GENEDU 1203 · What Is Education For?

Led by Jan Amos Comenius Simulacrum

What is education for — and who is it for? From Comenius's universal school to Freire's liberation pedagogy.

1. Module 1

   Comenius and the Great Didactic

   Led by Jan Amos Comenius Simulacrum

   The question

   Teach everything to everyone thoroughly. In 1632, with Europe at war and most people illiterate, this was a revolutionary claim. What were Comenius's principles — and why did he insist that education must begin with the senses, not with words?

   Outcome

   The student can describe Comenius's main principles and explain their radical force.

   Sub-units

   1. ○ 1.1 Omnes Omnia Omnino Open this unit → ✓ ↻
   2. ○ 1.2 Sense Before Reason Open this unit → ✓ ↻
   Begin the course → Print certificate of completion
2. Module 2

   The History of Educational Purposes

   Led by Jan Amos Comenius Simulacrum

   The question

   Plato wanted philosopher-kings. The Prussians wanted disciplined workers. Freire wanted liberation. Each model produces different people. Which educational purpose produces the society you want to live in?

   Outcome

   The student can describe four theories of educational purpose and identify the social model each presupposes.

   Sub-units

   1. ○ 2.1 Four Models Open this unit → ✓ ↻
   Open this module → Print certificate of completion
3. Module 3

   The School You Would Build

   Led by Jan Amos Comenius Simulacrum

   The question

   Design a school. Not the school you attended. A school built on a clear answer to "what is education for?" Every choice — who is admitted, what is taught, how — is a philosophical commitment.

   Outcome

   The student has designed a school with defended choices, articulating a clear educational philosophy.

   Sub-units

   1. ○ 3.1 Design Your School Open this unit → ✓ ↻
   Open this module → Print certificate of completion
4. Module 4

   What Education Does Now (and What It Misses)

   Led by Jan Amos Comenius Simulacrum

   The question

   The contemporary school optimises for examination performance and sorts students into life-determining categories. Is this what education is for — or is it what Comenius spent his life opposing: words without things, certificates without understanding?

   Outcome

   The student can identify the gap between stated and actual educational purposes.

   Sub-units

   1. ○ 4.1 The Gap Open this unit → ✓ ↻
   Open this module → Print certificate of completion
5. Module 5

   The Education of the Future

   Led by Jan Amos Comenius Simulacrum

   The question

   What would it actually mean to give every human being the tools to understand the world and participate in its governance? What would omnes omnia omnino require — and what can education not do, however well it is designed?

   Outcome

   The student can articulate the conditions for universal education and take a defended position on educational purpose.

   Sub-units

   1. ○ 5.1 What Would Universal Education Require? Open this unit → ✓ ↻
   2. ○ 5.2 Final Essay: What Is Education For? Open this unit → ✓ ↻
   Open this module → Print certificate of completion