20
..
Concept and Meaning
1.9 EDUCATION AS DISTINGUISHED FROM of Education
. .
.
~_
Concept and Nature something within the field of activity whereas 'purpose' represents an external end,
of Education
which may be served, by being educated e.g. human resource development,
Values in education are intrinsic ends, not extrinsic and hence both manner and matter
of education should be Worthwhile. The procedural principles used in education, as to
how to deal with child, letting children choose for themselves, learn by their own
experiences etc are very important. Nothing should be imposed from without, however
good it may seem to be. '
Having described such contours of education as a process or as a product we discussed
the connotation and denotations of an educated person. It is argued that a person who
is educated shall care about what is worthwhile as a process or as a product. He/she
shall achieve relevant standards. He knows what is doing. And whatever he is doing
is not because of being conditioned, indoctrinated but on his own and he also owns the
responsibility of the consequences of his actions. He has developed a cognitive
perspective, which represents more wider and humane contexts of his field of activities.
In a way an educated. person is initiated into worthwhile ness and has developed
interpersonal standards of behaviour which can be subject to public scrutiny.
The kind of education delineated above can be received only through a teacher who
himself is so initiated. Being initiated into worthwhileness the teacher has a clarity of
exposition and can recognise the cogency of an argument, justice and wisdom of a
decision. He has a love for truth, passion for justice; what he understands as good and
is committed to that pursuit. To be educated is not to reach a destination; if is to travel
with a different view. He has precision; passion and taste for worthwhile things-whether
1.12 UNIT-ENDACTIVITIES
1. Find out the definitions of Education other than those given in this unit and analyse
them in the framework of discussion presented in this unit.
2. Interview people from different walks of life on the concept of education and
judge whether their perceptions about education match the presentation in this
unit.
•
1.13 POINTS FOR DISCUSSION
1. How do the economists, sociologist or the therapist view the function of education?
2. What is the function of educational philosophy?
3. Differentiate between a pedagogical and a general theory of education by citing
examples.
·
4. Discuss the nature of human nature according to both behaviourists
(instrumentalists) and growth theorists.
5. How is Plato's view of education is a synthesis of moulding model and growth
model?
6. What is cognitive perspective in education? Clarify with the help of.concrete
examples. ·
·
7. Distinguish between "knowing that" and "knowing how".
.
8. Explain the phrase 'initiation into worthwhileness'
9. "Education implies standards, not necessarily aims": Explain.
24
10. Who.can be said to be educated? Distinguish it from the concept o~ a teacher.
1.14 SUGGESTED READINGS
Dagar, B.S. and Dhull ( 1994): Indian Respectives in Moral Education, New
Concept·-.ad·
Delhi: Uppal Publishing House. Meaning or
Education
Dewey, J. (1916): Democracy and Education, New York: Macmillan.
Durkheim, E._ (1956): Education and Sociology, Chicago: Free Press.
Froebel, F. (1900): The Education of Man, Fairfield, New Jersey:
Kelley.
Hirst, P.H., (1974): Knowledge and the Curriculum, London: London:
Routledge and Kegan Paul.
Hirst P.H. and Peters, R.S., (1970): The Logic of Education, London :
Routledge and Kegan Paul.
Moore, T.W. (1974): Educational Theory: An Introduction, London : Routledge
and
Kegan Paul.
Moore, T.W. (1982): Philosophy of Education: An Introduction, Routledge
and
Kegan Paul.
I
Peters, R.S. (1973): Authority, Responsibility and Education, London: George Allen
and Unwin Ltd.
·
Peters R.S. (1981): Essays on Educators, London: Allen and Unwin.
Concept 11n'1 _N11Jure.,
Peters,or R.S.
Educaition 8. An
(1968): Ethics and Education, educational
London: manUnwin.
Allen and is initiated into the context of the activity or forms of
.knowledge in a meaningful way, so that he knows what he is doing. He cares
Peters, R.S. (Ed.) ( 1980): The Philosophy ·ofabout
Education
what is-' worthwhile
An Introduction, Oxford:conditions and things to attain what is
and provides
Oxford University Press. ·worthwhile.
Plato, The Republic, London': Penguin,9. 1970.
Drilling student's emotions and making them as habits do training of emotions.
Rousseau, J.J., Emile, London: Dent, 1974.Educating emotions is a natural process and broader than training of emotions.
Ryle; Gilbert (1949): The Concept of Mind,Emotions
London: can be educated
Hutchinson in a wider educational space.
& Co.
10.
Knowing How refers to procedural knowledge a child obtains without
cognitive content.suchas ridinga bicycle. KnowingTharpertainsto
1.15 ANSWERS TO CHECKpropositionalknowledge
YOUR PROGRESS which a child receives from cognitive content like
History, Science or Literature.
1. Descriptive theories give a correct account of what education does. Prescriptive
theories make recommendations lwith l. Education as initiationpractice.
regard to educational means that a child is introduced to what is worthwhile.
A
2. Sense training, physical training, training in self-reliance.
child at birth is having undifferentiated awareness. But gradually he is initiated
1
3. General theory of education. Because toproduction
a whole lot
of of experiences
natural through
man is the the process of education.
outcome
of physical training, sense training, negative education, etc. which are limited
theories.
4. The assumption behind mechanistic model of man is that man is a wonderfulJy
contrived machine, composed of springs, wheels and levers. The assumption
behind organismic model of man
is that man is a living, growing, developing
creature, a natural whole.
5. Desirable state of mind refers to moulding human minds into some desirable end
products which vary from context to context.
6. Yes, worthwhile criteria can be taken into account because all processes and
activities such as training, instruction must conform. One such criteria is that
what a teacher passes on to his students must be of value.
7. Progressive ideology consists in the development of the potentialities from within
rather than moulding from without. Curriculum should be generated from the
25