Cultural Changes in Education

Long ago and far away the traditional school books treasured in their essential truths and student knowledge obtained stringent memory or categorical truths. Transmitting a static learning. What is taught remained in effect through the years.

Not produced the amazing changes that stir our time: science tore his clothes and weave their usual fields. The classical geometry was escorted by other metaphysical and relativistic reasoning, something similar has happened to logic, scientific truths are superseded by new ones. From Heisenberg1, has been shaken the structure of the state science and four-dimensional geometry has opened up the thought unimaginable dimensions. What we have today shown to transmit constantly changing and must be transmitted in motion. We live in a dynamic culture which is characterized by high turnover of its truths. The static was defined and definitive truths. The evolutionary condition in a dynamic culture is to continue always revealing, even at the expense of disallowing recently discovered knowledge.

These demonstrations of learning and knowledge used to be regarded as unchangeable and irreversible. So much was that even relatively changing the contents were taught in a rigorous manner. This culture could say that made sense until a few years near the end of the last millennium. Today, ten years are equivalent to a century past. Low could serve to memorize a lot of data that changes daily and can be obtained by pressing a button.

If the man is thought of as having a pattern of conduct as being smart, not as an encyclopedia, is much more important to have the capacity or ability to discover what is ignored. That reality can be analyzed consistently, their own environment, to manipulate the principles and versatile data that is fit to create a table or schema can analyze any reality to consider, not only to convey what others exposed. Inevitably must confront their constant updating. (Dewey2 distinction between education as reproduction and as nutrition). Nutrition must place the accent.

In times of more static culture and inadequacy of these books were worth almost sacred. The professor was usually teacher-reader of a book.

How could memorize now changing information in less time than it takes a course of study?

Today matters more the ability to keep learning and lessons learned to update (and even to forget the memory unnecessarily hard to "unlearn" what is apprehended). We must take into account the metaphysics of knowledge: education provides understanding real advantage of a few general principles that are supported, so firm, in its application to a variety of accurate data. In practice, forget the particulars but remember, by a sense unconscious, how to apply principles to immediate circumstances.

The role of universities is to train students to release the details for the benefit of the principles, first causes. When I say early, I mean not even a verbal statement. One principle that we have taken in more of a habit of mind that a formal statement. It becomes the way you react to appropriate stimuli mind as illustrative circumstances. Nobody gives rodeos if you present your knowledge in a clear and conscious. We often talk of learning as if we were watching all the open pages of the books we read, and then when the opportunity presents itself, we chose the site suitable for reading aloud to the heavens.

Still suffer from a paralysis of thought induced in pupils by accumulation, without purpose, of accurate knowledge, indifferent and useless.

The primary purpose of a university professor should be shown in its true character, that is, as an ignorant man thinking, actively using that little piece of knowledge. In a sense, knowledge decreases with increasing wisdom, since the details are absorbed by the principles. The details of knowledge that are important, learn for good in every circumstance of life, but the habit of actively using well understood principles is the final possession of wisdom.

They must be very clear the differences between education and data memory, and an education that is intelligent activity and search skills to continue learning and to provide effective information, or to conceive new truth if necessary.

Usually related studies and learning, with children. (This has already been observed Mannheim3). For the most was precisely what he had to go to school, who had received the basic quota of knowledge, the primary dose and definitive truths with which I could rest easy. Being an adult was not having to study more. Saw no reason not to keep learning. But that was true for a culture is not stagnant in our time. Hence the growing importance of continuing education.

In traditional thinking, the end was only known to the professor. The student had no idea where it was going, or what would you teach tomorrow or to teach him what he was illustrating today.

The man, no matter what their occupation or task, is naturally a philosopher can not fail to be but to do it. What happens is your philosophy, the generality of men, is what others thought about him and is constituted by more or less broad repertoire of ideas and values ​​with which account, and from where they live regardless without worrying about knowing where you come from or what they mean.

The new vision of this nascent century education is to achieve thinkers, men and women capable of analyzing the reality of the everyday environment.

In the initial school year, the student has been mentally bent over his desk, in the university must stand up and recognize their surroundings. Must leave the details and begin to recognize the principles. Perhaps in this way, we can overcome the shortcomings of a society that making effective use of science is powerless to understand it.

We need to complement the science of physical nature with the tenets of human reason.

Higher periods of evolution, consistent with a being who can ask yourself and a glimpse of the infinity of spirit, his inner self.

Thus, the understanding achieved by each person to study, you progress through knowledge, will be transmuted into principles to guide its owner to the prelude of wisdom, to the knowledge of himself.

It must be our task today.

Notes

Karl 1Werner Heisenberg (1901-1976), German physicist and Nobel laureate, who developed a mechanical system whose ca quantitative indeterminacy or uncertainty principle has had a profound influence on physics and philosophy of the twentieth century.

2John Dewey (1859-1952), philosopher, psychologist and educator.

3Karl Mannheim (1893-1947), German sociologist, founder of the sociology of knowledge.