Education as Preparation for Life: Meaning, Purpose, and Progressive Approaches

Education is often viewed as a stepping stone to future success-a tool to prepare us for the challenges and responsibilities of adult life. However, this view oversimplifies the profound impact of learning. Education isn't confined to the walls of a classroom or the years spent earning degrees. It's an ongoing journey that starts from the moment we are born and continues throughout our lives. We learn across the whole arc of our lives in both formal and informal ways. Whether we are learning new skills at work, exploring different cultures while traveling, or simply navigating everyday challenges, we are constantly educating ourselves. This broader view of education acknowledges that life itself is a classroom. We learn through curiosity, mistakes, and even failures. Understanding that education is life itself shifts the focus from external achievements to personal growth.

The Transformative Power of Higher Education

Higher education, indeed, any formal degree program, is a particular and privileged moment in a lifetime of learning. In 2015, June 6th was set aside to celebrate the value that it brings to people and communities and to advocate for its accessibility for all. Higher education can be transformative. It provides the space and structure to transform experience into deeper wisdom with discipline and intellectual rigor. Dewey also wrote, “We do not learn from experience - we learn from reflection on experience." So, while the School of Life (or Hard Knocks) might provide a good grist for the mill.

Education as Empowerment

Higher education can be empowering. To this end, higher ed isn’t just about “getting a job” - it’s about cultivating a curious mind, fostering critical thinking skills, and embracing a lifelong pursuit of knowledge - qualities that scaffold the capacity to live hopefully and meaningfully in a world marked by deep transition and big problems. Dewey’s philosophy underscores the notion that education is not merely a means to an end but rather a continuous journey of exploration and discovery.

Connection and Community in Education

Higher education can, at its best, foster a sense of connection and community. Granted, Dewey had his issues with organized religion. Nonetheless, he underscored the crucial role of shared values and the necessity of an educated populace for an equitable society to be possible. Yes, learning might be a lifetime’s work, but the deep value of time set aside to engage in focused learning is undeniable.

The Historical Perspective on Education's Purpose

An acquaintance with the history of educational theory shows that there have been two explanations of the purpose and nature of education. One of these ideas is the social idea. Indeed, John Dewey said more than a 100 years ago that education is a process of living, and not a preparation for the future living. Yet, now, education goals are almost purely based on “preparing” students for a global economy, and with the skills that will enable them to be “workers” in this economy.

In 2007, a Carnegie Foundation commission of distinguished researchers and public and private leaders concluded that “the nation’s capacity to innovate for economic growth and the ability of American workers to thrive in the modern workforce depend on a broad foundation of math and science learning, as do our hopes for preserving a vibrant democracy and the promise of social mobility that lie at the heart of the American dream”. Education for all is predicated on the unknown skills and abilities that will be needed in the future. In fact, we have a long history of basing K-12 education on what we think students will need to be worker bees once they are adults.

Challenging the Conservative Framework

We need to think about education using another framework than the conservative (Republicans and Democrats, by the way) framework upon which contemporary education is based. In order to make America more competitive, and have the right preparation for future “unknown” professions we accept experts’ opinions on what content should be learned by all students. Then we design tests that will measure whether students have learned this content. Using primarily bubble-in type questions, we claim that we can measure student achievement. Presumably, if achievement scores soar, so will our competitive edge, the stock market, the Gross Domestic Product, and overall literacy of society.

Economic competitiveness is not dependent on a singular and very simple variable as student achievement scores. When the economy tanked in 2007, academic scores of American students were continuing to rise (as they have for years). Iris Rotberg concludes that continuing to use student test scores is not a valid argument to understand a nation’s competitiveness. A nation’s competitiveness is too complicated, and affected more so by other variables as identified above. This is a very important conclusion.

The Progressive Alternative: Education as a Process of Living

Education needs to be public and local, and not privatized and national. Education should be a process of living, as Dewey said, and not a preparation for future living. The alternative to the conservative view is in George Lakoff’s theory of the “nation-as-family” conceptual metaphor. In Lakoff’s research he has shown that this conceptual metaphor produces two very different models of families: a “strict father” family and a “nurturing parent” family. In his view this creates two fundamentally different ideologies about how the nation should be governed.

In the progressive family, boundaries are set but in the context of building a caring environment with emphasis on building strong, open relationships. According to Lakoff, children develop best through positive relationships with others. There is a direct connection between the nation-as-family conceptual metaphor and the nurturing family which leads to key principles that emerge from progressive values.

Principles of Progressive Morality

From Lakoff’s theory of nation-as-family conceptual metaphor, these four principles establish the context for progressive morality.

The Diversity Principle-Empathy involves identifying with and connecting socially and emotionally with all people regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation.

The progressive view of education based on Lakoff’s theory lead to a school environment that is rooted locally, and for all practical purposes is child-centered, and not content centered.

The Progressive Education Movement

Progressive education provided an alternative approach to traditional school. It emerged at the end of the 19th Century and reached its peak in the 1930s. Influenced by the writings of John Dewey, and other theorists, progressivism promoted the idea that students should be encouraged to be creative and independent thinkers allowed to act upon their interests. Progressive educational programs were learner-centered, and encouraged intellectual participation in all spheres of life.

Dewey suggested that the Progressive Education Movement appealed to many educators because it was more closely aligned with America’s democratic ideals. One may safely assume, I suppose, that one thing which has recommended the progressive movement is that it seems more in accord with the democratic ideal to which our people is committed than do the procedures of the traditional school, since the latter have so much of the autocratic about them. Another thing which has contributed to its favorable reception is that its methods are humane in comparison with the harshness so often attending the policies of the traditional school.

In 1896, the laboratory school of the University of Chicago opened it doors under the directorship of Professor John Dewey. It is still open. Dewey’s idea was to create an environment for social and pedagogical experimentation. The school was learner-centered, and the curriculum was organized as an interdisciplinary approach to education. Teachers designed activities based on a theory of growth stages, and the activities engaged students in self-development and mutual respect. Dewey advocated the idea that thinking was an active process involving experimentation and problem solving.

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Two aspects of the Progressive Education Movement that impacted all of education were the movement’s notion of the child-centered curriculum, and the project method. Both of these ideas exist today, and have been given different degrees of emphasis. For example, in the late 1960s and 1970s, the child-centered curriculum was represented in theHumanistic Education movement (sometimes known as affective education). The child or student-centered approach is a major paradigm implying beliefs about the nature of learning, the goals of education, and the organization of the curriculum. The progressive education movement represents the earliest efforts to advocate a student-interest-centered instruction. John Dewey in particular wrote extensively of his work in the Chicago school to reconcile the dualism between traditional and progressive education.

Student-centered education does NOT mean the end of standards, but it begins with the notion that standards will be locally selected by professional educators who know best the foundations upon which their profession rests, but also understand child development and cognitive science to make the decisions that any other professional would make such as medical doctors and lawyers.

The progressive education movement sparked the development of a number of experimental schools,which embodied the philosophy of the progressive educators. Teaching in the progressive schools was an opportunity to involve students directly with nature, hands-on experiences with real phenomena, and to relate learning to not only the emotional and physical well-being of the child, but to the curriculum as a whole.

The progressive teacher is an educator that Lakoff would describe as having an educational philosophy similar to progressive political world-view. The progressive teacher is seen as the authority in the classroom, but does not act on authoritarian principles. In a classroom led by a progressive teacher, the teacher is a nurturing parent. Students in the progressive classroom are analogous to children in a nurturing family, and they would be respected, nurtured, and encouraged to communicate with peers and the teacher from day one. Progressive educators would be research oriented.

Freire’s Critique: The Banking Concept of Education

In Paulo Freire’s essay “The Banking Concept of Education,” he discusses the flaws he has seen in the education system. Specifically he argues that in most education systems the students are just empty receptacles being filled by their teachers, there is no dialog between the teacher and students. Freire thinks that in education learning should not be a one way thing, there should be a dialog going on between the teacher and students. Another big point Freire emphasizes in his essay is active learning, so that everyone is learning and participating.

Freire shifts his focus to talk about the current consciousness state of the students. The consciousness of the students is the key to keeping them oppressed, by being able to change their consciousness it makes the students easier to control.

Freire's Alternative: Problem-Posing Education

In Freire’s essay he proposes a new way of learning/a new concept of learning called the “problem posing concept.” Freire was a proponent of the problem-posing method of teaching. This method relies on one 's metacognitive awareness. It is important for the student to know where they are in their understanding of the material. Further, this method of teaching encourages self-reflection in that a student thinks of how they are thinking. The problem-posing method encourages critical thinking whereas the banking concept does not.

When you think of a typical day in any classroom, you probably imagine students sitting in a desk taking notes with the teacher talking non stop. It’s like our minds are empty and it’s up to the teacher to fill us up with the required information for the course. The next day and the day after that, it’s the same process over and over again. I just explained the banking system which Freire describes as the flaws in the teaching-learning space for students and teachers. In his book he states, “the teacher talks about reality as if it were motionless, static, compartmentalized, and predictable”. This in return causes students to have a lack of creativity and not understanding the significance of what’s being taught. He turns this around by bringing up a new problem-posing education which emphasizes a better atmosphere in a classroom by asking questions, being open minded, and keeping a mindset for

The Importance of Active Learning and Dialogue

Paolo Freire thinks, “Learning is a process where knowledge is presented to us, then shaped through understanding, discussion and reflection”. I think education should provide a link for the students to analyse and develop their personal experiences and help them to view these under a new light. Education needs to be a “liberating” process by which the learner develops a critical analysis to learning.

Essentialism

Essentialism is one of the key concept focuses in school system first following the standard curriculum is important to implement on the journey for higher learning if it is achieved than the success rate will be greater. Teachers are designed to obtain knowledge from attending college, workshops and other resources by learning from these

Students are not the same

But not every student is the same. Some students may find it easier to use the “banking” concept for their way of learning. It all depends on which learning environment the student is more comfortable in. Also, I believe that it depends on which type of class the student is taking. From my experiences, I have noticed that both methods have worked for retaining the necessary knowledge, but each method is best used for different subjects. For more of the memorization type classes, like math and history, I would learn more from the banking concept because those classes are mostly about remembering and memorizing certain formulas and dates in history. Any other way of remembering those math formulas and history dates wouldn’t be as effective. Even as young children we would learn the alphabet and words through memorization. At that young age the children are not mature enough to go through learning by the problem-posing method, they need to use the banking concept. But as for the subjects like the physical sciences, students would benefit more from the problem-posing method. Being involved and actually experiencing how the sciences work is much more beneficial than being lectured on the information.

Education and Personal Growth

In traditional educational models, there’s often a focus on grades, degrees, and certificates, all seen as gateways to career success. True education, in this sense, cultivates critical thinking, empathy, emotional intelligence, and the ability to engage with the world in meaningful ways. It teaches us how to question, reflect, and evolve. Some of the most profound lessons in life happen outside of formal education. Consider the first time you solved a real-world problem, navigated a difficult conversation, or pursued a passion that had nothing to do with your career. For example, learning how to manage stress, balance priorities, or resolve conflicts are key life skills often learned through experience. This type of education is continuous and woven into the fabric of everyday life.

Adapting to a Rapidly Evolving World

In today’s rapidly evolving world, the boundaries of education have expanded. Traditional education can’t keep pace with the speed of technological and societal changes. The real value lies in developing the ability to learn and relearn. This mindset allows us to adapt and respond to the unknown, giving us the tools to thrive no matter what life throws our way.

Embracing Life as Education

When we accept that education is life itself, we open ourselves up to infinite possibilities. It means that every experience-whether a triumph or a setback-is an opportunity to learn and grow.

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