Education: Meaning, Nature And Modes

Meaning of Education

The word 'education' is derived from the Sanskrit root 'education' by adding a suffix. 'Shiksha' means learning and teaching. Therefore, the literal meaning of the word 'education' is - the act of learning and teaching. The word 'Education' is used in English for the word 'Shiksha'. The word education has evolved from the Latin word 'Educatum' and the word 'Educatum' is made up of the words A (E) and Duco (Duco) of the same language. A (E) means - from within, while Duco (Duco) means - to move forward. Hence the meaning of the word 'education' is to move forward from within. The question arises that what is meant by moving forward from within? In fact, at the time of birth, some innate powers are present in the seed form inside every child. These powers develop when they come in contact with proper environment, whereas in the absence of proper environment, these powers either do not develop completely or take unwanted forms. Through education, an attempt is made to develop the innate powers of a person from inside to outside in the proper direction. In other words, we can say that the word 'Education' is used for the process of manifesting or developing the inner powers of a person or child outwardly. The Latin words 'educare' and 'educere' are also accepted as the root of the word 'education'. The meaning of both these words is to bring forward, to lead out or to raise. It is clear that the literal meaning of both the words education and its English synonym 'Education' is the process of advancing, developing or extolling the inner powers of man. Therefore, it can be said in conclusion that the meaning of the word education is the process of all-round development of innate powers.

To understand the real meaning of the word education, it will be necessary to observe the views expressed by various scholars regarding the meaning of education.

Swami Vivekananda accepted man as perfect by birth and according to him the purpose of education was to reveal his perfection. In his words, 

"Education is manifestation of perfection already present in man."  -Swami Vivekananda

Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi explained education as a process of physical, mental and spiritual development of an individual. In his words, 

"By Education I mean an all round drawing out of the best in child and man- body, mind and spirit."    -Mahatma Gandhi

According to the famous Greek philosopher Socrates,

"Education means the bringing out of the ideas of universal validity which are learnt in the mind of everyman."    -Socrates

Emphasizing on physical and mental development, Aristotle had said that- 

"Education is the creation of a healthy mind in a healthy body."   -Aristotle

Herbert Spencer, emphasizing on adjusting the real conditions of human life, said that 

"Education means establishing coordination between the inherent powers and the external world."   -Herbert Spencer

In the words of John Dewey - 

"Education is the development of all those capacities in the individuals which will enable him to control his environment and fulfill his possiblities."     -John Dewey

German educationist Pestalozzi, defining education as the development of innate powers, has said that- 

"Education is a natural, harmonious and progressive development of man's innate powers."

                                                                                                                                  -Pestalozzi

"Education is a process of physical, mental & intellectual development."     -Plato

 "Education is human development in a controlled environment."      - Trow

"Education is a process by which the child makes its internal external."    -Froebel

"In wider sense, it is a process that goes on throughout life and is promoted by almost every experience in life."       -S. S. Mackenzi

Indian Concept

"Education is that whose end product is salvation."    -Upnishads

"Education is the realization of the self."    -Shankracharya

Modern Concept

"Education is helping the growing soul to draw out that is in itself."    -Aurobindo Ghosh

"Education means to enable the child to find out the ultimate truth...... making truth its own and giving expression to it."     -R.N. Tagore

"Education is the consciously controlled process whereby changes in behaviour are produced in the person and through the person within the group. "    -Brown

Characteristics of Education

"Plants are developed by cultivation and man by Education."   -Locke

Based on the analysis of the above definitions of education, the following characteristics of education can be said-

1. Education is not limited to knowledge imparted in schools.

2. Education is a life-long process.

3. Education Develops the inherent powers of a child.

4. Education is a dynamic process.

5. Education is a Bi-polar process.

6. Education is a Tri-polar process.

7. Education is a process of modifying behaviour and character formation.

8. Education is a Direct and Indirect process both.

9. Enrichment of Experiences.

10. All round development of the individual.

11. A process of adjustment with the environment.

Education as a Bi-polar Process

As mentioned earlier, education is a process, not a prescription. Two persons are involved in this process – there is interaction between the teacher and the learner, the result of their efforts is education. Thus education becomes a participatory activity or sharing of experiences. Adams calls this a bipolar process. “In this process, there is a continuous interaction between the teacher and the student and like the interaction of two poles, there is an interaction of two individuals. Thus, education becomes a conscious and thought process in which communication and manipulation of knowledge, one personality acts upon the other to bring about changes in the development of personality. A child is also an active participant in the teaching and learning process. Ross writes, "Like a magnet Education must have two poles." (Like magnet education must have two poles).

Discussing about the bipolar nature of education, Adams explains about the two sides of the process of education, subjective and objective, saying that in his view, education becomes subjective when The learner does not question the authority of the teacher and directly responds to the stimuli given by him. This is what usually happens. On the other hand, education becomes objective when the learner understands the intentions of the teacher and sometimes challenges or even opposes him using his discretion. This happens only occasionally. Hence Adams states, "In the experience of most students, education remains bipolar throughout, both subjective and objective."

Teacher Pole → One personality acts on the other to change its development.

Education is bipolar  →  The process is also conscious and thought-out.

Student - Dhruv   →  The personality of the teacher and the direct effect of the use of knowledge add to the knowledge flowing from teacher to student. Its means is mutual discussion.

 

Education as a Tri-Polar Process

The modern view of education is called 'three dimensional'. It is said that all education takes place in the society and in the social system. J.E. Adamson presented the three polar theory of education. According to him, the essence of education is the adjustment between the child and the child's world. The process of adjustment is both active and passive. The child is influenced by his environment and at the same time he influences and shapes the environment.

Forms of Education

Education is a lifelong process. It continues from birth to death in the form of formal, informal and informal. It is a broad concept that includes knowledge obtained from various sources such as radio, newspapers, television, educational institutions, etc. A common man understands it as the education received in educational institutions which is of course quite different from the education received from other sources. Educationists have described the following types of education:

1. General Education - The main function of education is to provide general education to the child up to the secondary level and we also consider this as the main objective of education. It is the minimum level of education which is necessary for every individual to meet his various needs. It enables the child to behave appropriately. Its objective is to develop the general abilities of the child so that his personality can develop and he can become capable of adjustment in the environment. After independence in India, all education has been made free and compulsory.

2. Specific Education - The present age is the age of specialization. One person cannot be specialized in all fields. If the child is given special education according to his innate qualities, abilities and capabilities, then he will get the best opportunities for the development of his abilities. Its purpose is to make a person proficient in a particular skill. It provides specially trained man in every sector of the society. Thus it helps in the development of the nation as well as in its welfare. It is provided in specialized institutions like medical colleges, engineering colleges, technical institutes, management institutes, computer centers etc.

3. Direct Education - In this type of education, there is a direct relationship between the teacher and the learner. The personality of the teacher has a direct impact on the student. This education is not possible where the number of students becomes very large because in such a class it becomes difficult for the teacher to maintain cordial relations with each and every student. This is the reason why in today's time the emphasis is on keeping the class size small.

4. Indirect Education - In the present era, indirect education came into existence because due to the development of mass communication, it has become possible to convey the thoughts of great educationists to those people who never came in direct relation with these people. Indira Gandhi Open University is providing indirect education in various fields all over the world. Many other universities are also running distance education programmes. Radio, television etc. are becoming more popular for teaching at higher level. In today's time, if any person wants to get information with the help of internet, he can do it. This type of education is becoming more popular in the West.

5. Individual Education - It has been psychologically proved that all persons are not the same, therefore it is being emphasized that the teacher should take care of each child individually. The experiment done by Rabindranath Tagore in Shantiniketan has proved to be successful, but if it is adopted as a method of education on a large scale, it will be completely impractical. Kindergarten method at primary level, Montessori method are high methods of individual attention to the child.

6. Collective Education - As the name suggests, it Education is the education imparted to persons gathered collectively at one place. When a teacher teaches a large number of students at one time, such education becomes economical in terms of time and money. The pace at which India's population is increasing, in such circumstances, this education is considered appropriate.

7. Narrow Education - It is limited to school and university education. It starts when the child takes admission in the educational institution and ends when he leaves the educational institution. It is planned, not accidental. In this, there is a direct relationship between the teacher and the student. The scope of this type of education is very narrow.

8. Wider Education - It is a lifelong education. It starts from birth and continues throughout life. It includes the experience gained from all agencies of education, formal, informal and non-formal. Every member of the society acts as a teacher at one time and as a student at another time. The scope of this type of education is very wide.

9. Formal Education - Formal education is that education which Organized according to objectives and ideals. it is for a particular time period, particular time However, it is formally imparted to the child according to the prescribed curriculum. to teach Work is given to specific persons in a particular field. In this area the child is normal, Specialized one-on-one and direct instruction is provided. this type of education student formal Receives in institutions. Education is imparted in a systematic manner. this type of education society and is provided to meet the needs of the individual.At the same time, education can be imparted to a large number of students in a scientific manner and continuously.

10. Informal Education - It is a supplement to formal education without which education is incomplete. It is natural and accidental. This results in a sudden and essentially change in behavior without any accompanying understanding effort. It is a life long process in which all are eligible to receive non-formal education. There is no fixed age for this. There is no fixed place and time in this. In this type of education, there is no pre-determined curriculum and objectives. Drivers learn from experiences and the knowledge gained through this is more permanent than through formal education. Such education is not imparted by any organized agency. It does not require financial resources to make it.

11. Non-formal Education – Both formal and informal, it is the link between formal and informal education. Its main focus is the world outside the school and its work includes education to improve mass education, skills, techniques and lifestyles. Due to the explosion of knowledge as a result of scientific and technological development, this concept was developed after the publication of the report 'Learning to be' of the International Committee on the Development of Education. It was felt by this committee that even after spending so many financial resources on education, a large section of the population remains deprived of education. They are busy in earning a living, that's why they cannot attend formal education institutions in a fixed time. That's why it was suggested by the committee that for such people, who are willing to get education, proper education should be arranged during the leisure time.

This type of education is essential in India. As a result many programs like adult education, correspondence education, open university education etc. have been started. Their objective is the social and economic development of every section of the society. It is life centered and environment based and prepares the individuals for future changes.