Independence of Thought

The practical matter of developing independence of thought as young people take each step from childhood development, through adolescence and adulthood is fairly well understood as a process, to my mind roughly parallelling Jean Piaget's preoperational through concrete and formal operational stages of development.

Our education system is largely constructed around the pedagogical concepts of direct instruction and precision teaching derived from B.F. Skinner's ideas on educational philosophy. Skirting the controvery altogether, if at all possible is this ever-sensitive subject, the fabric of our educational institutions at all levels are strongly influenced by his teachings.

Is it contestable that most people learn well and many excel in teaching environments where the material is specifically tailored for the level and outcome?

The digression into philosophy of education in this article is a metaphor, analogy or perhaps allegory for advanced teaching, work place and life-long learning. It is generally accepted that children pass through several stages of congnitive development before achieving the ability to construct abstract thoughts.

It is not widely held that individuals actively choose to learn and accept taught outcomes even if nowadays the teachers themselves readily focus on the student-centred classroom and associated pedagogical methods. The recognition that students are active participants in learning rather than empty vessels to be be filled with knowledge edges upon the existentialist notion that the individual not only can but rather must make his own choices.

In everyday terms, primary school is the opportunity for the young pupil to be taught fundamentals, secondary school provides the maturing student the chance to learn higher-level concepts, tertiary education continues the growth path, capping off the formal educational portion for most people with the chance to collaboratively work with peers and thought leaders on advanced techniques and even the creation of new theories.

The quality of primary and secondary education has come into question in Australia quite recently and seems to have followed earlier trends in the UK and the USA. The current debate centres around two problem areas that has been perceived by politicians and the community as in need of reform. The first issue relates to the quality of teachers, the treatment of teaching as a profession including proper remuneration. The second issue is the controversy over the adoption of Outcomes Based Education (OBE) where achievement levels replace conventional teaching methods and objective assessment based on grades.

Part of the the problem is that many graduates do not have the opportunity, by reason of limited opportunity, to build on this foundational learning, whether the formal learning component extended to secondary or tertiary level at undergraduate or postgraduate levels.

While much can be done to improve the presentation and substance of undergraduate education there is much circumstantial evidence to suggest that the outcomes are positive in some subject areas if not in others. By and large, most tertiary graduates in professional areas such as law, medicine and teaching successfully transition into the workplace.

To the credit of these institutions and the employers of graduates from those institutions, there remains a broad and deep range of nonprofessional subject areas in science and arts, such as physics and anthropology, whose graduates contribute to the well-being of society, albeit many of whom take up professions and whose qualifications are highly regarded.

The undergraduate degree structure in Australian universities is based on the student selecting a range of units in science, arts or a prescribed study course, for example, medicine or law, for which core units are mandatory delections. Postgraduate degrees may follow an honours degree, or equivalent, to four years study inclusive of a research-oriented thesis.

The degree structure varies widely elsewhere but the profound experience of the leading British universities of Oxford and Cambridge where one reads for a degree, and the USA where professional studies are undertaken as postgraduate degrees after an undergraduate degree. I strain to identify advantages of these systems over the Australian one beyond the development of independence but perhaps that is enough.

It serves no purpose to pretend that undergaduate degrees, both those that are general in nature and those oriented towards professional practice, are anything more than they are. Certainly they offer great learning opportunities but the level of discourse and quality of teaching outside of the premier institutions is merely ordinary. The degree is a stepping stone to the work place, a diploma that demonstrates commitment and academic achievement.

The professions are distinguished by their traditions, codes of ethics, professional associations and standards or practice. As a rule, they offer mentoring in the workplace in the form of internships for medical graduates, articled clerk for lawyers, chartered year for accountants, or some other professional year before admission to the ranks of the profession. The lowest rank.

One of the key tenets of professional or chartered membership of professional associations is to make a commitment to continuing professional education. This should not be an onerous obligation on most individuals but rather an extension of their choice to enter the profession and part of this personal commitment to life-long learning.