Reflective writing 2

Education in Society

The development of a full-fledged education system has the power to reconstruct the society (Apple, 2013). There are different forms of education system in various communities and the cultural and economic factors influence the educational practices. However, there is a gap in the current education system to meet the education requirements of many minority communities. Educational institutions are currently focusing on developing an education system that meets the international labour demands by ignoring the other aspects of education which is necessary for the development and maintenance of culture and needs of that particular community. This is one main reason why many minority practices are becoming extinct all over the world.

Meaning of the concept ‘education in society’ in relation to my understanding of culture and society

Communities priorities the educational needs of students’ educational requirements which is based on how each society organization themselves. For example, when some countries prioritize the development of a critical mind, some countries think it as absurd (Wursten and Jacobs, nd.). The education system in many countries have been affected by the colonialism due to its influence on the culture and society (Marker, 2003). For example, In New Zealand, the influence of colonialism on the education system is at the cost of the cultural education system. Ako is the educative process of the Maori while schools are education centers in the colonial system of education (Pihama et al, 2004). The whare wananga is the formal places of higher learning in the Maori system while the Universities are for higher learning in the colonial system. Maori educative process the students are not limited by age, gender or social status but even the tough education is free in NZ the socio economic status and the age of the person determine the quality of education they receive in the colonial system. The current colonial educative system in NZ does not take into account the different needs of the Maori learners and the non-Maori learners in terms of culture, learning styles and learning needs. The lack of educational achievement of the Maori learners in the colonial education system is issue that can be solved only if Maori learning needs are fulfilled by the authorities.

In many instances the Maori students are treated differently in the colonial type of schools in a negative way. The standards of these schools are based on the European schooling systems as when the people from Europe immigrated to New Zealand they thought their culture to be superior than that of the Maoris. The educational disparities affect the community from the view of outsiders. Including a maori curriculum content will help achieve a balance in the survival of the culture and fulfilling the educational needs of the community. Culturally responsive teaching brings motivation for the students and increases the achievement of the student as the teacher emphasizes on the history, literature and cultural heritage of the students of the community. The Maori culture allows for education from the elders. The parents and grandparents are the first teachers and children learned through folk-lore, prayers, traditions, legends, whakapapa (genealogical connections) and their relationship nature such as land, sea, rivers, mountains, forests and birds (Pihama et al, 2004) while the colonial system of education is dependent on books and assessments.

The relation of the theme ‘education’ on the social and cultural diversity and change in today’s society

Education systems are moving towards universalistic orientation where the cultural minority values are pressed against the mainstream cultural patterns (Barnhardt, 1981). This has resulted in an education system with reduced cultural and social diversity. One main reason is the difficulty of indigenous communities all over the world to adapt to the new changes in the social system with far less cultural diversity. In countries such as Australia and New Zealand there is a huge disparity between the life expectancy, health, rates of employment and imprisonment of the Indigenous and non-indigenous people (Malin & Maidment, 2003). There is a need to design an educational curriculum that is linguistically and culturally appropriate to the learning needs of the Indigenous people. In the Maori community, art has been used to conceive ideas and it is an invaluable component of the culture. The colonial system of education uses the English language to convey and conceive ideas in the school system it has led to the decline of the Maori language and the Maori arts (Teareo, 2002).

The medium of instruction is the dominant language which is English. The Maoris learn English at the cost of their mother tongue. The process of learning a dominant language at the cost of the mother tongue is called subtractive education (Magga et al, 2004). This makes the youth shift to the dominant group linguistically and culturally. The use of the mother tongue along with the majority language is essential. When the mother tongue is given importance the linguistic diversity of the world will not disappear as many spoken languages are likely to extinct or endangered (Magga et al, 2004). The centrality of the cash economy along with the formal education provision of the states causes the gradual sideline of the arts and culture of the society.

Importance of the theme ‘education’ in relation to my values, beliefs and identity and the issues that need to addressed by today’s society

Learning is an essential process in the life of the individual but each person learns in a different way, at a different time and at a different pace. Knowledge is vital in economic, political as well as spiritual sustainability of a person. Knowledge benefits the individual, community, country and the economy but the teaching should be informal, open and inclusive of the values and cultures of the individual. I understand that many children learn by doing rather than reading and they require adults to pass on ideas and spend time teaching them with materials and resources. I believe the current colonial system of education gives enough book knowledge but when the students take it to the field they face many practical difficulties.

Children learn through observing and according to Maori tradition that learning from the surroundings include learning from formal social gatherings and ‘adult conversations’.  Formal speeches, discussions, meeting places and homes were all ways to learn for the Maori children. But this system of education I believe encourages children who are keenly interested on the subject whereas the colonial system of education or the compulsory learning provides a chance for everyone to learn in the classrooms. It is important to me that every child is given a chance to complete formal education as this will help them refine their thoughts and help them understand science and mathematics better. Education does not stop at school and it is a lifelong process and everyone keeps learning.

The dominant culture is usually the culture of the state schooling system but efforts have been taken by the government to include Maori aspects of education in the school system. Students who leave early are likely to face hardship in finding and retaining jobs and do not have the chances of learning opportunities later in life. I think the trend in Maori students leaving will reduce if the system meets the needs of Maori students. I believe that high quality teaching is required for successful outcome of Maori student presence, engagement and achievement.

The theme of education applied in International Studies and the differences in the application of the theme education in other disciplines

International studies is a discipline that examines different political, economic, social and cultural issues in an international context. The theme of education in society in international studies is examined in relation to the intercultural competence that students need to learn in the modern globalized society. Education in international studies discipline is about making schools to incorporate different cultural traditions in countries so that student gains the skills, knowledge and attitude to work in an integrated global environment without miscommunication and misunderstanding. ‘Education in society’ in international studies is about understanding the education needs and issues in the international context. Developing a system that enable students to develop the skills to live and work in the integrated, intercultural global environment is the current demand of education.

The theme of education can be examined differently in other disciplines such as social sciences and economics. Social science is another discipline that examines education as the human aspects of the world especially human behavior (Backhouse and Fontaine, 2010). In social sciences the theme of education encompasses the teaching and learning of specific skills to develop human behavior and is examined in relation to the passing of cultural values from one generation to another. Education in social sciences not only relate to the education provided in school but also the education people gain from their family and peers. In economic, education in society may be examined in relation to its influence on the monthly income of family and the relation of education to the migration opportunities for skilled professionals.

  

Conclusion

The current lack of education of the Maoris is blamed on the students, families, socioeconomic status and government policies (Sheriff, 2010). The colonial system of education promotes the individualistic aspect with individual competition and individual attainment but the collectivistic Maori community performs well in sharing, co-operating, supporting and team work. Incorporation the Maori aspects of education along with group learning activities in the schools will have a positive impact on the educational experiences and life of Maori students. This discussion on education in society narrows down to considering the cultural and minority values which were one used for education along with the modern mainstream education system. Ignoring the cultural and social values of a community allows to improve the educational performance of indigenous communities.

References

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Backhouse, R. & Fontaine, P. (2010). The history of the social sciences since 1945. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

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Irwin, K. (1992). Maori Education in 1991: A Review and Discussion. New Zealand Annual Review Of Education, 1, 77-122.

Magga, O., Nicolaisen, I., Trask, M., Skutnabb-Kangas, T., & Dunbar, R. (2004). Indigenous Children’s Education and Indigenous Languages. United Nations Permanent Forum On Indigenous Issues.

Malin, M. & Maidment, D. (2003). Education, Indigenous Survival And Well-Being: Emerging Ideas And Programs. The Australian Journal Of Indigenous Education, 32, 85-100.

Pihama, L., Smith, K., Taki, M., & Lee, J. (2004). A Literature Review On Kaupapa Maori And Maori Education Pedagogy. The International Research Institute For Maori And Indigenous Educatio, Prepared for ITP New Zealand.

Sheriff, J. (2010). Investigating Factors Influencing the Retention of Maori Students within Secondary Education in Aotearoa-New Zealand (Master of Educational Leadership and Management). Unitec Institute of Technology New Zealand.

Teaero, T. (2002). The Role Of Indigenous Art, Culture And Knowledge In The Art Education Curricula At The Primary School Level. United Nations Educational, Scientific And Cultural Organisation Regional Conference On Arts Education In The Pacific.

UN,. (2014). Thematic Paper on Education and Indigenous Peoples: Priorities for Inclusive Education. Retrieved 5 June 2016, from http://www.un.org/en/ga/president/68/pdf/wcip/IASG%20Thematic%20Paper_%20Education%20-%20rev1.pdf