In 1971, a philosopher by the name of Ivan Illich published a book called “Deschooling Society” – a critique of education in modern societies which called for the imminent disestablishment of schools. His radical ideas highlighted the institutionalisation of schools and he advocated self-motivated learning that could only occur outside of formal school boundaries. Many dismissed his thoughts as impractical or too radical for his time and while schools did not in fact disappear, Illich put forward ideas that still hold some relevance to this day (Hart, 2000). This essay will discuss what Illich sees as the aims of education, how he thinks these can be achieved and what the outcome would be if these ideas were applied to the present-day education system.
Illich argued that whilst schools have become recognised as the institution which specialises in education, he saw the role of schools as a tool of social control, spreading existing political ideologies and preserving the status quo of society (1971). Ideology was maintained through teachers who took on a powerful role, dictating how and what was taught to their students. It was common belief that education could only be supplied by a properly qualified person (1971). This attitude is what Illich used to support his theory that schools have become bureaucratised. To further this notion, Illich made a distinct difference between schooling and learning. Schooling was related to bureaucracy and teaching, and learning occurred independent of the former (1971). This idea is easily understood if one considers where most of their learning occurs – outside of school, during daily life experiences and encounters with other people.
Illich (1971), stated that the opposite of school w...
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Education has become stagnant. Intelligent individuals are still being molded, but the methods of education are creating individuals who lack free will. Through deep analytical understandings of education, both Walker Percy’s essay, “The Loss of the Creature,” and Paulo Freire’s essay, “The Banking Concept of Education,” have been able to unravel the issues and consequences of modern-day education. Despite creating clever people, Percy and Freire believe that the current form of education is inefficient because it strips away all sovereignty from the students and replaces it with placid respect for authorities, creating ever more complacent human beings in the long run.
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It’s no surprise that there are faults within our schools in today’s society. As both authors’ point out if our educational system is
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In today's times, apart from having information flying at us from almost everywhere we turn, we also get to sit in a chair for nearly seven hours while someone tries to feed us even more information. Although it is true that our society needs some type of educational system, there is a real problem with the fact that although we are constantly changing and evolving into a brand new world, education has stayed still. In a way, we attempt to teach our children by putting them ...
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First, it is necessary to examine the current paradigm within education in order to determine exactly what it is about the modern system that requires changing. One of the most immediate concerns comes as a result of the school facilities the...
Education is a vital part of society. It serves the beneficial purpose of educating our children and getting them ready to be productive adults in today's society. But, the social institution of education is not without its problems. Continual efforts to modify and improve the system need to be made, if we are to reap the highest benefits that education has to offer to our children and our society as a whole.
The Impact of the Internet on Education A dusty, one-bedroom schoolhouse on the edge of a village. An overworked teacher trying to manage a room full of boisterous children. Students sharing schoolbooks that are in perpetual short supply, crammed in rows of battered desks. Children worn out after long treks to school, stomachs rumbling with hunger.
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Doing the weekly readings and watching the videos, my mind exploded with possibilities for change - not unlike Raphael’s “brain popp[ing] open” (Senge, 2012, p. 64). Senge brings to our attention that schools were organised due to the necessity of the industrial age. However he also states that it’s time to move on from this out-dated mode, as i...
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