Diversifying and Respect: Pt 4

Special education students, basically those that think and learn differently are often criticized and made fun of in schools today. Many people need to learn through hands-on and through experiences does not fit into all schools like the typical cookie cutter image. Learning can be evaluated and noted on many different realms. Written exams with multiple choice questions are not for everybody, nor do they show what real learning and education was achieved. The ability to learn, know, apply to other things, and be able to retain the knowledge is and should be the key to obtaining educational goals.

Diversifying the classroom according to the needs of the students is essential. Teachers need to structure according to age, ability, and background knowledge. It is the teachers responsibility to know their students and what type of prior knowledge that have acquired. Some students learn better through readings, some are better with discussions, other perform better when presented the material in note or outline format, while other continue to better with hands on learning. Adapting to the needs of the students helps them to understand and learn better. This also enables them to want to learn and not give up on the educational process.

Learning, namely education, does come down to the individual. There needs to be a want, a void to fill with knowledge. The majority of the population has a desire for the understanding of new ideas and concepts. Those that do not have this concern should be left aside, so that those who have the ability and appreciation of the information can excel. Hindering the education process is a shame and should be punished, as they have not yet come to the realization of what an education can mean to a person. Obtaining and furthering ones education is entirely up to the individual. Learning and acceptance cannot be forced, it has to be wanted. Without first accepting the challenging to learning and the educational process, failure most likely will follow.

Democratic practices and theory differ greatly in beliefs and implementation. According to democratic theory everyone should enjoy the liberty to do as he or she pleases. Everyone in a democratic environment should have an equal opportunity to do whatever he or she pleases to do so. The purpose is that the whole community should function to preserve, protect and perpetuate itself. Within a democracy people are allowed to move about as they please and are educated to free themselves from mental slavery. Restrictions are imposed only when necessary to protect the community.

In order for a democratic government to run successfully, the public needs to have a say and their voices heard. If the opinions are not heard and discussed, there is no democracy. Items up for discussion and disagreement need to be voiced and then voted on. This basic need for civic education pre-dates the Athenians and rudimentary democratic ideals. The competency issue evolves when countries are unable to produce intelligent and capable citizens. There needs to be a starting point, a source of information that can be easily passed down. The experts will provide better information to the public, but at the loss of some freedoms. Citizens are willing to give up

some freedom, but only when necessary to maintain the safety and security of the community.

Freedom of speech and thought has many important advantages, along with disadvantages. Both sides are obviously essential for progress, and where experts are allowed to have authority, freedom is curtailed. Educational design aims to strike the right balance between freedom and authority. Any attempt to record or evaluate what we do will leave the questions of freedom and authority open unless we state our goals in terms of events easily identified, recorded and quantified by anyone.

To make the machinery of record simple to understand and implement, it must be insisted that no extra time be budgeted for examination of the record. It should arise spontaneously from what we do, the ability to have individual freedom acknowledges the freedom of others, including freedom from mental slavery, and restricting these freedoms only so far as is necessary to protect, communicate and perpetuate the community.