SUMMARY AND INTEGRATION
Knowledge and education are some of the most personal aspects in our lives and at the same time some of the most public. There are so many issues to be tackled. The lessons we learned from the readings and in class were crucial eye-openers and it gave us a different perspective about things that we never even thought of.
>>>>>We are supposed to rise above our cultural differences when we are teaching and learning. We should be aware of the nature, sources, justification, certainty and possibility of the knowledge we undertake. As John Searle would say, “We live in exactly one world, not two or three or seventeen (Searle, 1995, p. xi)”. We may have different cultures but as humans who can reason and understand, we can be one. When we are able to rise above these differences, we are able to eliminate the personal biases and opinions which are very subjective and in doing so, we obtain objectivity.
>>>>>It is possible indeed to teach and learn things objectively but objectivity per se may have different levels. Being ontologically subjective is different from being ontologically objective while epistemologically subjective and epistemologically objective are two unique terms too. Each gives a view about knowledge and qua being on whether it could be affected by one’s opinion or personal bias or it could be considered as a convention or a system. These views enable us to differentiate things, phenomena, and social facts and at the same time it polishes our minds in thinking critically.
>>>>Multiculturalists think that it is significant that more diversity should be brought into the curriculum of schools but traditionalists say we study things not because they are cultural but because they are important to knowledge. The traditionalists and the multiculturalists debated and argued and Searle showed that objectivity is rather possible. Searle implies that education should teach us to be more independent and have free minds.
>>>>> In the mean while, the other readings to us are telling one thing. Alan Bishop, Philip Altbach, Randy David, and Alatas say that objectivity is difficult to attain since knowledge is culture bound. It is difficult to be value-free in education. We always have our biases regardless of the subjects we teach. Nothing is really free of cultural bias. Taking Bishop’s “Western Mathematics as a secret weapon of cultural imperialism” for example, there are values embedded with the teachings and knowledge brought to us when we learn Math. These western values like being rational, objective, obtaining power and control come together when we learn math. The values are very much like those who brought us these ways of knowledge dissemination- White Anglo Saxon Males who are Protestants. The sense of obtaining only one true and exact answer and the fact that nowadays people already think that objectivity is better than subjectivity only shows that Western values have conquered us and everything started from the Greeks who taught Greek rationality and logic to those who discovered atoms which brings an individualistic point of view and towards the discovery and invention of technological advancements which are being widely spread today. These Western people colonized countries by trade, administration or governance, and by education and so until the present time, so many suffer from the pressure these people give. Having a life today of valuing education, Bishop says, “education plays a critical role in promoting western mathematic ideas and thereby western cultures. (Bishop, 2003, p.73)”
>>>>> Each culture has a right to think a certain way and to teach a certain way. Whether it maybe subjective or objective, every opinion is important and it should be respected. Education is being used as a new weapon to control people and the personal nature of knowledge and education make this difficult to accept. Some types of education make us dependent on countries that dictate our knowledge. In the Philippine Setting for example, the Spanish and the Americans colonized us and up until now, our laws, ways and means in the society, religion, and traditions are very much like how they handled us since “advanced industrial nations has continued beyond the period of traditional colonialism. (Altbach, 1971, p.452)” Other Asian countries and developing countries also suffer from what we call today as neocolonialism wherein we are no longer colonized by the first world and developing countries physically instead, we suffer from what they have left on us and they are still able to control us through a more strategic mental manner. As a country, we should work on resistance and look for more ways to decolonize the minds of each citizen and individual.
DECOLONIZATION OF THE SOCIAL SCIENCES
>>>>> The Social Sciences as the name implies, deals with all things social. Our social existence depends on culture at all times. Thus, knowledge is always culture bound. We believe that Searle was correct in stating that objectivity is possible and yet there are many facts, phenomena and instances that cannot be seen objectively. It is important that we be balanced but we cannot be totally objective.
>>>>> We think that multiple views must be used at all times possible. Having an integration of thought and different perspectives will enhance learning and at the same time make students more open minded and critical in thinking. Multiple views should always be discussed in class and there should be no form of dictatorship and spoon feeding on the method of teaching. Students must always have a choice and freedom to execute better learning. Gathering sets of information from different sides about a certain subject would make the subject be seen in a better-quality.
>>>>> We also have to take into consideration the fact that different cultures have environments of learning and different things are natural to them. In the Philippine setting, we Filipinos have traits and characteristics similar with each other and so the system of education in the country should be adaptable to our culture and traditions. We have subcultures too and we can study each of them and make every part a significant one in learning each other and making our differences in the society as a whole less. In this way, we can promote unity, understanding and love among each other. Studies should be made in the different fields of the social sciences to help predict the future and intervene if necessary.
>>>>> Moreover, we would like to see different styles of teaching. A university that would instill self learning and more experienced-based is what we believe would be more effective. A teacher should be more of a facilitator rather than a teacher. A style that would expose us to more field works and applications rather than the theoretical method only would sharpen the skills and intelligence of each individual and lead us to betterment. Studies should also focus more on the Philippines and Asia since our culture is far from being identical with the western way. Another style of teaching is being with a community whose expertise is on the field being studied upon. Being exposed on communities and people would make better leaders and make more students adaptive to whoever they are with and at the same time, these students would be more familiar to the culture.
>>>>> In the meanwhile, the systematic way should not be removed since this would still be important in the discipline of the students. Being taught to follow would be nice in a way as long as we know whom we follow and for what reason. Subjectivity should be welcomed and respected but conventions to other culture’s way should be respected as well.
>>>>> Publishing more books and researches will help especially in the building process of a new institution. We should always remember that the only way to succeed is to have our own way. Catching-up with developing countries is not possible when we follow their way because we would always be behind in following. There should be more researches conducted to further expand the knowledge of Philippine academics and Philippine education. There should also be more local references so studies can be more accurate. In making this happen however, there should be a larger amount in funding to both education and research and development.
>>>>> One of the things we should be doing is providing infrastructure changes since Social Scientists are supposed to be catalysts for change. We should start with the internalities of the society and make the laws and structure more appropriate. In doing so, we would be able to eliminate the wrong doings that pulls us down. Inequality should be addressed in the change of infrastructure too.-
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