1. Among the variety of philosophical views, it is quite difficult to find
out which one is the best. Nevertheless, it is possible to estimate that the
Georgist philosophy may be quite important today and applicable to the modern
education. It should be pointed out that the Georgist philosophy was developed
in response to the growing materialization and ‘marketization’ of
the world. Obviously, these problems are still relevant today and, what is even
more important, they affect dramatically the modern education.
Speaking about the essence of this philosophy, it should be said that the followers
of Georgism paid a lot of attention to the role of art in human life and, among
the most sincere followers of George’s ideas may be named Leo Tolstoy
and Bernard Show. In fact, the supporters of this philosophy trended to humanize
the modern world and subordinate economic needs to social ones. Also, it is
worthy of mention that Tolstoy, for instance, insisted on the necessity to widely
implement art in all spheres of life in order to make it really accessible to
masses of people. According to him, it could really make society and social
relations more humanistic.
Obviously, these ideas are extremely important to modern education, which tends
to ‘marketization’ and dominance of material values over spiritual
ones. Consequently, the practical implementation of the Georgist philosophy
and its basic ideas could really shift the focus of the modern education from
pragmatic, marketing values to humanistic and socially oriented ones. At the
same time, the wider use of art in the modern education can also contribute
to the aesthetic development of students which often remains practically ignored
by many contemporary educators.
2. Historically, Marxism was contrasting to the dominating capitalist ideology
and that was one of the major reasons of criticism of this philosophical movement.
At the same time, it is not just a difference from traditional capitalist ideologies
that provoked criticism of Marxism but also the basic ideological concepts which,
actually, targeted at the complete change of the existing social order. In fact,
the major ideological tenets of Marxism remain unchangeable even at the present
epoch. In this respect, it should be said that one of the conceptual positions
of Marxism is he necessity of social revolution which should totally change
the relations that exist in society. To put it more precisely, Marxists stand
on the ground that capitalist system is totally unjust and is based on the exploitation
of vast masses of people by a limited, privileged group or class that dominates
in the society. In the result of such social injustice and inequality, antagonism
between the dominating and dominated classes is inevitable and should result
in the social revolution, which is supposed to be realized by the force of proletariat,
according to classics of the Marxist theory.
After the social revolution, Marxists insist on the implementation of structural
and systematic changes in society. To put it more precisely, firstly, it will
be necessary to forbid the right of private property and deprive capitalist
of the control over the means of production. Instead, they suggest the establishment
of social control over the means of production and property. Consequently, Marxists
believe that the new classless society will be able to live in harmony since
individuals, being free of capitalist binds, such as private property, will
be able to develop their skills and abilities according to their own will. In
such a way, Marxism undermines the basic concept of capitalism – the private
property.
3. At first glance schooling and education are synonymous terms, but in actuality,
the difference between them is quite substantial. In fact, schooling is a narrower
term compared to education and basically it implies students’ academic
development in the course of their study at school. In such a way, schooling
is mainly focused on the learning process as a purely academic activity which,
though, may be related to some school activities. It is possible to estimate
that schooling mainly implies that students are viewed in the context of their
study at school, being practically objects of the learning process. In this
respect, it should be said that education seems to be a larger term that involves
not only academic and school activities but also implies the development of
students as personalities that means that students are rather viewed as relatively
independent subjects of not only purely learning process but education at large.
Practically, it means that education is actually a lifetime lasting process
that is not limited by certain age, for instance. Moreover, education also implies
not only the development of academic knowledge and skills but also the harmonious
development of students including academic knowledge, social development, moral
and ethic views, etc.
4. In fact, it is hardly possible to disagree with the words of William Arthur
Ward because teaching is a very complicated process and, at the present days,
it is obviously not enough to simply clearly explain the learning material and
deliver it to students. Nowadays, it is also necessary that students really
understand the learning material and, what is even more important, that they
are really inspired by their teacher, by what they learn and how they do it.
In such a way, it should be said that good teachers can explain that is really
important because not all teachers can clearly convey their ideas and learning
material. At the same time, students cannot always adequately perceive the explanations
of teacher whatsoever good they. This is why students need that a teacher could
also demonstrate in practice how this learning material he/she teaches can be
applied in a real life situation. However, the good understanding of the learning
material is not the ultimate goal of the modern education. In actuality, the
main goal of education is to make students able and willing to learn during
their lifetime even in their adulthood and, in such a situation, it is only
the greatest or excellent teacher who can inspire their students, to provoke
the interests and the desire to learn more. However, it is worthy of noting
that without clear explanation and good demonstration, even the greatest teacher
cannot inspire his/her students.
5. Nowadays, a good teaching rather resembles some art than just a regular work,
though this is true not only for the present epoch, but it was always one of
the basic conditions of good teaching. To put it more precisely, a good teaching
cannot be based only on some knowledge of a subject, pedagogic, various methods
of teaching, knowledge of children’s psychology, etc., but it also implies
creativity, though all the factors previously mentioned are also of the utmost
importance. It should be said that purely professional knowledge and skills
are the basis for a good teaching. In this respect, it should be said that a
teacher should know his/her subject well, perfectly know the current trends
in education and perspectives of its further development, possess an arsenal
of various methods that he/she could use while teaching the subject, and naturally,
know students’ psychology. The latter is really important because a good
teaching implies an ability of a teacher to find an individual approach to each
student in the classroom that means the knowledge of his/her current knowledge,
skills and abilities, psychological peculiarities, and socio-cultural background.
At the same time such a basis, needs creativity in order to construct an effective
system of teaching that could identify, develop, and stimulate students’
skills and abilities. It proves beyond a doubt that each classroom and each
student is unique and different from others. This is why a good teaching is
impossible without teachers’ ability to modify and change their work in
accordance with the concrete class or student and this is practically impossible
without creative approach to teaching.
6. Basically, any textbook should meet the main goals of education and correspond
to the current educational demands. Practically it means that, first of all,
the textbook must correspond to the students’ level of development. In
other words, ideally, the textbook should be adapted to students’ age
and knowledge. Otherwise, it could be hardly or, to put it more precisely, adequately
perceived by students. Furthermore, the textbook should be well-structured in
such a way that students could gradually develop their skills and acquire new
knowledge through transition from easier learning material to more complicated
one. It is also very important that the textbook is really interesting for students
since one of its major purposes should be the maintenance of students interest
to the subject and to what they actually learn. At the same time, the textbook
should not provide students with ample information on the learning material.
What is meant here is the fact that the textbook should provide students with
some basic knowledge of the learning material but, at the same time, evoke their
interest to what they learn and stimulate their desire to find more information
on the subject they learn. Finally, it should be said that the textbook cannot
be a universal book where students can find answers to all the questions but
it must prepare students to get ready to find additional material in some extra
sources, but the textbook and, in this respect, some useful references or links
within the textbook could be quite helpful.
Bibliography:
1. Aller, P. The Georgist Philosophy in Culture and History. New York: New Publishers,
1992.
2. Compayri, Gabriel and Mary D. Frost. Horace Mann and the Public School in
the United States, New York: New Publishers, 2002.
3. Parkays F.W. and G. Hass. Curriculum Planning, LA: Allyn and Bacon, 2000.
4. Rebore Ronald W. Human Resources Administration in Education, LA: Allyn and
Bacon, 2001.
5. Rosen, Sidney (ed.). My Voice Will Go With You: The Teaching Tales of Milton
H. Erickson, M.D., New York: Touchstone, 1991.
6. Ward, William Arthur. Fountains of faith: The words of William Arthur Ward,
New York: Routledge, 1994.
