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Jan 9, 2024

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Production Topic: What makes a good education in contemporary Western society? Stock intro: A good education can be made up of many components. First, it seems important to narrow down the kind of education to critique—and education is really a large spectrum. Education exists on the spectrum of time, age, prupose, with a focus on higher education. That does require one to look throughout history and understand the purposes higher education throughout time, and how higher learning institutions have changed. Indeed, tremendous changes have occurred in the way we live compared to only a decade ago. Education in North America is currently at the head of a large debate about the fundamental need for liberal arts education, and whether it can provide the technical skills graduates need to find a career after completing post-secondary education. All these changes mean that it is important to begin thinking about what a good education looks like today. This essay analyzes the two major branches of higher education, liberal arts and vocational education and the different ways each paradigm approaches learning, and the content that is learned. These methods are known as passive and active learning. Indeed, the most important part of a higher education is to develop technical skills that will prepare a student to interact in the remarkably diverse marketplace, as well as preserving the essence of liberal arts education, and the beauty of learning for the sake of learning. Outline Sentence #1: What are the traditional learning paradigms in the West? The liberal arts education is the traditional academic paradigm in Western higher education (Deresiewicz, 2015), and higher education is as old as the United States itself (History of a Liberal Arts Education, 2019). However, western learning paradigms have undergone some major changes since Harvard was founded in 1636. During the 1800s, advances in science and technology were not reflected in traditional institutions. Because of this, debates arose about expanding the liberal arts education to account for a broader curriculum (History of a Liberal Arts Education, 2019). In the mid-19 th century, a new education paradigm took over and its primary focus was on the research university. Research universities refuted the mission of traditional liberal arts paradigms and many institutions that were once considered liberal arts institutions have switched their teaching method to accept the new paradigm (History of a Liberal Arts Education, 2019). Outline Sentence #2: What is a liberal arts education? The pursuit of liberal arts are those disciplines in which the desire to acquire knowledge is conducted for its own sake (Deresiewicz, 2015). In the traditional sense, studies in liberal arts reflect the skills needed for civic duty such as grammar, rhetoric and logic (History of a Liberal

Arts Education, 2019). The ultimate purpose of a liberal arts education is to learn to reflect in the deepest sense, beyond the requirements of career goals, and to build a sense of self that is creative and free. Additionally, the liberal arts relate to humanistic knowledge, which focus on the problems, experiences, and questions of being human. The liberal arts learning paradigm stands in contrast to vocational fields like education, business, nursing and law, and usually truth is the major canon (Deresiewicz, 2015). Outline Sentence #3: What is a vocational/professional education? A vocational education can also be referred to as a professional or applied education. For about 150 years, the vocational education has been an important element of post-secondary education in North America (Burns & Natale, 2020). This type of education provides training for an occupation in the trades, industry, or agriculture and is often provided through a combination of practical and theoretical learning experiences (Merriam-Webster, 2020). Often, it is a distinct sector of education that is separate from university requirements. Historically, vocational educations are often regarded as a tertiary education for those with poor outcomes from school, or are unable to acquire higher forms of education (Billett, 2011). Vocational educations encompass diverse purposes. However, a central purpose of the vocational education is to prepare and initiate students for working life by teaching about the selection of an occupation and its required skills (Billett, 2011). Outline Sentence #4: What are the benefits and disadvantages of a liberal arts education? The core framework of the liberal arts is critical evaluation, and synthesis of cross-curricular ideas (Sigelman, 2016). Indeed, graduates from liberal arts programs receive a lot of interest from potential employers because they develop foundational skills including writing, research, analysis and creativity (Sigelman, 2016). In addition, students become informed about the complexity and diversity of the world and learn how to become an engaged citizen. However, if the main goal after graduation is to pursue a career—as it is for many—then they may lack specific technical skills often not often offered when pursuing a major in the arts and social sciences (Burns & Natale, 2020). Unfortunately, access to a liberal arts education in North America has become inaccessible for many because it has become so expensive, and employment can be precarious. Moreover, individuals choosing a higher education in North America are forced to weigh the problem of cost vs job-related outcomes (Burns & Natale, 2020). These problems are not optimistic of a good education. Outline Sentence #5: What are the benefits and disadvantages of a vocational education? One might wonder if a vocational education would solve the concerns of a liberal arts education. The growth in vocational education is part of a worker-centered approach to learning. Given its importance, the curriculum tends to neglect important aspects of learning that develop broad general abilities like emotional intelligence, empathy, problem solving and creativity (Burns & Natale, 2020). It is also a concern that vocational students are so involved in their pursuit to be better workers, that they may not as strongly develop other facets of their lives like the capacity to be engaged toward working toward the common good (Burns & Natale, 2020).

Outline Sentence #6: In the current educational climate, which education is the good? L.A vs V.E Given all that has been outlined about liberal arts vocational education paradigms, one might be left wondering which would make a good education. The simplest answer is both. Over the last decade, there have been several debates about whether students should pursue liberal arts, or if they should consider vocational majors. The problem seems to lie in that liberal arts and technically oriented vocational programs are worlds apart. Burns and Natale (2020) describe this conundrum by positing that a liberal arts education is too general for the outcomes for contemporary education. And a vocational education is too setting-specific to apply its values outside of the workplace. Perhaps the debate about whether one can attain a fulfilling career as well as acquiring knowledge for its own sake can be achieved in the same program (Sigelman, 2016). However, the educational curriculum is doing student’s a disservice by forcing them to choose one or the other. There has been increasing recognition among educators that education should produce both soft skills, and those that are based in content-based knowledge (Burns & Natale, 2020). Indeed, abandoning the American liberal arts history could increase already widening gaps in skills like writing and critical thinking (Sigelman, 2016). Outline Sentence #7: What are learning pedagogies? In addition to educational paradigms, one might ask what effective and appropriate pedagogies produce a good education. Several strategies may be employed in the classroom to facilitate effective learning, but it can depend on several factors like diverse needs of learners, subject matter, and the classroom context (Lynne Lane et al., 2012). The term pedagogy refers to the nature of interactions between students, teachers as well as the learning environment and tasks. If effective pedagogy is employed in a learning environment, then there are increases in academic achievement. For example, effective pedagogy can result in social and emotional development, and acquisition of technical skills. Two of the most common forms of learning pedagogies are passive learning and active learning. Outline Sentence #8: What is passive learning? The most frequently employed classroom pedagogy in higher education is typically passive learning and is sometimes referred to as teacher-centred pedagogy(Berlinerblau, 2017). This teaching format places the professor at the centre of the learning process and students passively listen to a lecture and internalize it through memorization (Lynne Lane et al., 2012). For decades university instructors in Europe and North America utilized this method. It is common for knowledge to be imparted to students through information transfer, or as Berlinblau (2017) puts it: “ceaseless professorial monologues” (pg. 157). This method typically results in learners receiving little to no feedback from the instructor (Michel et al., 2009). Recent educational research within the last few decades, however, has begun to investigate the effects of different learning paradigms on student cognitive outcomes.

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Outline Sentence #9: What is active learning? A pedagogy that is beginning to take heed in higher education is active learning. Active learning is defined as a student-centered approach (Lynne Lane et al., 2012). This model of learning is supported by facilitation whereby the instructor is required to ask questions and encourage discussion (Meylan, 2020). In this way, students engage in a participatory role in the classroom. Active learning is a broad and inclusive term that describes many models of self-directed learning (Michel et al., 2009). However, most educational researchers agree that active learning connotes an instructional method that requires students to engage in meaningful learning activities, and think about what they are doing (Berlinerblau, 2017). Practices commonly used in active teaching paradigms include blocks short writing exercises, the use of survey instruments, facilitating small-group discussion, and student self-assessment exercises (Michel et al., 2009). Outline Sentence #10: What are some pros and cons for passive learning? As with all learning pedagogies, there are several pros and cons for passive learning. Teaching course material passively is a strong method because it allows for structured and methodical presentation of course material which increases a teacher’s control over the course delivery. Also, students can parse information at their own rate and engage in the material when they feel ready. On the other hand, it is common for students to feel disengaged, and bored because course material can feel unrelatable and one-dimensional (Meylan, 2020). If boredom does occur, students may feel tempted to use their smart devices instead of focusing on lecture material. Additionally, students may not develop critical thinking skills and passively receive information with no contrasting thoughts or ideas. Therefore, there are less opportunities for students to voice concerns, misunderstandings, and their own vibrant and lively opinions (Meylan, 2020). Outline Sentence #11: What are some pros and cons for active learning? Academic researchers have proposed that active listening provides more student engagement, and results in self-reflection, critical thinking, and better problem solving abilities (Meylan, 2020) Typically, student’s motivation increases, and immediate instructor feedback can be a rewarding stimulus. Higher-order thinking skills are also more likely to be shaped by active learning through analysis, synthesis, and evaluation of course material (Michel et al., 2009). In contrast, active learning methods can also have drawbacks. A common challenge is conveying large information at once and teachers may have less control over the delivery of lesson content. In addition, introverted students who do not like to engage in large group settings may feel uncomfortable due to the nature of the exposed learning environment (Meylan, 2020). Outline Sentence #12: Which learning paradigm provides a good education? That leaves the big question: which learning approach is likely to provide a good education? It is likely that both pedagogies provide a good education, but it might be worthwhile to find out which is best suited to higher level education. Scientific findings provide inconclusive results about which is method is best, others posit that the active method is superior to passive learning

models (Berlinerblau, 2017). Interestingly, measures in educational research determining learning effectiveness indicate that emotional reactions (i.e., student satisfaction) should not be used as an indicator of learning. A study by Michel et al. (2009) found that there were higher cognitive outcomes for students in active learning environments compared to passive teaching approaches; a finding that is common throughout educational research. However, the same researchers expressed that high attrition rates in first year classes may make active learning approaches less viable. Ergo, it seems that the costs and benefits must be weighed on an individual basis keeping in mind the unique characteristics of the learning environment. Outline Sentence #13: Conclusion In essence, what makes a good education is a centuries long debate. Students who pursue higher learning in the early 21 st century are usually looking for careers after they graduate from their program. However, a major in the humanities at a liberal arts institution may not be suitable for providing on the job skills to find employment after graduation. Furthermore, the quality learning is fundamentally shaped by the pedagogies professors choose when delivering the course curriculum. Moreover, academic advising services may have provided short sighted guidance; providing advice about requirements to finish a degree instead of hard skills that may be required to meaningful work after graduation. On the other hand, many students who choose vocational educations receive the hard skills required to succeed in their desired profession. Unfortunately, however, hiring managers may not believe that candidates without a liberal arts education possess the important reading, writing, critical thinking, and synthesizing skills required for the job. Furthermore, due to the rapid speed in which technology is changing, vocational education certificates may be obsolete within years of completing the program. Therefore, graduates may be learning skills which will not be required of them within the first few years of their career. A good education is unequivocally related to the career outcome of the individual; to give students the best chance to succeed, their education must prepare them for the needs of the demands of the 21 st century.

References Berlinerblau, J. (2017). Campus Confidential: How College Works, Or Doesn’t, for Professors, Parents, and Students . First Melville House Printing. Billett, S. (2011). Vocational education: Purposes, traditions and prospects . Springer Science & Business Media. Burns, C. J., & Natale, S. M. (2020). Liberal and vocational education: The Gordian encounter. Education + Training , 62 (9), 1087–1099. https://doi.org/10.1108/ET-03-2020-0064 Deresiewicz, W. (2015). Excellent sheep: The miseducation of the American elite and the way to a meaningful life . Simon and Schuster. History of a Liberal Arts Education. (2019, October 11). Liberal Arts School Review . http://www.liberalartscollegereview.com/articles/11 Lynne Lane, K., Carter, E. W., Common, E., & Jordan, A. (2012). Teacher Expectations for Student Performance: Lessons Learned and Implications for Research and Practice. In B. G. Cook, M. Tankersley, & T. J. Landrum (Eds.), Advances in Learning and Behavioral Disabilities (Vol. 25, pp. 95–129). Emerald Group Publishing Limited. https://doi.org/10.1108/S0735-004X(2012)0000025008 Merriam-Webster. (2020). Definition of Vocational Education. https://www.merriam- webster.com/dictionary/vocational+education Meylan, C. (2020). From passive to active learning: Pros, cons and six strategies . https://hospitalityinsights.ehl.edu/passive-active-learning Michel, N., Cater, J. J., & Varela, O. (2009). Active versus passive teaching styles: An empirical study of student learning outcomes. Human Resource Development Quarterly , 20 (4), 397–418. https://doi.org/10.1002/hrdq.20025

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Sigelman, M. (2016, February 8). The debate over the liberal arts vs. Vocationalism is a lazy one . https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2016/02/08/debate-over-liberal-arts-vs- vocationalism-lazy-one-essay

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