I was reading an article in the wikithing entitled “Principles of Learning.” I don’t really think it’s a well-done article – it’s quite unclear where the “objectivity” (that wikipedia strives for) stops and the author’s opinions related to the theory being expounded start. In fact, it’s not even clear on a cursory read that it’s a theory rather than objectively proven information. Much of “education theory” is rather like this, however. I find particularly bizarre the oddly specific reference to “aerospace instruction” in the header – this makes me think that a better title for the article might be “Principles of Aerospace Instruction.” Yet the article is highly general in its approach – it has the appearance of a generalized theory of pedagogy.
Nevertheless, despite this, I find the statement below highly quotable, and it may form a core idea of my own teaching philosophy – at least on good days (of which I’ve not had many, lately, to be frank).
The principle of freedom states that things freely learned are best learned. Conversely, the further a student is coerced, the more difficult is for him to learn, assimilate and implement what is learned. Compulsion and coercion are antithetical to personal growth. The greater the freedom enjoyed by individuals within a society, the greater the intellectual and moral advancement enjoyed by society as a whole.
Since learning is an active process, students must have freedom: freedom of choice, freedom of action, freedom to bear the results of action — these are the three great freedoms that constitute personal responsibility. If no freedom is granted, students may have little interest in learning.
