Which is correct.Education is tool of conformity or an instrument of liberation?

Question

This is not homework or an essay so I am not looking to find a easy way out I just found this an interesting concept and wondered if there are any radical views from anyone in education.If I had my way I would give more than 2 points for the answer.

so far thank you all for a brilliant response.I have an eye on the best answer so far.

Answer 1

Why is it either/or? I suggest breaking education down into at least 2 things: Education as a tool for the individual, and Education as a tool for the group/society.

Education for the individual concerns what it offers at a personal level, for both teachers and students. Learning "stuff" is a mixed bag, of course: the value of what you learn depends on your background, and on your context. Historical "facts" (or "selections") are often ascertained by the side that won the war, for example. Learning english literature is less useful if you're going in to maths, etc.

But on the whole, I think an individual benefits from being introduced to new ideas. Diversity makes for a better balance, perhaps. (That's not to say that education provides a rounded balance, of course - see below though.) Knowledge and experience help us, as individuals, to form a view of the world that we can live with and use on an ongoing basis. Skills, but also the philosophies that go with them.

The second form of Education - a group/society version - concerns how Education *organises* people more generally. This is where "conformity" comes from. Education does not inherently lead to conformity. But (IMHO) Education's position - linking the state to the upbringing of the entire population - places it at a hugely "strategical" point, which probably accounts for conformist tendencies. (Note, in the UK, the shift for Universities to increasingly now concentrate on "business"-like skills, such as publishing and capitalizing on research.)

This split can be seen, I think, in many other places. Religion is an obvious example: "spirituality" is inherently an individual, personal thing, but "organized religion" integrates this with a wider, societal form of hierarchy and rules.

So what's "correct" depends largely on your philosophy: are individuals more important than states, or does the stability of states mean that controlling those individuals is necessary? (Personally, I think - in the UK at least - that a system geared/gearing up for a global economy generates the latter, which generates an undercurrent of the former in resistive response.)

You could check out things like Foucault's "Discipline and Punish" for more on the history of control and conformity in schools. Also, there are some interesting (if old) texts on individualism and groupthink. I'm finding Mary Douglas' "Natural Symbols" quite interesting at the moment (if lacking in places). But that's just the stuff I've read, which is a ridiculously small amount.

Answer 2

I was a public school science and art teacher. Most schools, and all national, state and local policies and laws concerning education, use education as a tool of conformity. That's the main reason there are local school boards with elected members who set policy and hire the key people in a district. Most (95%) of teachers go along with it even if they have reservations. Only new/young teachers buck the system and they don't usually last long, or they change their tune.

Every other educational setting is used to preserve the status quo of the sponsor, think church school, home school, private academies, etc, here. If the sponsor is the child's parent and that parents' values are education for individual liberation, the child will have the best possible education.

Schools with high teacher turn over and a high% of young teachers seem most likely to expose children to a genuine, research based education where self actualization is seen as a goal by at least some of the teachers. But none of them will last long.

Answer 3

The Educational System that's been developed in most countries is definately a tool of conformity. That's why everyone makes such a big deal that children have to go and be "socialized". Blah, all they're trying to do is mould you into a good little citizen. However, education itself is about gaining knowledge. And knowledge is both liberating and empowering. Does that help?

Answer 4

I personally believe that education is a tool of liberation. I have always thought of education as being a tool for knowledge and knowledge is power.
An educated individual has the knowledge to better themselves both in their physical requirements and their mental state.
For example, someone who doesn't know how to read, can have a very difficult time getting a job these days. Without a job...well, we all know what happens.

Answer 5

Education is both tool of conformity and an instrument of liberation. It depends on the educator's and students' view. As a teacher-to-be, I think we should all try to see education as our source of liberation.

sorry if there's any mistake. I'm not a native speaker of English

Answer 6

Training is a tool of conformity, while education is an instrument of liberation. True education exposes you to many ideas and teaches you how to process them. The problem is that many of the existing "educational systems" worldwide essentially offer training rather than education. They teach people to be able to spit back predigested concepts without thinking about them. They believe that they are educating, while they are really doing the opposite.

Answer 7

I believe that both are somewhat correct; however, I believe education to be more of an instrument of liberation. Religion is more of a tool of conformity than education.

Answer 8

Oddly enough, I think it's a little of both. I guess it depends on whether you look at education as something they teach you or something you learn. If you see it as something they teach you I guess it could be considered a tool of conformity because you are taught what you are expected to know. But when you look at it as something you learn, the possibilities are endless, certainly making it liberating. I think I see is as something you learn. My husband is a teacher and I think he definately sees it as something you learn. He's alway pushing students to take what he teaches them to another level, beyond what's in the text books. When you go past the black and white print, and the lecture in the classroom, that's when it becomes liberating.

Answer 9

Both. Education helps children learn how to be successful by engaging in rule-following behavior, therefore encouraging them to conform. Gaining knowledge is an instrument of freedom. As you learn, you can take what you know and use it to improve the world and yourself.

Answer 10

THE education 1.