The four pillars of learning

The four pillars of learning are fundamental principles for reshaping education:
Learning to know: to provide the cognitive tools required to better comprehend the
world and its complexities, and to provide an appropriate and adequate foundation
for future learning.
Learning to do: to provide the skills that would enable individuals to effectively
participate in the global economy and society.
Learning to be: to provide self analytical and social skills to enable individuals to
develop to their fullest potential psycho-socially, affectively as well as physically, for
a all-round complete person.
Learning to live together: to expose individuals to the values implicit within human
rights, democratic principles, intercultural understanding and respect and peace at
all levels of society and human relationships to enable individuals and societies to
live in peace and harmony.
Definition of Functionalism
Functionalism (or structural functionalism) is the perspective in sociology according
to which society consists of different but related parts, each of which serves a
particular purpose. According to functionalism, sociologists can explain social
structures and social behavior in terms of the components of a society and their
functions. Auguste Comte helped develop functionalism in the 19th century, and
functionalist Emile Durkheim later compared society to the human body. Just as the
body consists of different, interrelated organs that enable it to survive, society
consists of different components that enable it to survive and which depend on each
other. For example, judicial systems help maintain order, and schools teach
children. Problems in a single part of society can disrupt the whole.
Structural functionalism
Structural functionalism, or simply functionalism, is a framework for building theory
that sees society as a complex system whose parts work together to promote
solidarity and stability.[1] This approach looks at society through a macro-level
orientation, which is a broad focus on the social structures that shape society as a
whole, and believes that society has evolved like organisms. [2] This approach looks
at both social structure and social functions. Functionalism addresses society as a
whole in terms of the function of its constituent elements; namely norms, customs,
traditions, and institutions. A common analogy, popularized by Herbert Spencer,
presents these parts of society as "organs" that work toward the proper functioning
of the "body" as a whole.[3] In the most basic terms, it simply emphasizes "the effort
to impute, as rigorously as possible, to each feature, custom, or practice, its effect
on the functioning of a supposedly stable, cohesive system". For Talcott Parsons,
"structural-functionalism" came to describe a particular stage in the methodological
development of social science, rather than a specific school of thought. [4][5] The
structural functionalism approach is a macrosociological analysis, with a broad focus
on social structures that shape society as a whole. [6]

What is the functionalist perspective in sociology?

According to the functionalist perspective of sociology, each aspect of society is
interdependent and contributes to society's stability and functioning as a whole. For
example, the government provides education for the children of the family, which in
turn pays taxes on which the state depends to keep itself running. That is, the
family is dependent upon the school to help children grow up to have good jobs so
that they can raise and support their own families. In the process, the children
become law-abiding, taxpaying citizens, who in turn support the state.
If all goes well, the parts of society produce order, stability, and productivity. If all
does not go well, the parts of society then must adapt to recapture a new order,
stability, and productivity. For example, during a financial recession with its high
rates of unemployment and inflation, social programs are trimmed or cut. Schools
offer fewer programs. Families tighten their budgets. And a new social order,
stability, and productivity occur.
Functionalists believe that society is held together by social consensus, in which
members of the society agree upon, and work together to achieve, what is best for
society as a whole. This stands apart from the other two main sociological
perspectives: symbolic interactionalism, which focuses on how people act according
to their interpretations of the meaning of their world, and conflict theory, which
focuses on the negative, conflicted, ever-changing nature of society.
Functionalism has received criticism for neglecting the negative functions of an
event, such as divorce. Critics also claim that the perspective justifies the status
quo and complacency on the part of society's members. Functionalism does not
encourage people to take an active role in changing their social environment, even
when such change may benefit them. Instead, functionalism sees active social
change as undesirable because the various parts of society will compensate
naturally for any problems that may arise.