Justifying a Philosophy of Education

Full analysis

In general, there are three different approaches to education: vocational, academic, and humanist. Vocational philosophies regarding education focus on preparing students to contribute to adult spaces through their work. Whether it be a job with wages, or volunteering for their communities, vocational education prepares students for what is essentially the rest of their lives. The academic philosophy for education aims to teach students how to think critically and deeply analyse the world around them in order to discover the true meaning behind the world around them. It prepares its students to engage meaningfully and navigate through daily life without their prejudices holding them back from making accurate connections. The humanist philosophy of education, however, aims to nurture the student, rather than shape them to be a specific person and turn them away from their own self, because the premise of humanist education is that people are principally good (Hodge n.d., p. 1). These philosophies were first postulated over a century ago – some older still and may not seem relative for today's youth given that the world in which we live is rapidly changing (Granofsky 2020), but the fundamentals for learning are still there. While there can be no doubt that they are all vitally important for a student's learning, there are positives and negatives to all approaches and each philosophy can cover weaknesses present in another which would bolster the learning of students.

A vocational education will often only focus on a specific set of skills that can generally only be applied to one area and while this may be helpful for creating highly competent employees, it results in students who lack skills in other areas which would benefit them outside of their careers. An academic based education equips students with skills that are interchangeable no matter what they're doing, and this framework often includes a measure of successfulness in a student's study. Of course, most students want to do well and adapt to situations around them by utilising the explicit and implicit skills that they learn in the classroom and an academic education quells any delusions that a student may have and actively prepares them to engage with the world empirically, rather than aesthetically. When a teacher allows students to define their own successes, it is proven to help students create goals and methods of achieving those goals that they can use in either higher education or beyond and in their daily lives (Cachia, Lynam & Stock 2018). Cachia, Lynam and Stock (2018) argue that educational facilities need to teach their students skills that they can use outside of their work such as "communication, self-presentation, organisation, time management and stress management" and not focus solely on students' future employability. While developing skills that are desirable in an employment setting are important for setting a student up for their livelihoods, neglecting other skill sets in place of it can impact negatively on how well students fare after university. An academic educations also makes students aware of their own responsibility towards their learning (Cachia et al. 2018). Teachers are required to teach the content to their students in an effective manner, but students also need to develop a set of skills that will allow them to take control of their own learning both within and outside of educational facilities. This is to say that students can take prior experiences they have had an apply their knowledge to it as a means of gaining better insight into certain situations and what it means for them in the future.

While a vocational approach to education may only equip a student with the skills necessary to become skilled in a specific profession, it is also successful in that it allows the student to learn not only through tests of their memory, but also through physical experience. Physical experience makes it easier to remember tasks and how to complete them; it provides the student with professional practice that allows them to become more proficient and comfortable with their work (Howland, Jonassen & Marra 2012, p. 3). This facet of the vocational approach would fill the gaps of a student's learning that both an academic and a humanist approach leave. That is, weaknesses in the latter approaches would receive support from the former. Through this means, a student can reach their full potential and thus will be able to progress further than ever in their future careers. The experiences a student receives through physical learning will also provide the student with strategies that they can use again when learning skills that will be useful in other areas. Learning from an academic perspective, for example. This is to say that it gives the student new means through which to learn and make use of their education most effectively. Regarding contemporary education, humanism is particularly important as it allows students to focus more on their own mental health. If a student feels unmotivated, unimportant, or struggles with a severe mental health disorder, it is more likely that the student will have difficulties with their education and subsequent employment throughout their lives (Cornaglia, Crivellaro & McNally 2015, pp. 1-2). With an increasing amount of young people being impacted by poor mental health in the 21st century (McGorry, Bates & Birchwood 2018), a humanist approach towards educational development is more important and relevant now than it has been in the past. Integrating this approach to education with academic and vocational approaches would increase life quality among students in a changing world by encouraging students to not only focus on the latter aspects of their education, but also their own selves with respect to their learning.

Plato (c. 380 BC) encourages academic learning to happen early on in a student's life when their beliefs about the world around them are still malleable (pp. 53-55). This encourages students from an early age to question what they see and to not be illusioned by the world around them and to believe in reason. This method equips them with crucial learning skills very early on so that they can nurture these skills further as they get older and more knowledgeable. In a world that is constantly changing and continuing to develop, the students of today will become the researchers of the future and in order for them to be able to present new information accurately, an academic approach to their education is needed. This approach presents them with skills critical to keep up with an evolving society. However, an academic philosophy towards education is not without its weaknesses. While looking at education through this perspective may help students develop critical thinking and analytical skills, it neglects the student themself. Plato's academic philosophy was all about changing the student and ignoring their initial self in favour of one who would only seek out the truth. A humanist education would bridge this gap between the student's academic life and their personal life. Jean-Jacques Rousseau, a Swiss philosopher of the 18th century believed that traditional educational pathways resulted in the student becoming "fearful, dependent and manipulative individuals" (Hodge n.d., p. 1). As previously stated, poor mental health exhibits detrimental effects on a student's well-being, their educational outcomes, and their employment opportunities in future (Cornaglia et al 2015, pp. 1-2; McGorry et al 2018). To maximise a student's academic opportunities and results, a focus on their mental health must also be incorporated into the academic approach to their education to cover the weaknesses present in Plato's philosophy.

In summary, it can be said that while all three philosophical standpoints –academic, humanist, and vocational, are integral to the successful learning development of students, there is no one specific philosophy which demonstrates superior results in a student's learning and lifestyle beyond school. All learning pathways have weaknesses which leave gaps in a student's education and thus their ability to engage appropriately with the world around them in several ways. For example, an academic approach to student learning will provide students with the ability to effectively and critically analyse the world around them which will aid them in developing a deeper understanding of the inner workings of reality; however, this approach will also result in students becoming paranoid towards themselves and the people around them as a consequence of molding the student into a specific archetype of person –a leader. This disadvantage can be easily rectified by engaging in a humanist approach towards the student's education. Rousseau's humanism allows students to grow as a person while also engaging in both academic and vocational facets of their education. This approach aims to help students better understand themselves and focus more on their specific interests while also subduing any negative aspects of their own person. In a rapidly evolving society, a focus on student mental health is crucial when it comes to helping the student manage the stress that comes with preparing them for future vocations. The vocational approach will help students develop practical skills that they can use to further their career which will cover weaknesses present in the humanist approach such as a lack of structure towards learning the skills necessary to create a meaningful career. While a humanist approach is vital to help the student learn to manage themselves, it also depends on the student themselves discovering their own means to an education which leaves them with little in the way of appropriately working towards their career. To conclude, a student can only receive the full benefits from their education if all three approaches are utilised in a way which covers any weaknesses present. Only in doing this can a student lead a rich, fulfilling life long after they have graduated from an educational facility.