The Aims of Education

By: Cecilia, Daria, Kiran, Kristina, and

Shannon

Introduction

A ground-breaking essay written in 1916 that

is still very relevant today.
Whitehead has some very simple but profound
ideas about education and its aims. Gohere
for more information on Whitehead.

Culture

The aim of Education to produce human beings that

possess a balance of culture and expert knowledge.
Such balance will constitute the basis of a meaningful
life.

Culture is activity of thought, and receptiveness to

beauty and humane feeling.
Culture comes from learning and dealing with ideas
that are important and applicable, idea that are
useful.
Where Useful means to have a connection with
reality (to ones reality)

Inert Ideas

The so-called inert-ideas or ideas that are

merely received into the mind without being
utilised or tested need to be rejected because
they are useless and can also be harmful.
Educators should aim to discuss and present
ideas in useful ways. To connect with the
Present of students ideas, because the Present
is the holy ground. It is the time when you
can build your knowledge.

Song

https://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=nN6CPmi9aaY

Utilization

Utilisation is a key word for Whitehead

Everything we learn, we store in our brain should have an

applicable tension
Education as the acquisition of the art of utilisation of
knowledge
Where utilizing ideas means to relate it to that stream
which forms our life: the ensemble of perceptions, hopes,
feelings, desires and of mental activity.

To utilize an idea we have first of all to prove the truth or

worth of that idea = We have to look for ideas that are
worth to be analyzed, learnt and taught

Theory & Practice

Educators need to be clear on what constitutes

theory and what is a practice
The theoretic part of our knowledge should be
synthetic and complete but also clearly detached
from practical application.
Students should always be able to tell when they
are talking about the importance of an idea= an
idea that can be proved as worthy, and when they
are indeed applying that idea = actual
utilization of knowledge

Curriculum
Application

Educative theoretical ideas need to be utilizable

(otherwise they are dangerous inert ideas) meaning that
they need to find application in the pupils curriculum. A
curriculum that is tailor made on the students needs
and strictly connected with the pupils local reality.
The best procedure will depend of many factors
(Schwabs connection):

genius of the teacher

intellectual type of pupils
their prospects in life
opportunities offered by the immediate surroundings of
the school

Creating Culture

So if the process of education needs to be

locally rooted in the same way the
examination process of such pupils and their
knowledge should be de-centered.
If all these conditions are satisfied, if
education passes the knowledge of utilizable
ideas taught to specific students within a
specific curriculum, educators are creating live
culture.

Curiosity

Why bother to do so?

Because we need to Recognize, respect
and nourish Curiosity of mind

For Whitehead Curiosity represents the

potential, the ability for human mind
(students and educators minds) of
reflecting upon our complicated present
where everyday our senses, our needs,
our responses, feelings, desires are called
to cope with a complicated tangle of
circumstances which form our reality.

Mind

Peoples mind can certainly be considered a tool but

never a passive one.
Our mind is in perpetual activity whatever the stimulus
that you are given or the demand of interests you are
receiving. Therefore, Educators cannot postpone to
reply, cannot postpone to use students mind and
interests.
Educators work with students in the Present and they
provide students with tools or knowledge to get their
questions answered, their interests satisfied in the now
because in the now we build our cultural baggage.

Life is Key

Whitehead claims that the only subject matter for education is Life
and all if its manifestations: education must be relevant to real life.
We unjustly separate the disciplines into subjects such as Math,
Science, Social Studies, English, etc. without their lessons
representing Life, as it is known in the midst of the living of it
He uses quadratic equations as an example of how some concepts
in education are not relevant because they do not relate to some
characteristic of intellectual or emotional perception.
Whitehead instructs teachers to make up their minds about the
quantitative aspects of the world that are simple enough to be
introduced to general education instead of the other way around
(kind of like backwards design but with a focus on practical
outcomes)

Power, Beauty &

Structure

You may not divide the seamless coat of

learning
Education should impart an intimate sense for
the power, beauty, and structure of ideas
along with a body of knowledge that has
specific reference to the life of the person
possessing this knowledge (this is NOT easy to
do!)

Style

Whitehead says that style is the last

acquirement of the educated mind, the
ultimate morality of the mind and is attained
by experts
I suppose he is saying that a sense of style
comes after you have mastered your goals
with ease and without waste

Curriculum

Whitehead strongly believes that no system of

external tests which aims to assess individual
scholars can result in anything but educational
waste; it is the schools that should be inspected
Each school should have its own curriculum
developed by its own staff that addresses the
needs of it particular students
Curriculum should not be rigid and it should be
modified by the staff of that school only

Discussion

Discussion

Think about your previous education

How many subjects were you taught? Were these
subjects taught thoroughly?
Were you taught to think and utilize or were you
taught certain facts?
How connected was the curriculum and how
connected was the theory to the practice?
How much of what you have learnt are you using
now?
What was the aim of your education?

Discussion

Think about your future teaching practices

What subject do you teach? Is it connected with
other subjects? How?
How is your subject, theory, connected with your
students lives/practice? Is it relevant? Why?
Is your subject and teaching practice based on
learning inert ideas (simple facts) or on learning
to think? How can it be incorporated into your
teaching practice?

Discussion

Think about your program (TEFSL, TEAL etc.)

In your program, are you taught theory or how to
connect this theory to your practice?
Is what you are learning in your program relevant to
your future?
Are different courses connected? Or are they separate
with different disconnected ideas?
Are you taught to think/utilize knowledge or are you
taught inert ideas?
Do you utilize (challenge, prove, etc) the ideas in your
program? Why/Why not?

Activity

BUILD A MODEL OF EDUCATION

(based on The Aims of Education by Alfred Whitehead as
well as your own ideas/beliefs)
*use the provided materials
*in groups of 4-6
*explain your model of education (taking into account your
own learning, your future aspirations about the ideal
practice, and your current program)
*What are the aims of this education?
*How does your model achieve them?

Conclusion

Currere is a journey to discover ones Self

Creative writing and the inquiry method are tools to make that journey
In order for that journey to happen we need to have a meaningful, alive
curriculum in place
FOR ALL OF US
As remembered by Marta Roths video, Whitehead said:
Students are alive and the purpose of education is to stimulate and guide
their self-development
Teachers should be alive with thoughts too

It is imperative for educators to teach live ideas but also for students to
take ownership of their education and their life.
Be active, embrace you education and discover your Self!

Resources

Alfred Whitehead. (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved

May 29, 2015 from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_North_Whitehead
Oxikron. (2012, November, 6). Its my life bon jovi
[Video file]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nN6CPmi9aaY
Roth, M. T. (2012, November, 15). The Aims of
Education [Video file]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzR7gmYs1-U
Whitehead, A. (1967). The aims of education. In The
aims of education and other essays (pp. 1-14). New
York: The Free Press.

Thank You!