This document summarizes key ideas from a presentation on the philosophy of education. It discusses how not all learning can be measured, as concepts like creativity, attitude, and social skills are difficult to quantify. Idealists like Plato believed true knowledge comes from overcoming senses through rigorous training. Liberal education aims to create well-rounded citizens. While competency-based systems and measurable outcomes are valued, Dewey argued artistic expression and communication are highly subjective experiences. Bandura's self-efficacy theory and Montessori's alternative to grading are also examined. In conclusion, many important types of learning resist simple measurement.

1. Against: All learning at the vocational
education level can and should have
a measurable outcome.
Key argument: Not all learning can be measured.
iVET 2013-2014
Basics of Education Sciences, Session 2
Team Pink: Virpi Pietiläinen, Jay Thompson, Minna
Tuhkanen and Aleksandra Paravina
13.03.2014

2. Objective of the presentation
• Idealism has influenced education as it gives emphasis to
theory before practice.
• Theoretical subjects are valued more than practical ones.
• Logical and analytic thinking has had an importance through
education.
• Assessement is a subjective process.

3. Task
Assess three paintings by giving points on a scale 0-10,
based on the following criteria:
1. Creativity ( Is the subject unique? )
2. Skill ( Is the painting in proportion? Are the images well
balanced? Brush strokes, are the lines messy or paint blotchy?
3. Colours ( Do the colours compliment or contrast each other?
Does it work well with the painting? )
http://reflectionsonstudy.blogspot.fi/p/edu-sci.html

4. Philosophy of education
We started our research with historical view on the development
of philosophy of education and the ideas that led to the
development of ‘liberal education’ which promotes social
development, humanism and other qualities which are not
necessarily quantifiable.
+ = ?

5. Idealism- belief in the objective truth of ideas
• Plato, the 3rd century BC thinker.
• Humans are chained to the world
of senses and true knowledge can
be achieved only by overcoming
prejudice and ignorance after
rigorous mental and ideological
training.

6. Liberal Education
• Aristotle 3rd century BC Greek pilosopher, is
also important for the development of Liberal
Education
• The idea of the liberal education was not to
develop the mind alone but to create a ‘free
citizen’ through the study of arts and
literature as well.

7. Development of scientific reasoning
• important Aristotle’s rules involve :
• concept formation
• deductive reasoning( from the general case to the particular
case by logical inference).
Logical and analytic thinking has led to the development of
empiricism and romanticism.

8. Cartesian dualism - duality between mind and
body
• Rene Descartes was a French
philosopher (17th Century)
who was influenced by Plato’s
idealism
• Descartes proposed a method
of ‘systematic doubt’ in which
everything in the universe had
to be questioned until he came
to something he could not
doubt.
-‘Cogito ergo sum’ – ‘I think, therefore I
am.’

9. Motivation for learning
• Theory of needs by Maslow's hierarchy.
• This theory was developed through Cartesian, Darwinian and Freudian thought.
• The value of this theory in teaching could be in recognition that higher-level
motivational factors can depend of lower once.
• Although some criticism of the theory is based on the fact that self – actualization is
not a clear concept and that the height of the human achievement should be
related more to altruism and community.

10. Competency based learning
Competency-based qualifications systems are attractive to
businesses and vocational institutes as they can promote :
• accountability
• transparency
• measurable aspect.
• Governments can use competency tools for creating a
competitive workforce.
The competency based systems are useful if the skills that are
measured are psychomotor and easily measured. This is much
harder and problematic for more complex and integrated
competences.

11. Dewey: Artistic expression
• The main thing of art is
experience
• Experience connects art to a
larger experience of life
• The way art is experienced is
very subjective issue
- > It can't be measured well.

12. Communication
• Aspects of communication that are difficult to measure are e.g.
social needs, conversation, self-expression and building and
maintaining relations.
• Dewey saw also communication as art: It’s the way how we
make our shared experience meaningful.
- > This is very difficult thing to measure.

13. Sources
(philosophy of education section)
Jordan, A. C., Orison S. A., 2008, Approaches to Learning : A Guide for
Teachers, Berkshire, GBR , Open University Press
Barrow, R.,White, P., 1993, Beyond Liberal Education : Essays in Honour of
Paul H. Hirst, London, Routledge
Cody, A., 2012, Rog Lucido: Student Learning Can Only be Described, Not
Measured. Retrieved from:
http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/living-in-dialogue/2012/02/rog_lucido_
we_cannot_measure_s.html

14. Sources
(Dewey section)
1) http://teachinglearningresources.pbworks.com/w/page/19919565/Learni
ng%20Theories
2) http://deweycenter.siu.edu/pdf/Dewey_Bio.pdf
3) John Dewey: Taide kokemuksena -kirjaesittely. Filosofinen aikakauslehti -
filosofinen kirjasarja. http://netn.fi/kirjat/john-dewey-taide-
kokemuksena-0
4) Crick, Nathan (2005) John Dewey on the Art of Communication. Doctoral
Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh. http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/7314/

15. Bandura’s View
• Bandura’s definition of self-efficacy: one’s belief in one’s ability to succeed in
specific situations.
• According to Banduras theory, students would have to change their previous
behavior to something they have observed. This is difficult to measure because in
most cases it's not possible to measure student behavior before they have
observed others.
• In vocational school it is difficult to measure how the student has absorbed
knowledge of his/her theoretical studies and working practices.
• In Banduras theory it's advised to compare student performance with the goals set
for that student, rather than comparing one student against another or comparing
one student to the rest of the class.
• Examples:
– Chef
– Basic Nurse
– Customer service-related occupations

16. Montessori’s View: Why should teachers not give
grades?
• Grades (as with other external rewards) have minimal long-term
effect on the student’s achievements or efforts.
• When teachers give numerical grades, they end up evaluating
students against others in the same class or “against an arbitrary
external standard and set of expectations.”
• Instead of solving and investigating solutions themselves, this
grading “leads children to look to teachers for the right answers”
(Alfie Kohn)
• Learning becomes shallow: the student’s goal is simply high
marks/grades, which they attain by:
1) memorizing answers for a test
2) receiving a grade, and then
3) quickly forgetting the learning

17. So, what’s Montessori’s alternative to grading?
• The goal is to nurture the motivation that comes from within
the student, fostering his/her innate desire to learn.
• Self-motivated learners become self-sufficient, without
external reinforcement.
• Montessori’s method has teachers closely observing each
student’s progress so it is known when they are ready to
advance. Regular conferences allow parents to see their child’s
work and hear the teacher’s assessment.

18. More on Montessori’s Approach…
• Regarding learning outcomes: “why and how students arrive at
what they know is just as important as what they know.”
• “No grades, no tests” (video):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&
v=GcgN0lEh5IA
(view from beginning to time mark2:38)

19. In conclusion there are many types of learning that
cannot truly be measured ..
• Creativity
• Attitude
• Empathy
• Professional identity
• Social Skills
• Self-confidence
• Sense of community
• Happiness
• Play
• And more

20. Sources
(Bandura, Skills and Montessori sections)
http://www.avoin.helsinki.fi/oppimateriaalit/sosiaalipsykologia/bandura.htm
http://amshq.org/Montessori-Education/FAQs.aspx
http://www.montessori.org.uk/news/media_centre/press_release/what_is_montessori_education
http://www.montessori.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=301:montessori-and-
letter-grades-philosophically-incompatible-practice&catid=16:articles-introducing-montessori-education
http://www.barrenjoeymontessori.com.au/downloads/MAF-A-montessori-perspective-on-testing.pdf
http://www.2020insight.net/docs4/peopleskills.pdf

21. Paintings assessment task sources:
Painting 1, Marc Chagall
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nukOvJ2uu6Y/UOXWxkVw5nI/AAAAAAAABrI/1b78JMotuc4/s1600/chagall00
3.jpg
Painitng 2, Nico Aalto
http://nico-aalto.tumblr.com/image/73978352751
Painting 3, Kieron Williamson
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturepicturegalleries/10185839/10-year-old-mini-Monet-nears-1.
5-million-career-earnings.html?frame=2620088