Concept and Philosophy of an Educated Person
Education is a concept that can take many forms and is one of the greatest wealth’s one can attain. To ensure that our young people are educated to fulfil what our society hopes to achieve in the future, we must reflect on our educational practises both globally and within New Zealand. Education can be described as anything that expands our thinking. This information provides us with the knowledge, skills, values, and beliefs needed to shape us into well-educated individuals. In New Zealand, almost everyone in our society is schooled in some way. However, the terms schooling and education tend to be intertwined and can be misinterpreted. Education is a lifelong process of learning as much of the knowledge we acquire is gained through individual experience rather than what is traditionally taught in schools. Schooling is necessary to gain technical skills to work in areas of expertise, however education as a whole is a journey we all experience to grow and become better people. Schooling tends to be the most accepted form of education which refers to a predetermined range of subjects taught across a number of years in a controlled environment. However, problems can occur using this method of educating as learners may be treated as objects to be moulded rather than as participants and creators of their own learning which opposes the true essence of education. This approach takes a less formal stance without the institutional environment of schooling. It is a means to discover new things and increase our knowledge about the world, creating well-rounded individuals who are empowered to maximise their potential and contribute to society. Education has an aim or purpose. It is not simply an activity we undertake for mere pleasure, but because we want to achieve something. Concepts of education are beliefs about what is worth learning and how people should obtain that learning. Two major functions of education are qualification and socialisation. Qualification is traditionally acquired through schooling and provides young people with the knowledge and skills that allow them to achieve something, either specific or general. For example, this could be achieving professional education or preparation for living in today’s society.












