Education and Culture

The trend of increasing globalization mandates an educational experience that is culturally diverse in nature to enable the teachers and students from the majority to develop an understanding of the natal culture of minority students and successfully bridge the divide between the two cultures. The wisest and most learned of teachers recognize the need for multicultural education because as Mohandas K. Ghandi observed:

No culture can live if it attempts to be exclusive.

Before an education can begin an individual must possess a rudimentary degree of understanding and self awareness of their own cultural perspective and philosophy.
Education at its most fundamental level is the expansion of the minds of students through the infusion of new thoughts, ideas, concepts and processes as Oliver Wendell Holmes pointed out:

One's mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions.

The stretching of the mind to encompass the acquisition of new cultural experiences occurs most readily through use of direct experiences that possess a sense and feeling of meaning for the individuals, are those involving interactions between an individual and other individuals from diverse backgrounds including ethnic and linguistic minorities as well as interactions with individuals possessing learning and physical disabilities. These interactions permit the development a greater degree of cultural sensitivity and foster the growth of the spirit, which is in and of itself is a hallmark of culture according to Jawaharlal Nehru:

Culture is the widening of the mind and of the spirit.

Educators who seek to widen their own horizons or those of their students must do so with the greatest care being taken because as with all things an education begun prematurely can be quite dangerous because, the mind may not be able to cope with the knowledge that accompanies new ideals, concepts, and processes as Oliver Wendell Holmes illustrated:

Knowledge and timber shouldn't be much used till they are seasoned.

The use of unseasoned knowledge that results from an education which is begun too early to be accompanied by understanding often leads to the loss of both cultural identity of awareness of the majority, and the denigration of the culture of the minority culture. If the proper care is not devoted to education the end result is an education that is contrary to the aims of multicultural education as Edward T. Hall asserted:

We should never denigrate any other culture but rather help people to understand
the relationship between their own culture and the dominant culture. When you
understand another culture or language, it does not mean that you have to lose
your own culture.

The Usefulness of Learning Style Inventories

Using learning styles inventories to determine the learning styles of individuals is to a certain extent subjective in nature because, the responses to the questions are largely qualitative in nature. The use of qualitative questions and responses raises the following question in my mind: Can the use of qualitative questions and responses accurately develop a quantitative picture of an individual and their learning habits? I would argue that the picture of an individual developed through the use of such tests remains to a degree subjective in nature because, such tests are by their nature are reliant on the opinions of the test taker. In order to be the most effective the test administrator must bear in mind the inherent subjectivity of the tests and must not rely completely on the results of such tests, in order to maximize the usefulness of the information gathered from the results should be weighed and balanced against the observations of the teacher.

My Thoughts on Cognitive Development

Jean Piaget’s work related to cognitive development theory fully realized the general stages of cognitive development postulated by James Mark Baldwin. While, the divisions proposed by Piaget are generally sound. I find that the theory as advanced by the Piaget and pure Piagetians too simplistic because, the theory as advanced by them is illustrate is indicative of a smooth and fluid developmental pathway . Cognitive behavioral development is in truth a difficult, arduous, and lengthy process the pure Piagetians when developing the theory never anticipated or provided for the phenomenon of decalage which are unpredicted gaps in the developmental process and never provided any means or method of explaining the gaps.

Additionally, the theory as constructed initially by Piaget and his early disciples consisted of the four stages: Sensorimotor (years 0–2); Preoperational (years 2–7); Concrete operational (years 7–11); Formal operational (years 11–adulthood); with each stage possessing many half-stages. Piaget and the pure Piagetians used a broad and general set of domains when constructing the theory that did not take into account the possible existence of developmental stages beyond formal operational stage or of a stage that precedes the onset of the preoperational stage, subsequent research has demonstrated two things: One, that the majority of these half-stages are in fact full developmental stages. Two, research has provided sufficient evidence to support the existence of stages beyond the formal operational stage and prior to the beginning of the preoperational phase.

Lev Semenovich Vygotsky argued that the person possesses a zone of proximal development; Vygotsky defined the zone of proximal development as the gap between student’s actual developmental level as determined through the ability of the student to engage in problem solving and the potential developmental level when influenced by their interaction with peers and adults.

. . . The distance between the actual developmental level as determined by
independent problem solving and the level of potential development as determined
through problem solving under adult guidance, or in collaboration with more
capable peers (Vygotsky, 1978, p. 86)

The primary difference between Piaget and Vygotsky laid within their differing views and attitudes towards the exact nature and role of culture especially the idea of cultural mediation through the use of artifacts and symbols in the developmental process.

Having said that it cannot be denied that zone of proximal development exists, the main question that must be considered remains the degree to which cultural mediation affects and influences cognitive development.

I do not ascribe fully to either theorem, in my mind in order to be truly effective the Piagetian cognitive development theorem must be considered bearing the emendations of the Neo and Post Piagetians to the original theory in mind without these revisions the theory becomes useless. The most effective system in my mind would be one that uses Erikson’s model of psychosocial development, while taking into account Neo and Post Piagetian cognitive development theory, Vygotsky’s definition of the zone of proximal development, and Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.

Locard's Principle: A Political Application

A recent discussion about Senatorial politics raised the following two questions in my mind:

1. Can the principle of transference that is the foundation of Locard's Exchange Theory be applied metaphysically to politicians as a result of their interactions and exchanges?

2 If so could it be argued in a metaphysical sense that the moderates, centrists and independents could be construed as metaphysical examplars of the validity of transference on the basis of their position on the political spectrum?

Chess and Politics

Many amateur chess players, myself included tend to over utilize the queen.

As I have grown older and matured I have come to realize that over use of the queen in chess game has the following consequences:

First, most novice players tend operate under the fallacy that queen is omnipotent and capable of winning the game without assistance, this error often leads to disaster.

Second, the use of queen alone and unassisted over extends her, draining her power and lessening her effectiveness.

Third, the dimuntion of the power of the queen in conjunction with the dimminishment of her influence and control over the board often results in a zugszwang situation that results in the loss of the queen and other less powerful pieces ultimately hastening checkmate.

The same holds true in politics many would do well to remember Theodore Roosevelt's maxim of speak softly and carry big stick. I believe it significant that Teddy Roodevelt placed speaking before using the stick, a metaphor for the war making powers.

In doing so Roosevelt reaffirmed the belief of the Founders that the war powers, should only be invoked andexercised as a last resort when persuasion, negotiation, and all other avenues have failed to achieve the foreign policy goals of the United States, and only then after due deliberation with great care, caution, and due diligence being given to the objectives and outcomes.