Thoughts About Teaching, Learning And Education

Merriam-Webster dictionary defines education as the field of study that deals mainly with methods of teaching and learning in schools. It also describes education as the process or a way of being educated. Education has been around since the beginning of time. Any living thing will learn and grow throughout its life whether it is a dog learning to fetch, a child learning the alphabet, or students in the classroom. All things learn. The field of education gives the educator the opportunity to be part of this process.

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook, the projected growth of education occupations is 5 percent from 2018-2028. They also project there will be 512,900 new jobs in the same time period. With this in mind, let’s review the characteristics of education. Keep in mind this is the field of education and not each individual job.

As time goes by, the face of education changes. Where we once had books to study, there is now a computer or Chromebook. In many cases, the time of sitting in the classroom has been replaced with online classes lead by the students themselves. As the way of educating changes, education changes. Even still, there are characteristics that remain the same and keep education grounded. We will look at these characteristics and then look at three jobs in the field of education that interest me as a career for the next ten to twenty years.

Quora.com gives what I believe are eight of the best characteristics of education. According to Quora.com, the first characteristic of education is the social process. We learn when we are around other people. This is how we learn to experience new things. If there is no one around to talk to, how do we learn to be social? The second characteristic of education according to Quora.com is interrelationship of life and education. This is where life and education learn from each other. Learning from situations that arise as we walk throughout our education journey. The third characteristic mentioned is education development. When children learn, their minds and personalities are developing which makes them the person they become. The fourth characteristic mentioned by Quora.com is education is the root cause of creativity. As children learn, they become more creative which in turn causes them to want to learn more. There is a cycle that starts and continues through the rest of their life. Even as an adult, the student think of new ways to be creative. Whether it be at home, on the job, or with friends, there is a constant learning process. The fifth Characteristic mentioned is education is the reconstruction of experience. At different times in a student’s education, old thoughts and habits are replaced and they become a new person. They have new feelings and their personality changes. They grow more and more with every learning experience. The sixth characteristic mentioned by Quora.com is education plays a significant role in social conservation. It conserves life and cultures the interaction. The world we live in now is more diverse than ever and society has more to share and conserve because of all the different cultures that make up the world we once knew. The seventh characteristic mentioned is that education is an art. Through education the teacher helps to mold the student as a potter molds clay on the wheel. Every spin of the potter’s wheel brings the art closer to life. After careful technique and precious time, there is a beautiful piece of pottery. The eighth characteristic mentioned by Quora.com is education is the power to make adjustment in new situations. Through education, students learn how to live in the world around them. They learn to adapt through changes that come about.