Whats the most important part of education in respect to helping to make more free thinkers?

Question

What does a system of education need inorder to bring about more free thinkers instead of group thinkers.

Answer 1

Our education system is set up to stifle thought, encourage conformity and subservience. It is a factory churning out unthinking consumers who will do as they are told.

The best way to encourage a child to think is to take them out of public or religious schools and teach them at home. Engage in dialog, and after the system-required work is done, help them to learn useful things.

I bet not one teacher in ten can define what Aristotle called the "banausic arts" much less show where the flaws in his elitist thinking lay.

Dialog with other free thinkers will create more free thinkers. Occupying space in a baby-sitting situation the caters to the lowest common denominator and the loudest parent will never produce thinkers. Luckily, the smartest students (often "problem" students) can sometimes learn to think in spite of their teachers.

Answer 2

Take the "system" out of education.

Free thinking requires a closer link between the cause and effect that occurs when people pursue things of intense interest to them.

Everybody develops at different rates and when we try to shove everyone into the same box on the same schedule (think grade school), we limit their ability to think freely. After basic reading, calculation, and writing skills are learned education in our traditional schools is a matter of making each individual's answers "match" what has been learned by the teacher or established by others. This by its nature is stultifying to free thinkers.

Our students are constantly compared to a standard by teachers, parents, other students, and themselves. It is dangerous in a way to think differently from others. Free thinking might cost a person an "A," a job, or esteem in the eyes of friends.

Free thinking needs more tangible rewards. It is always a little dangerous, but our students need to find ifree thinking a socially and academically safe thing to do. When it is both safe and rewarding to think freely, education will produce more free thinkers.

Also...if we keep them in groups all the time for 12 to 15 years. How can we expect them to do anything else?

Answer 3

Free thinkers during there lifetime are usually considered insane or weird for that matter. Look at Galileo. He was almost put to death during the Inquisition for speaking his mind on the Heliocentric "Theory". Now he's considered one of the great minds of humankind. Punishment is a big deterrant for a condusive setting for free thinkers. Whether it's punishment in the form of ridicule from your adolescent peers(ex. you're a guy in high school that like a certain kind of music that's not in the norm) or punishment of jail for Nelson Mandela. It's still persecuting someone for their thoughts. Once we can get past judging people for their thoughts only then can we start talking about educational systems!

Answer 4

Respect and encouragement for individuality and imagination. Imagination is valued highly when you're a child but later on schooling starts to suggest that it has less of a meaningful place in the adult world which is wrong.

Also, the reduction of routines would be beneficial. There are studies in the works that suggest that repetitive and often overwhelming amounts of homework given on the regular basis actually stifle creativity in children. Not that I'm against homework, but I do believe a lot of kids are just receiving too many assignments that are just regurgitation rather than analysis.

If you take a look at the "progressive school" models, they have just those goals in mind.

Answer 5

Montessori education allows a child to not only learn at their own pace, but to choose the work that the child is most interested in. This emphasis on the love of learning provides a basis for a child to become a free thinker without the burdens attached to authority figures and being pushed into learning something not necessary.

P.S. and if you ignore the grammar and spelling errors in deane b's statements, I think he has a few good points as well...

Answer 6

what's the suitable ingredient about being labeled some thing? Are you extremely a loose philosopher? Can a religious, God-believing human being imagine? You betcha. Can they be scientists and philosophers, yea....has been that way and nonetheless is. will we supply them weight? no longer extremely, after all this theory of "God" isn't very "in" as we communicate. Im a Christian and im extremely offended at those self-righteous presuppositions about someone, ...you're falling into that similar self-righteous seize that some Christians do. Freethinkers often have their questioning pointed specifically guidelines because those similar human beings said the label, jumped on the bandwagon, and wanted to hitch the club. Now that you're a freethinker, more effective useful sound off about the way you'll use that "loose-questioning" to bless others particularly than experience particular.

Answer 7

That is a tough question in that Big business does not want free thinkers. They say they do, but they need people they can herd and work until they drop. But the answer to your question would be Art, Music, Philosophy, and any creative courses you can find, such as poetry, or the best in my schooling years, Current Best Sellers. More creative thoughts flow from those taught to think outside the box.

Answer 8

The Socratic method of teaching.

The Socratic method of teaching is obviously modeled after Socrates. I personally am I student of this type of school, I don't have the same beliefs of my parents, or my teachers. I've read Aristotle, Plato, Cicero and alot of the great works of the Western World. Its a small school in the middle of nowhere and people are amazed at how a 16 year old girl can simpley question what she is told by her elders. Our school is simple, we go to class, and discuss the previous nights homework, then we get assigned homework for the next class period. Our classes include Great Books 1-5, Logic, Greek, Euclids, Fine Arts I & II, Princeples of Interpertation, Classical Foundations (like writing class, but we learn Greek and Latin roots and lots of Vocab) and of course chemistry, physics, Algebra, pre-alg. This is the schools website if you want to know more about it:http://www.mcaknights.org/

Answer 9

This is a good question. To develop strong analytical and critical thinking skills. To question authority. To encourage independent thinking as opposed to conformity. To read the autobiographies of individuals who were considered leaders, pioneers in their field, progressive thinkers, or people who in their time,were considered mavericks, or unconventional, or who were considered outcasts for marching to the beat of a different drummer. Reading books by authors who have written best sellers. Steven King is a great example. This is a man who came from a humble background and persevered against all odds, despite repeated rejections of his short stories until he finally got a break with "Carrie."

Answer 10

Creative aspects of education, such as the arts and humanities.......Humans are natural free-thinkers, its the tradition and dogma of society that conditions us to be more narrow in our thinking. Children have different skills and learn differently; logically, intuitively, visually...etc. Identify skills and learning styles early and design the curriculum to meet the child.