The Learning Society and Learner Identities - Essay Example

Note: If you need anything please just send me a message. Thanks! The Learning Society and Learner Identities 1. Introduction This essay discusses my learning history as well as the factors that shaped my identity as a learner at school. It includes critical decisions I made in returning to formal education and training after so many years. My social status greatly influenced my perception of education, learning, and attitude towards work. It is also the biggest contributing factor that influenced my decision to leave the workforce and be contented with my life as a wife and mother to my wonderful children. My return to formal education is a combination of circumstances which I will discuss in the following sections along with sociological views and theories to support my school and learning experiences. Finally, my future as a learner will discusses using the concept of lifelong learning and other emerging revolutionary learning system. 2. Learning history My learning history may be best described alongside my not so pleasing home background which functionalist influenced old sociology of education labelled the haven of underachievement (Kirby 2000, p.5) – the working class. In other words, I am one of those caught in the social dilemma of class differences, the power of the rich, the lesser interest and needs of the poor and limited access to opportunities in life (Walker & Loughland 2001, p.8). Like many other students who came from the same background, our education is predisposed to our parents’ attitude towards learning. During ________ (please put the appropriate year depending on your age now), getting quality education was a luxury for the family thus there I was barely completing formal education in a state school with no hope of ever attending higher education. I cannot describe how happy my parents were when I landed my first job as ____________ (please put a realistic job here) as if it was my fate or final destination in life. I never heard of VET or TAFE may be because the neighbourhood (mainly consist of welfare recipients and carefree young immigrants) never talk about it. Even so, such educational opportunity at that time was far more complex to think of than finding a job to help the family. My learning history is what David Emile Dukheim and Ernest Burges described as learning what society and internal economy calls for and functionalist misuse of working class ability respectively (Dukheim (1956) and Burgess (1986) cited in Stephens & Leach 1998, p.203). It is an education described by Reay (2010) being affected by widespread reliance on credentials that are based on social status which was entirely motivated by material gains and dominating desires of the elite (p.336) Although I always feel empty during that time particularly when I think of my childhood playing and pretending as a teacher or a doctor, our economic standing and my parents supremacy over my personal decisions prevent me from even visualizing access to higher education. Moreover, this same emptiness sometimes turn into frustration whenever social and class inequalities cross my mind particularly those educational policies that driving us away from higher education and achieving higher status in society (Brym & Lie 2009, p.350) 3. Experiences at school Characteristically, my life at school was filled with question about my place as female student in Australia’s educational system. Although girls were widely viewed as good performers at school than boys, I am still bothered by the notion that my education and achievement, aside from being determined by class (Reay 2010, p.334) is largely governed by disappointingly scarce labour market for women (Chafetz 2006, p.426). The school where I took up _________(please specify your course here) can be generally described as some kind of business selling knowledge that we can use for some work that as far I am concern does not exist. This notion was further strengthen by the fact that my mother is a plain housewife whose main responsibilities in life are to take care of us and do the home cleaning. Honestly, it never occurred to me that women can actually play an importantly role in our society. For instance, working as a _______________ (specify some realistic work here) in a small organisation, women employees were treated like an inferior being subordinate to the will of men who were incidentally taking advantage of female employees most of the time. My situation in this office can be described as gender and workplace related social inequalities where men even with lesser qualifications are given more opportunities in both authority and pay (Godwyn & Gittell 2011, p.511). The inequalities linking non-English speaking background working-class women to widespread racial divisions (Jureidini et al. 2003, p.9). School and learning in my experience is enjoyable most of the time. If there were times I feel weary, it is when I noticed some inadequacies in my performance as a learner. Modesty aside, I think I am excellent in science and in subjects that attract my interest. No, math is not one of them since like many other friends and classmates I know trigonometry and algebra is a game with rules but no clear objectives. However, early in my adult years I realized the importance and relation of these subjects in science which I value most. It could have been a great opportunity to learn if the relationship was explained to me by my overshadowing math teacher who seems so reluctant to give us any opportunity to enquire or speak out our uncertainties of the lessons being taught. During that time, student-centred learning was a strange as talking about Bill Gates or Windows 7, our teacher was very insensitive to participative ways of learning. Most of the time, she will come to the classroom without even looking at us, erase the blackboard, write several paragraphs with her chalk, turn around and with a soft voice she will say “Copy”. The kind of teaching they termed in sociology as traditional transmission model of teaching where teachers ignore the value of give and take and other didactic form of teaching (McClafferty et al 2000, p.276). Similarly, the curriculum was not so learning-friendly either as subjects were being taught as if they were discrete knowledge from different worlds. As in my case, it was too late when I found out the relationship between math and other sciences. My high school years reminds of the sharp distinction placed by our teachers between dull and brilliant students. The equation seem relatively simple; silence=brilliance while questioning = stupidity. During those learning years I already have a feeling that teaching is not a one way street and considering the negative impact of such methods to students from the working class, the curriculum was doing us harm instead of good. One of the reasons probably is the fact that traditional education methodologies which unfortunately were greatly influenced by functionalist view of education during that time and expecting students from the working class to fail (Covington 2008, p.183). As the sociological conflict theory of education suggest, education offered to the sons and daughters of the working class is not really meant for upward mobility but sending them to working class jobs in their adult life (Browne 2011, p.172). The confusion felt by many of us in terms of our education was probably due to the hidden curriculum which according to Chapman (2009) was vetted and stripped of any motivating facts about the inequalities of the capitalist order as evidenced by the highly prescriptive curriculum denying access to economics, politics, and sociology subjects. How the school was organised during that time was suspiciously limited and routine, transmitting confusing messages to working class students about the purpose of their education. More importantly, the way teachers teach and their attitude toward those who questioned their authority drive students into false class-consciousness where they see educational failure as self-inflicted or caused by their working class way of life (p.81). The practice of incorporating children into the social fabric of education, belief, and custom they are in is of course universal but the idea of capitalist-sponsored education is not. Before the Education Act of 1870 was enacted in England for instance, the working-class was enjoying a large network of elementary schools where they learn limited literacy and numeracy. What so interesting about these schools, which incidentally were labelled “dame schools”, is the fact that they were run by a crew of incompetent and semi-literate old women who had no slightest idea what education is all about (Wright 2010, p.285). The lesson that can be learned from this so called “dame schools” is straightforward; capitalist will only give the working class what they think it deserved – no more no less. According Bessant & Watts (2007), the kind of education being provided before was not really for acquiring knowledge and skills but more on controlling the behaviour of the less privileged. Schooling the define culture and social norms for the elites chosen social order. An education that is filled with so much political agenda and only available for those who can afford it. Moreover, a make believed democratic type of education actually surreptitiously designed to promote economic and social prejudice making disadvantaging those that are already deprived of their rightful place in society (p.360). My job as __________ (please type in the job you selected earlier), lasted about 10 years when I decided to get married and settle down with my husband ___________ (his first name). Since then my life became like my mother, staying at home and taking care of our children. Life has been very favourable to us, my husband found a better and high paying job while our bright and loving children are studying in reputable schools. 4. Returning to Formal Education Returning to formal education was never on mind since I am really enjoying my life as a wife and mother. However, life is full of challenges and sometimes out of nowhere crisis will come without warning. Five years ago my husband got sick and was not able to work for months while our spending on his additional (aside from Medicare) medication and children’s education almost exhausted our savings. Although he recovered and the family once again enjoying the comfort of life, the experience made anxious of such crisis happening again. Since then I became conscious of my capacity to work and later decided to use my skills to earn extra income for the family. However, after several rejected job applications I finally realised the fact that nobody will hire an older woman with outdated skills. Even the skills I learned from previous work are no longer applicable as the workplace is no longer the same. In fact, it is so different that I am not even sure where to start. I was about to give up when a friend of mine inadvertently mention something about VET and TAFE where I can get formal qualifications for the current job requirements. After browsing and reading the courses being offered at the TAFE website, I decided to enrol in ______________________ (your course now) believing that it is the best option I have to realise my return to the workforce. My decision was also greatly influenced by my childhood and learning experiences coupled by deeply perceived social inequalities at school and work. Aside from being relevant, accessible, affordable, and flexible TAFE offered the kind of opportunity I cannot resist particularly those knowledge and skills most needed for the job. Moreover, learning that these degree programs were developed along with the industry, the currency and relevance of my skills are ensured. Besides, university education is far expensive and based on what I heard more TAFE graduates are getting the jobs due to their technical hands on training. Although universities seem to offer more courses, they typically have larger class size which I think is not feasible to someone returning to formal education with immediate needs. The environment is kind a large too and I am afraid that they cannot provide personalised student support like TAFE. Moreover, entry requirement s may be excessive and I do not want to experience same teacher treatment when I was in high school. 5. Future as Learner Learning in this modern times may be different from my learning experiences when I was younger but unlike traditional education without clear direction, learning today have obvious significance to students and their future career in life. It is a learning community that you and I regardless of our needs and abilities will be able to learn at our own speed and learning styles. This is the kind of learning where even the disadvantaged can gain skills and take their chosen path to success (O’Banion 1997, p.165). Since lifelong learning extends from the early years through adult life and the formal education system’s capacity is undoubtedly expanding (OECD 1999, p.8), learning opportunities in the future may delivered outside the usual setting such as informal learning in the workplace and in the community. Contrary to seems suppressive functionalist view of education, the idea of learning today and in the future is linked to democratic education where people regardless of social class will be taken away from ignorance (Ohidy 2008, p.19). As a person and a learner, the future promises wider opportunity considering the continuous emergences of pioneering educational systems such as work-based lifelong learning and work-based courses (Crowther & Sutherland 2007, p.227), e-Learning and problem-based learning (Savin-Baden & Wilkie 2006, p.90), and so on. We may also include the concept of competency-based teacher education which is beneficial to students seeking better learning and outcome. For instance, the idea that teacher certification should be based on tested teaching competencies is revolutionary as well as the foreseeable partnership between public schools and colleges for training pre-service teachers (Reynolds & Fletcher-Janzen 2004, p.230). The emergences of national training frameworks, improving training systems and government emphasis on better apprenticeships schemes (Velde 2009, p.63) can also be counted as encouraging signs of learning in future. I firmly believed that the present education system as opposed to what experienced many years ago is empowering in the sense that it knows no social class, cultural barriers, flexible and democratic in every sense. In fact, it has changed the way I view education and the rest of society. For the first time, I feel that gender differences are no longer a barrier to success but free competition between male and female. Social classes as things of the past as everybody can freely learn and express their thoughts. Chalk and talk is replaced by much better participative teaching where teacher act as facilitators of learning rather than an authoritarian messenger of selective and class-oriented learning programmes. 6. Conclusion My learning history is filled with memories of traditional sociology of education and as working class student I was one the many that were trapped in the inequalities of society. Overshadowed by my parents, my learning experiences also depend on my parent’s decision. It was more like a journey to my pre-determined place in society rather than a quest for knowledge and skills. Similarly, life at school was full of unanswered questions about my gender and prejudged underachieving class where I belong. The education system was more like an indestructible barrier to our growth than a place of learning. In the same manner, my first and last workplace never recognised my skills and more interested in my inferiority as female than my contribution to the organisation. In terms of learning, my experiences were somewhat enjoyable and there could be more if there was student-centred learning. Although caused by some unwanted circumstances, my return to formal education was primarily out of my desire to be a productive member of our society again. My future as a learner is promising because from the way I see our educational system rapidly expanding towards leaner-centred and work-based learning which is very beneficial to lifelong learners like me. 7. Reflection I am very thankful that this essay allows me to express myself as a leaner and discuss my learning history that greatly influenced my perception about education and learning. More importantly, the essay gave the opportunity to link my life as a working class student to the sociology of education which incidentally widened my perspective of education and social classes. This informative and self-fulfilling experience will definitely influence my professional practice positively as well as my perception of learners who belong to different economic and social groups. Reading a number of very informative books and articles widen my knowledge and understanding of theoretical, historical, and pedagogical foundations of learning which I can use in my seems never ending quest for knowledge and skills. Finally, although I did my best to present this essay as academically as possible, I must admit that some more improvement is necessary. 8. 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