Recently at a conference that focusses on character education I was taken by the words of a leading educator who said "18 year olds don't have to know very much. They have know some things well and have intellectual humility."
I was deeply impressed with those words that sought to contextualise the importance of formal qualifications against teaching young people that they have so much more to learn and instilling in them the importance of acknowledging their limitations. None of us can hope to improve if we do not accept that there is more to learn.
Elsewhere in the conference, and linked to the above quote, another speaker focussed on the importance of dialogue, and that education is not about teaching young people what to think but how to think, learning how to engage in debate and learning how to disagree respectfully.
Another speaker suggested that character is actually little more than another word for resilience, and asked why do people give up on things when they get difficult? The answer he proffered was that to prevent people giving up there must be three conditions that remain ever present: conditioning (whether physical or mental), discipline and drive. If one fails, then giving up is likely.
It seems to me all of the above is not only pertinent to educating young people but older ones too.
Taking a look a social media you will encounter countless people who are certain of their position, never willing to debate or accept that they are wrong. It's a sad state that we have gotten ourselves into.
Perhaps all of the above is best summed up in another source that was referenced at the conference, Queen Elizabeth II's 1975 Christmas message to the nation when she said:
"We are all different, but each of us has his own best to offer. The responsibility for the way we live life with all its challenges, sadness and joy is ours alone. If we do this well, it will also be good for our neighbours.
"If you throw a stone into a pool, the ripples go on spreading outwards. A big stone can cause waves, but even the smallest pebble changes the whole pattern of the water. Our daily actions are like those ripples, each one makes a difference, even the smallest."
I'm not really sure what the point of this post is, but each quote seemed to me to be pertinent and to offer some insight as to how every one of us can live a better life.
A few thoughts on a Sunday
Recently at a conference that focusses on character education I was taken by the words of a leading educator who said "18 year olds don't have to know very much. They have know some things well and have intellectual humility."
I was deeply impressed with those words that sought to contextualise the importance of formal qualifications against teaching young people that they have so much more to learn and instilling in them the importance of acknowledging their limitations. None of us can hope to improve if we do not accept that there is more to learn.
Elsewhere in the conference, and linked to the above quote, another speaker focussed on the importance of dialogue, and that education is not about teaching young people what to think but how to think, learning how to engage in debate and learning how to disagree respectfully.
Another speaker suggested that character is actually little more than another word for resilience, and asked why do people give up on things when they get difficult? The answer he proffered was that to prevent people giving up there must be three conditions that remain ever present: conditioning (whether physical or mental), discipline and drive. If one fails, then giving up is likely.
It seems to me all of the above is not only pertinent to educating young people but older ones too.
Taking a look a social media you will encounter countless people who are certain of their position, never willing to debate or accept that they are wrong. It's a sad state that we have gotten ourselves into.
Perhaps all of the above is best summed up in another source that was referenced at the conference, Queen Elizabeth II's 1975 Christmas message to the nation when she said:
"We are all different, but each of us has his own best to offer. The responsibility for the way we live life with all its challenges, sadness and joy is ours alone. If we do this well, it will also be good for our neighbours.
"If you throw a stone into a pool, the ripples go on spreading outwards. A big stone can cause waves, but even the smallest pebble changes the whole pattern of the water. Our daily actions are like those ripples, each one makes a difference, even the smallest."
I'm not really sure what the point of this post is, but each quote seemed to me to be pertinent and to offer some insight as to how every one of us can live a better life.
It makes you think, doesn't it?