Sarah Lynne B. Ting June 26, 2013

BEED.3rd-A Prof. Ofelia Dizon

The Four Pillars of Education

I. Objectives

At the end of the lesson, the students will be able to:

Identify the first two of the four pillars of education Create learning opportunities guided by the pillars of education Act creatively in one’s environment

II. Subject Matter

Reference: Social Dimension of Education by Violeta Vega Ph.D.

page 13-18

Materials: Visual Aids and Hand-outs

III. Lesson Content

Introduction

“Learning the Treasure Within”, the report of the International Commission on Education for the Twenty-first Century, chaired by Jacques Delors, and published by UNESCO in 1996 provides new insights into education for the 21st Century. It stresses that each individual must be equipped to seize learning opportunities throughout life, both to broaden her/his knowledge, skills and attitudes, and adapt to a changing, complex and interdependent world.

What are the Four Pillars of Education?

The International Commission on Education for the 21st Century advocates four pillars of education.

Learning to know, that is acquiring the instruments of understanding; Learning to do, so as to be able to act creatively in one’s environment; Learning to live together, so as to participate in and cooperate with other people

in all human activities; and Learning to be, so as to better develop one’s personality and to act with ever

greater autonomy, judgment and personal responsibility.

Learning to know

Learning to know implies learning how to learn by developing one’s concentration, memory skills and ability to think. This process of improving concentration skills can take different forms and can be aided by the many different learning opportunities that arise in the course of people's lives (games, work experience programs, travel, practical science activities, etc.).

This type of learning is concerned less with the acquisition of structured knowledge than with the mastery of learning tools. It may be regarded as both a means and an end of human existence. Looking at it as a means, people have to learn to understand the world around them, at least as much as is necessary for them to lead their lives with some dignity, develop their occupational skills and communicate with other people. Regarded as an end, it is underpinned by the pleasure that can be derived from understanding, knowledge and discovery. That aspect of learning is typically enjoyed by researchers, but good teaching can help everyone to enjoy it. The broader our knowledge, the better we can understand the many different aspects of our environment. Such study encourages greater intellectual curiosity, sharpens the critical faculties and enables people to develop their own independent judgments on the world around them.

A truly educated person needs a broad general education and the opportunity to study a small number of subjects in depth. This two-pronged approach should be applied right through education. The reason is that general education, which gives pupils a chance to learn other languages and become familiar with other subjects, first and foremost provides a way of communicating with other people.

Thinking is something children learn first from their parents and then from their teachers. The process should encompass both practical problem-solving and abstract thought. Both education and research should therefore combine deductive and inductive reasoning, which are often claimed to be opposing processes. While one form of reasoning may be more appropriate than the other, depending on the subjects being taught, it is generally impossible to pursue a logical train of thought without combining the two.

To learn to know, students need to develop learn-to-learn skills. Such skills are Learning to read with comprehension, listening, observing, asking questions, data gathering, note-taking and accessing, processing, selecting and using information so that students can become lifelong learners.

The role of the teacher then is a facilitator, catalyst, monitor and evaluator of learning because the process of learning to think is lifelong one and can be enhanced by every kind of human experience. In this respect, as people’s work becomes less routine, they will find that their thinking skills are increasingly being challenged at their place of work.

Learning to do

Learning to do is another pillar of education. In addition to learning to do a job or work, this second pillar should, more generally, entail the acquisition of a competence that enables people to deal with a variety of situations, often unforeseeable, and to work in teams, a feature to which educational methods do not at present pay enough attention.

Learning to do demonstrate that in order to learn to live and work together productively and harmoniously, we must first find peace within ourselves, expand our acceptance and understanding of others, and continually strive towards living the values which enable us to contribute more fully to the development of a peaceful and just society.

“Education must contribute to the all-around development of each individual- mind and body, intelligence, sensitivity, aesthetic sense, personal responsibility and spiritual values.” –Delors Report

It describes the learning to do pillar not only as putting knowledge and learning into practice innovatively through skill development and practical know-how, but also the development of competence, life skills, personal qualities, aptitudes and attitudes.

It is clear that technical and vocational education and training need to encompass all four pillars of learning in order to prepare the individual with the knowledge, skills, qualities, values, attitudes, and abilities to communicate effectively and work together productively with others.

Faure envisioned education as “reaching out to embrace the whole society and the entire lifespan of the individual” and imagined a world in which every person has the opportunity to keep learning throughout life and which lifelong education would be the keystone of the learning society.

The Delors Commission describes learning throughout life as the “key to the twenty-first century… essential for adapting to the evolving requirements of the labor market and for better mastery of the changing time-frames and rhythms of individual existence”.

The need for lifelong learning is accentuated by increasing globalization and free trade. New economic pressures require both individuals and businesses to continually upgrade knowledge and skills to maintain their competitive edge.

The need to remain personally competitive throughout life raises the obvious concern of equitable access to learning opportunities and also to meaningful work for all, and the urgency for maintaining and advancing human dignity and worth.

Learning to do represents the skillful, creative and discerning application of knowledge because one must first learn how to learn effectively, how to think creatively, critically and holistically and how to deeply understand the information that is presented, and its systemic implications for individuals and for society, in both the short and longer term.