Can one teach people to be good Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Can one teach people to be good - Essay Example Education philosophy helps the student to develop himself into a good human, in addition to acquiring the required skills to solve the present day problems. Education is a process of inculturation, into some specific culture. This process transpires, informally in the family, church, media, government and the press. Educational institutions enable formal enculturation. Thus, interaction between the people and society is of great significance. People share values and behaviour, and education transmits values to the succeeding generations(Kritsonis). In general, the good inherent in a society is transmitted to the pupils. The long established philosophies serve to influence the perceptions of the people, and education transmits these philosophies. There are several factors that determine the effectiveness of education. These include instruction, curriculum, role of the teacher, role of the student, and the commitment of the school to effect change(Kritsonis). Educational philosophy nurtures the character of individuals, helps them to gain knowledge, and makes them ready to undertake responsibility in each and every aspect of their life. Teenagers are enabled to obtain the elements of mankind, and this places them in a better position to circumvent social problems (Hassan, 2009, p. 466). Through educational philosophy, one can teach good things to others in a much simpler manner. Educational philosophy consists of some important factors. These are based on the manner in which children acquire knowledge, the objective behind education and schools, and the function of the teacher. These elements permit one to assess the subjects to be taught and the procedure to be adopted in such teaching. Moreover, classroom management and discipline techniques have a direct bearing on the elements of educational philosophy(Widick). Philosophy of education emerged predominantly from the analytical efforts of the English thinkers. However, education issues were not strangers to the classical philosophers, such as Plato, Aristotle and Socrates, and the more recent stalwarts, like Kant and Dewey. Nevertheless, the pioneering work in this genre has been deemed to be that of C. D. Hardy(Seshadri, 2008). From the perspective of Emotional Literacy Education, it is incumbent upon every individual to comprehend himself and other individuals. On the other hand, the extant education system is founded on the belief that every person should acquire the ability to perform arithmetical calculations, read and write(Zimmerman, 2005). These latter accomplishments enable the student to obtain a certain degree of economic capability. Mere economic capability cannot enable a man to attain knowledge that is useful for leading a happy and productive life. Despite the seemingly pragmatic approach of the existing educational system, there are quite a few drawbacks. For instance, no method is taught by means of which the pupil can achieve happiness, which has been described as an emotional and economic state. This resulted in the emergence of Emotional Literacy Education, which employ terms that enable a student to evaluate his emotional beliefs(Zimmerman, 2005). Emotional beliefs cannot resolve problems in a meaningful manner. This is the major drawback with the present educational system. The stalwarts of education philosophy, of the ilk of Prof. R.S. Peters have declared that