【陳慧珊】有一種教育，叫學習做決定 (9) 知識的痕跡

若果父母因深信死記硬背的學習模式對孩子毫無益處，而決定不把孩子置身在著重這種教育模式的學校文化，他們的決定是合理且高明的。對我而言，死記硬背純粹是事實的攝取，不理會內在理解，結果甚麼也無法學會，因而並非是一種學習。假如無法通過教育學習，那就更加無法利用已獲取的知識，去創造和應用。

「教育不是學習事實，而是訓練思維。」—愛因斯坦

受愛因斯坦的智慧所啟發，我們得知，事實必須伴隨思考，才能生產出可以運用的知識。失去思考，事實僅僅是信息，教育亦因此無法導向理解。

達致理解（接受教育後所形成的知識），實際上可能是一個充實而有益的旅程。如同做任何決定，它涉及不確定性和不同的後果，但一旦成功，它將會是其中一個我們所做過最革新和最有趣的決定。

在日常生活中，我們不難發現，知識正在形成，甚至經已形成的痕跡。讓我們一起看看這些教育的跡象，回想自己和／或他人有否曾經經歷過：

• 教育是重視和（真誠地）接受問候同事的美，例如一個簡單的「早安」、「午安」和「晚安」 —關於尊重的知識
• 教育在生活不如意時被喚醒，在克服一個障礙後可以獲得更好，和為了縮短差距而以行動實踐想像時被啟發。 —關於實踐的知識
• 教育是能從我8歲的女兒為了家長教師學生班級會議邀請卡所創作的口號體現出來：「若你不認為生活是完美的，生活不可能是完美。」—關於自主學習的知識
• 教育是永遠不會使用同一個方法兩次。—關於信心的知識
• 教育是有一個裝滿了皺巴巴、充滿不完美的寫作的垃圾箱……並透過行動做得更好。—關於進展的知識
• 教育是實踐個人信仰和價值觀，不被自負和新的希冀所蒙蔽，平衡目的，去做不僅有利自己，亦貢獻社會的事。 —關於普世福址的知識
• 教育是一種沒有總結而可以結束爭議的能力。—關於生產力的知識
• 教育是勇於尋找有別於自己認知的真相。—關於自我進步的知識
• 教育是騰出舊觀念，從而重塑新的概念，並在通過經驗的種種考驗前，不作任何結論。—關於創新的知識

為了透過教育獲取知識，把事實與思考和經驗連繫去達致理解，是一個能夠滿足個人和／或教育他人的起點。通過接受教育（透過自己和他人學習），我們可以把知識在社區、國家和世界多地傳播——從而使我們的知識可被充分利用和貢獻在教育的不同領域，如家長的教育、兒童和家庭的輔導、教育改革、特殊教育，和其他我們選擇的議題。

作者：陳慧珊

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Decision Making is Educational

 “Signs of Knowledge”

When parents decide that rote learning is not beneficial for their children and then determinedly follow through with this belief, by choosing not to place their children in a school culture which focuses on this approach to education, their choice is legitimate and just plain smart.  In my view, rote learning is not learning at all, but merely the intake of facts without regard to an inner, personal interpretation; as a result, nothing has been learned.  Consequently, if nothing has been learned through education, then nothing can be created and applied from having acquired knowledge.  

“Education is not the learning of facts,

  but the training of the mind to think.”

  – Albert Einstein

Inspired by Einstein’s wisdom, we can deduct that facts have to be accompanied by thinking in order to result in something utilizable, called knowledge.  Without the faculty of thinking, facts are merely information, and thus, education has not granted us opportunities towards understanding.

Deciding to achieve understanding (being educated to form knowledge) could actually be a fulfilling and profitable venture.  Like any decision, it involves uncertainties and consequences, but the probability of success would make it one of the most progressive and intriguing decisions we could ever make.

Throughout our daily lives, sometimes we can find traces of knowledge being formed, sometimes, even achieved.  Let’s take a look at some of these signs of being educated, and see if we’ve witnessed any of these things in ourselves and/or others:

• Education is valuing and accepting the beauty of (sincerely) greeting our colleagues with a simple “Good morning”, “Good afternoon”, and “Have a good night.” – knowledge of respect
• Education is being awakened to the fact that your life is not turning out the way you want it to, being inspired with the realization that things can be better through overcoming one hurdle at a time, and taking action to close the gap by actualizing your vision. – knowledge of actualization
• Education is appreciating fully the phrase that my 8-year-old daughter created in her invitation card to a parent-teacher-child class conference, the personal slogan: “Life isn’t perfect if you don’t think it is”.  – knowledge of autonomy in learning
• Education is never doing something the same way twice. – knowledge of confidence
• Education is having a bin full of crumpled pieces of writings which reflect understanding of skills unperfected…and taking action to do better. – knowledge of progression
• Education is behaving according to your personal beliefs and values, but not being blinded by overconfidence and newfound hope, but rather balancing your sense of purpose with appropriate actions beneficial not only for self, but for the community as well. — knowledge of universal well-being
• Education is the ability to end an argument by not having to have the last word. – knowledge of productivity
• Education is having the courage to find truths that may not fit into your story of yourself. – knowledge of self-progression
• Education is tossing out old ideas, reinventing new ones, but not making conclusions until we’ve passed the Quality Assurance test from experience. – knowledge of innovation

Our decision to marry facts with thinking and experience, to achieve understanding, in order to acquire knowledge through education, is a good starting point for personal satisfaction and/or the education of others.  By being educated (through learning from self and others) we could diffuse knowledge into our community, nation, and the world — to make our knowledge utilizable and contributory towards Education in areas such as parent education, child and family counselling, educational reform, special education, or any other issue of our own choice.

Text by Flora Chan