Importance of Education in Modern Society as a Tool for Change - Essay Example

Importance of Education in Modern Society as a tool for change Student Name: Professor’s Name: Date: Nelson Mandela the late and former president of South Africa once said that 'Education is the most powerful weapon which can be used to change the world'. I am in agreement with his contention and support the fact that education is a tool that can be used to revolutionize the world. It is hard to imagine how the world could be if there was no education. Many things could not have been possible. Unnecessary deaths due to preventable and treatable illnesses could have been a common scene. Education has enhanced the innovation spirit which has made living easy. Nation building is impossible without education. It is a tool for nation building because it involves the transfer of knowledge, values and skills. Education system has greatly influenced industrialization and at the same time industrialization has influenced the growth of education. At the start of 19th century, few people were educated and the industrializing economy demanded for educated people who had special training (Collins, 1971). From then, employers started demanding for educated people even for the unskilled jobs (Collins, 1971). Findings from a survey that was done by Collins (1969) in 1967 indicated that 38% of establishments in Oakland, San Francisco and San Jose preferred managers with college education and 17% of them preferred unskilled workers with at least a high school diploma. Educational requirements for employment have continuously increased since early 19th century. The subject of importance of education has received considerable attention and this debate started in the past few decades. One of the major theorists who contributed immensely towards the understanding of child development and educational psychology is Lev Vigotsky. His contributions were influenced to some extent by marxist thinking. Although he had a short life span, he made huge contributions which are still important in modern educational psychology. According to him, every child learn in a distinctive way. Therefore, acquisition of skills and knowledge varies from one individual to another. He views education as an important tool for generating and leading development and it is the result of social learning. Social interaction plays a key role in child's development and learning. He argues that learning occurs in two levels; social level and individual level (Vygotsky, 1978: 86). Additionally, according to him past experiences and knowledge help in bringing sense to new experiences (Preston & Robert, 1993). Therefore newly acquired skills are influenced by the environment. He further argues that language is important in making information meaningful and it helps in linking new experiences and the past experiences. Language plays a key role in cognitive development of a child. New skills are conveyed to a child through language and complex skills are communicated to a child through language. Vigotsky further emphasized on the importance of experiential learning. Therefore education system according to him should strive to make learners utilize their critical thinking. Experience is a basis for behaviours of different people (Robert, 1992). With regards to whether humans are born with intellectual abilities, Vigotsky argues that nobody is born intelligent but rather it is a creation of the interaction with the environment. Human beings become acquire knowledge through social interactions and they adapt to the environment depending on how they interpret it (Fosnot, 1996). In a bid to differentiate animals and humans, Vigotsky asserts that animals only respond to the environment while human beings have the ability to change the environment for their functions. This is the only distinctive feature that separates humans and animals. Furthermore, he asserts that besides knowledge being acquired through social interactions and environment, humans also become knowledgeable from past experiences. Mistakes are therefore a crucial ingredient to acquisition of learning. According to him, mistakes are crucial because they have an effect on the future learning. With regards to learning, Vigotsky argues that learning is an important tool for development and it precedes development. This implies that learning spurs development. His argument contravened Jean Piaget's argument who asserted that development precedes learning. Vygotsky says that "learning is a necessary and universal aspect of the process of developing culturally organized, specifically human psychological functions" (Vygotsky, 1978: 90). It therefore means that through learning, an individual develops his thinking which is important in development. He also emphasized on the importance of a teacher in learning. A teacher is there to provide scaffolding whose initial step is to create interest in the learner. Teachers are therefore supposed to be more knowledgeable than the learners. He also stresses the importance of collaborative teaching where competent learners are put together with less competent learners. Competent learners help in elevating the performance of the less competent ones. Social setting in learning is crucial for cognitive development of learners. Learning among children can be enhanced by use of technology. According to Vygotsky, technological tools help in enhancing learners' thinking and also they can use them in future (Richard & Elizabeth, 1994). In summary, Vygotsky valued education and saw education as an important tool in development of higher order thinking of an individual. Additionally, schooling being social in nature helps in social growth of an individual. He appreciates the fact that changes occur and the only way to adapt to change in through the use of technology. Technology used during instructional process has future benefits. Lev Vygotsky's ideologies can be used to explain the importance of education in modern society. As argued by the late former president of South Africa Nelson Mandela that 'Education is the most powerful weapon which can be used to change the world', it is true that education can be used to transform a society. In contemporary society, economy is the link between education and social structure. A common aspect in the modern world is the changing economy. Education can help in adapting to the changing economy by providing relevant skills. According to Meighan (1981), schools help in counteracting the changing economies by training human resources and at the same time providing a room for research. Schools are places where skills and knowledge are imparted and will be used in adapting to changes. The importance of education in modern society can be seen in industrialized economies where universities have specialized with time. They may not probably function without these universities because they are the centres of research. Advancement in technology has been bolstered by educational research. Conversely, education is necessary for imparting relevant skills corresponding to the advancing technology. Therefore technology and education are dependent on each other. As argued by Vygotsky, technology used in instructional process is helpful in future of the learner and it helps them to develop higher order thinking (Richard & Elizabeth, 1994). Therefore technologies help learners to think faster and better. Besides helping in advancing thinking, education helps in training prospected innovators who can advance knowledge and come up with new ideas (Pârgaru et al., 2009). Innovations and new technologies that emerge because of education help in cost effective production of products and services to the society. Friedman (2008) argues that education helps in improving economic productivity. Moreover, our modern societies are changing to knowledge based and operations cannot be done without technology (Pârgaru et al., 2009). A knowledge based society is one where information is used intensively in all aspects of human activities. Education plays a key role in transforming a society to be knowledge based. The rapid developments in the information and technology sector in the recent past have impacted the world economy by changing models of manufacturing and distribution. Nonetheless, modern technologies have not only impacted the world economy positively but has also had a negative impact. The outcome of technological advancements will depend on how it has been used. Destructive aspect of technology emerges when it falls on the hands of ignorant and illiterate (Sharma, 2015). Although it can be argued that destructive technologies can be initiated by the educated, the positive aspects outweigh the negatives. Moreover, ignorance can worsen the situation. Therefore, technology should be perceived from the positive point of view. The social aspect of education is also important in the contemporary society. Vigotsky argues that education plays a key role in the social development of a learner. Furthermore, learners are influenced by their social environment. It is true that schools are social institutions where people can learn the social values besides skills and knowledge. People are products of the social environment around them. The conduct of an individual in a society majorly depends on his/her social environment. Education provides a platform where culture and values of a society are imparted. In addition to this, education enhances a person to respect others in the society as well as be respected. For instance, when a child goes to school, he or she will learn to respect friends and live peacefully with them. At the same time, education enhances social equity within a society. Vygotsky emphasized on the importance of equality in education and people with disabilities ought to be educated similar to normal people (Vygotsky, 1978). At the same time, all children irrespective of their abilities and backgrounds should study side by side. In contemporary societies, individuals come from different backgrounds. Education does not discriminate individuals based on who they are and where they come from. Children from humble backgrounds and good backgrounds have benefited in equal measure irrespective of their status. The success of an individual through education depends on the learning abilities. Education also enhances gender equity through empowerment. Through empowerment, people can perceive neither of the gender to be superior than the other. At the same time, education provides a platform where both genders can work together towards a common goal. In conclusion, education is a tool of change. Technological advancements are as a result of intensive research. Besides economic benefits, education moulds an individual to become socially acceptable in the society. In addition, the world keeps on changing and it is therefore necessary to adapt to these changes. Education provides a platform where skills and knowledge necessary for future survival are imparted. References Collins, R. (1969). Education and Employment. Berkeley: University of California. Collins, R. (1971). Functional and Conflict Theories of Educational Stratification. American Sociological Review, 36(6): 1002-1019. Fosnot, C. T., (1996). Constructivism: A Psychological Theory of Learning. In C. T. Fosnot (Ed.), Constructivism: Theory, Perspectives, and Practice. New York, NY: Teachers College Press. Friedman, D. (2008). Market, state and education. Liberal Thinking Periodical, 49: 25-38 Meighan, R. (1981). A Sociology of Educating. New York: Continuum International Publishing Group Ltd. Pârgaru, I., Gherghina, R., & Duca, I. (2009). The role of education in the knowledge-based society during the economic crisis. Annales Universitatis Apulensis: Series Oeconomica, 11(2): 646-651. Preston D. F & Robert M. V. (1993). Methods of Teaching: Applying Cognitive Science to Promote Student Learning. New York: McGraw Hill. Richard H. & Elizabeth G. (1994). Learning and Instruction. New York: McGraw-Hill. Robert S. (1992). Educational Psychology. L.S. Vygotsky. Introduced by V.V. Davydov. Florida: St. Lucie Press. Sharma, K. H. (2015). Importance of Moral Values in Modern Era. International Journal of Advancement in Engineering Technology, Management & Applied Science, 2(7): 25- 38. Vygotsky, L.S. (1978). 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