For me, “education” is a generalized term for the expansion of knowledge. One can receive an education anywhere. The process of education is life-long. It starts in the home with family, and gradually it expands into the community as one’s personal world grows. As an individual has more experiences and exposure to new people, the accumulation of knowledge, skills and ideas grows larger in an ever expanding bubble. Education in itself is not a formal, organized thing. It encompasses an endless series of organic, evolving experiences that lead to new awareness and abilities. This includes an accumlulation of data, ideas, social behaviors and physical skills.
I look at “schooling” as a delivery method of education. I define schooling as an organized system used to cultivate the process of education. Formal examples of this are the constructs of grades K-12, colleges, universities and even home schooling. There are also less tangible examples of schooling. When an organized, deliberate approach is taken to specifically change, alter or develop and idea or ability, the delivery process of schooling occurs. The result of this schooling is education.
Schooling provides the potential for discovery or evolution of new concepts. Education is the actual discovery or evolution of new concepts.
I agree with you that education is a life long process. I learn something new from my students every day! I like the idea of looking at education as a continual organic process.
ReplyDeleteSchooling is the delivery method of education, but how we school individuals is just as important as how much schooling an individual has. If the student is not involved with school, education wanes idle by the side of other distractions.
I find that students are so engaged by technology and social distractions our job as educators is a tough one, competing with these distractions. What are the creative and engaging things we intend to use to educate in school?
I also agree that education is a life long process. It's not about the core material taught in school but the experience the student gains from it and uses to further them in life. And like you said, learning doesn't stop when the school day ends. It happen's all the time, most the time without even knowing. Our experiences help us to learn what works, what doesn't work, how to do things better, etc., which helps us get through our day to day lives.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, I agree that schooling is about the delivery method of education. It is the formal process of how students are educated. Schooling is also very important because it influences the experience the student gains while they are in school and thus what skills and information they take with them in life.