The value and
importance placed on a good education is significant by any standards within
Australia. Though to take a student’s perspective may show that the personal
value of education is held back by the commonplace nature of Australian
education. Too often, a fair and easily accessible education within Australian
cities is taken for granted. To see this in action, all I need to do is look
back on my own education. If you asked
most of my classmates what their favourite part of the school year was, they
would say ‘school holidays’. The last day of term would see a student
attendance so low that very little school work could be completed. Most students accepted the fact that school was merely 'a part of life'.
To contrast this view, I will discuss a personal experience of a trip overseas. When I visited Kenya and volunteered in a high school for a short period of time, the contrast to my own high school experience was stark. These students told me how lucky they are to be in school, even if that school had buildings falling apart and dirt floors. When these students showed me their workbooks, they turned the pages with such care and pride. These students have been raised in an environment where their parents never had these opportunities. They appreciate education and are fully aware of the benefits it will have on bettering their own life, but also the lives of all those living in the same community. They fully recognise the economic value of education and help each other to achieve success.
These students use a collectivist view of education. (Rosenberg, Westling, & McLeskey, 2008: p 63-64). Their culture has raised them in such a way that they support each other to achieve to their full potential and better their lives which co-exist within the wider community. They are respectful of teachers, and share all property within the classroom. This was so clearly evident in seeing the way students would behave and how their class teacher was revered.
In contrast to this is the widely accepted view on Australian education. The individualist perspective shows how students work to achieve their own results and very rarely offer peer assistance. (Rosenberg, Westling, & McLeskey, 2008). This view is clearly seen when analysing the National Assessment Program- Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN). School results are collaborated and ranked against other schools, the key to this ranking is competition, between students and schools, clearly an individualist perspective. The media and experts will analyse the results, compare and contrast schools and try to explain school difference and competition. (Job, 2013). While neither perspective, individualist nor collectivist, is necessarily the “right” one, I merely want to observe the difference in cultural upbringing and the appreciation of education as the key to success.
To contrast this view, I will discuss a personal experience of a trip overseas. When I visited Kenya and volunteered in a high school for a short period of time, the contrast to my own high school experience was stark. These students told me how lucky they are to be in school, even if that school had buildings falling apart and dirt floors. When these students showed me their workbooks, they turned the pages with such care and pride. These students have been raised in an environment where their parents never had these opportunities. They appreciate education and are fully aware of the benefits it will have on bettering their own life, but also the lives of all those living in the same community. They fully recognise the economic value of education and help each other to achieve success.
These students use a collectivist view of education. (Rosenberg, Westling, & McLeskey, 2008: p 63-64). Their culture has raised them in such a way that they support each other to achieve to their full potential and better their lives which co-exist within the wider community. They are respectful of teachers, and share all property within the classroom. This was so clearly evident in seeing the way students would behave and how their class teacher was revered.
In contrast to this is the widely accepted view on Australian education. The individualist perspective shows how students work to achieve their own results and very rarely offer peer assistance. (Rosenberg, Westling, & McLeskey, 2008). This view is clearly seen when analysing the National Assessment Program- Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN). School results are collaborated and ranked against other schools, the key to this ranking is competition, between students and schools, clearly an individualist perspective. The media and experts will analyse the results, compare and contrast schools and try to explain school difference and competition. (Job, 2013). While neither perspective, individualist nor collectivist, is necessarily the “right” one, I merely want to observe the difference in cultural upbringing and the appreciation of education as the key to success.
References:
Job, P. (2013, May 15). NAPLAN is driving our students
backwards. The Age.
Rosenberg, M., Westling, D., & McLeskey, J. (2008). Special
Education for Today's Teachers: An Introduction. Pearson.
Posted by Emily Mitchell
Posted by Emily Mitchell
No comments:
Post a Comment