The three great contradictions of education

In the words of Niels Bohr, “The opposite of a small truth is always false; On the other hand, the opposites of great truths can also be seen as true.”. This phrase illustrates how on many occasions society maintains a series of “great truths” that contradict each other. This phenomenon is called “antinomies”, which are pairs of truths that, although both seem true, contradict each other. In this article we are going to talk about 3 antinomies or contradictions of education.

The analysis of these contradictions in education helps us to greatly understand the principles that govern the system and its inconsistencies.. It allows us to see the conflict between what we believe is, what we would like it to be and what is; The dissonance between these three states results in a series of contradictory statements to reconcile these discrepancies.

Contradictions of education

The three great contradictions in education are: (a) Education for development Vs education for culture (b) Intrapsychic learning Vs situational learning and (c) local knowledge Vs social knowledge. Below we will develop each of these antinomies in detail.

Education for development and education for culture

The first of the contradictions of education revolves around its objectives.. If we ask about its objectives, we will find many answers that will indicate that it is the personal development of the individual; that is, reaching its maximum potential, and thereby achieving global development of society. Now, another objective that the educational system fulfills is to imbue/incorporate the individual with vernacular culture; since school is not only based on instruction, it also teaches a way of being and behaving.

Now, although in principle it may seem that personal development and the transmission of culture are not contradictory objectives, in reality they have irreconcilable aspects. And the problem is that When a culture is reproduced, not only is it transmitted, but different associated purposes are also transmitted, such as political or economic ones.

For example, a capitalist and industrialized society is based on a very powerful workforce and a populated middle class. Thus, it is normal for the educational system to focus on qualifying unskilled and semi-skilled workers. Transmitting culture keeps society stable, and an education based on personal development would make culture unstable, since it could cause social change.

This contradiction exists because to a large extent the population wants to develop and increase its intellectual potential; On the other hand, the established culture is still a kind of candy, since it gives us security and a feeling of control. Both culture and development bring us pleasure and satisfaction, antinomy is an attempt to have both. On the other hand, pursuing both goals makes the educational system ineffective and full of errors. This leads us to consider what objective we really want for education.

Child-directed learning versus situational learning

Another of the great contradictions in education has to do with how children learn and are evaluated. . There is a strong tendency within the educational system to classify children according to their performance (grades, mentions in class, comparisons…). This projects the idea that it is the child with his or her abilities who takes advantage of the school’s resources. On the other hand, in contrast to this we also believe that learning is situational; Thus, we think that it will be easier for the child to use school resources if the environment facilitates it.

Here the contradiction is more complex. It is a mistake to point out that both the child and the context are responsible for learning.. Obviously both factors are going to influence the child’s education, but blaming one or the other radically is going to totally change educational policy.

If we base ourselves on children’s learning, the logical thing is to provide resources according to the demands they make. These demands will depend on your ability, but also on your motivation. In some way they will be the directors of their own learning. On the other hand, if we pay attention to situational learning, the perspective will change and it will be the educational context that will direct the learning.

Our educational system takes measures from both points of view, which, as in the previous antinomy, results in inefficiency and inconsistencies. Opting for one position or another can be largely dangerous, in part due to the political and economic context that surrounds education; That’s where this contradiction comes from. Research and scientific study must be what guides us when trying to find a point of balance.

Local knowledge vs social knowledge

The last of the contradictions of education is perhaps also the least explicit in the educational debate. This antinomy revolves around how ways of thinking, ways of giving/assuming meaning, and ways of experiencing the world should be judged.. If we take a constructivist point of view, we would find relativism, since reality is constructed by an interpreter.

On the one hand, we have the “great truth” that local knowledge is legitimate in its own right. And on the other hand, we advocate for a global confluence regarding the interpretation of reality. These two statements clearly become opposites, If we seek global knowledge, maintaining local knowledge of small societies and groups would hinder it..

A complicated debate appears here, since each population or society has developed its local knowledge due to the context and time in which it exists, and this provides security and control. On the other hand, global knowledge provides us with a universal framework for action that can be very useful to progress in cooperation; although it also entails serious dangers. It is essential, just as for the rest of the antinomies, an in-depth analysis and study that tells us what is the best solution for this contradiction..

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