Corporate 2 Template

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Educating for social change promoting democratic
values
BY Marialena Kalyva Dragazi Counseling
Psychologist
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WHAT GIVES YOUR LIFE MEANING?
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WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF EDUCATION?
It is true that schools have inputs and
outputs and that one of their nominal purposes
is to take human raw material (i.e. children)
and convert it into something more valuable (i.e.
employable adults). The Education
Dilemma (Edited by a member of the World Bank)
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WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF EDUCATION?
Education is supposed to be the process by which
we engage people in their fullness to give them a
sense of who they are and their capabilities so
they can lead a life that means something to them
and to the rest of us. Sir Ken Robinson
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HOW SUCCESSFUL ARE OUR SCHOOLS?

• How well are young people prepared for life?
• How well are young people being prepared to
  coexist meaningfully with others and contribute
  to their society?
• How well are young people being prepared to
  think, assess and act responsibly about issues
  that affect not only their own lives but the
  whole world?

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THE SILENT CRISIS
Human beings are diverse.

• Our education system
• - is based on conformity.
• - has stereotypes about what counts as ability.

Human communities depend on a diversity of
talents to survive and not a singular perception
of ability.
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THE SILENT CRISIS
Human beings are diverse.

• The humanities and arts are being removed from
  schools and universities.
• ability to think critically
• ability to think beyond ones borders and
  approach the world as a citizen of the world
• ability to imagine the predicament of another
  person
• ability to look inward
• If we are going to explore the world around us,
• we have to explore the world within us and we do
• that by looking at a broad spectrum of education.

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THE SILENT CRISIS
Human beings are curious.
Children are natural learners.

• Currently, teaching is being de-professionalized.
• In place of curiosity we have a culture
  of compliance.

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THE SILENT CRISIS
Human beings are creative.
We create our own lives by imagining alternatives
and possibilities.

• Our mechanistic conceptions of education kill
  childrens creativity and imagination.

Its imagination and the power of empathy that
makes us human.
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THE SILENT CRISIS

• Education focuses on giving children data on the
  external world.
• We need time to look inward.
• Our feelings are forms of perception and are
  affected by the way we think.
• Education should help us
• - to connect with ourselves.
• - to connect with each other through the power of
  empathy.

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THE GROWTH MODELEDUCATION FOR PROFIT

• The goal of education ?
  economic growth
• The objective of education ? to
  create a group of technically trained
  obedient workers
• Critical thinking and freedom of mind are being
  discouraged.
• Empathy is seen as unnecessary or even as a
  weakness.

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WHAT IS A DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY?
It is more than just the institution of
government. Its a way of living together, of
learning to cooperatively agree and disagree
non-violently, and of appreciating and learning
from diversity and of coming to support one
another for the good of the whole. In this sense,
democracy demands of its people the
socio-emotional skills and ethical dispositions
as well as cognitive capacities to participate in
a whole range of interactions. John Dewey (1916)
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EDUCATION FOR DEMOCRACY

• We need to educate youngsters about
• Respect
• - for myself
• - for others
• Responsibility
• - for my decisions and choices
• - for their impact on myself and on others
• - for global social issues
• Freedom (of person, thought, belief, expression)
• - the ability to think critically about issues
  affecting myself/the society/my country/the
  world, to reflect, argue, debate
• Rights (a collectively shared set of values)
• - to accept, acknowledge, respect the rights of
  others

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EDUCATION FOR DEMOCRACY

• We need to educate youngsters about
• Rules and conflict
• - What policies/laws/rules of many types mean for
  the opportunities and experiences of others.
• - accept that conflicts are normal
• - problem-solving skills, create a culture of
  argument, understand fairness of conflict
  resolution, importance of compromises
• Equality
• - acknowledge that others have equal rights even
  if different in race, gender, religion, sexuality
• Participation
• - understanding of issues, getting informed,
  making
• careful evaluations, taking social action

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EDUCATING CITIZENS

• It is extremely important to understand and
  accept human beings vulnerability, imperfection
  and the inability to control.
• Teach compassion and empathy.
• Imagine the world through the eyes of others and
  understand and feel their feelings. Only in that
  way do they become real and equal to us.
• Strengthen the sense of
  personal accountability
  by treating each child
  as a
  responsible agent.

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PROMOTING CRITICAL THINKING

• People who cant think and argue for themselves
  are easily influenced.
• Break away from rote learning. Each student must
  be expected to make an active and creative
  contribution to classroom discussion.
• Our current education system encourages
  passivity. The less the teacher talks, and
  the more the students talk,
  the better.
• Help students to actively
  ponder big questions in life
  and develop the
  ability to
  detect fallacy.

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CULTIVATING IMAGINATION

• The ability to imagine what the experience of
  others might be.
• The ability to imagine other possibilities.
• Innovation requires minds that are flexible, open
  and creative.
• Arts and games are
  the way to get kids
  to come to
  school
  eagerly.

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EDUCATING ABOUT GLOBAL CONCERNS

• Global economy has tied all of us to distant
  lives.
• Education should equip us
• - to function adequately as citizens of the
  world.
• - to understand other cultures.
• - to evaluate history narratives.
• - to learn a foreign language.

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CALL TO ACTION

• Curricular content has moved away from enlivening
  the imagination and instigating critical thought,
  towards material necessary for test preparation.
• We all agree about freedom of speech, respect for
  difference, understanding of others
• BUT
• we dont think that we need to pass them on to
  the next generation and how.
• If this approach continues
• - technically trained people with no critical
  thinking
• - useful profit makers with dull imaginations

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Benjamin Franklin
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