Gutek's theory of education

Gutek's Theory Of Education

Education is one of the basic needs that must be addressed in our present time. The realization of this need is premised on the ability of teachers to be innovative in their teaching strategies and more importantly, their commitment in their profession. This essay explores Gerald Gutek's theory of education pertaining to authentic assessments, excellence in education, no child left behind, educating the whole child and education that makes a difference.

Gutek suggests that authentic assessment refers to the applicability of learning to real life situations. The teacher and student have different contexts that they are coming from, a careful consideration of these contexts is essential in assessing learning (Gutek 2004). These assessments can include assessments through their written and oral examinations. One instance is when students are able to operationalize concepts and theories they have learned in lecture discussions by their ability to relate it to actual events. Theories of individuals practicing rational choice are manifested when students answer that people premised their decisions on the benefits that can be derived for their personal gain. For instance, individuals who choose to elect a president of their organization based their decision which is rational on their perspective primarily because the leader would give them something in return in the form of material gain for their support.

Excellence in education is grounded on the idea that students should rediscover perfect ideas and that everyone has the right to access education. Mastery of the subject matter is a manifestation of excellence of education. Gutek contends that there is a hierarchy of subjects and this includes most general disciplines, philosophy, theology, mathematics and languages. Gutek stated that it is important to recognize the relationships of this subjects and a process of integration must then follow (Gutek 1997).

This in my view is the synergy of the various disciplines which is vital because there are certain common grounds of different disciplines that must be considered. For example, when we talk about human behavior, it is important to consider several perspectives of a number social science disciplines. Political science deals with human behavior concerning voting, advocacy and specific stands on political issues. Such behaviors are however based on the individual's family background and social standing through which the disciplines of sociology and economics would come into play. Another form excellence in education is manifested in the approach of modeling. Students learn more from imitation. This is one of the critical roles that teachers play; they should always serve as good epitomes of values that their students can emulate. They should be very conscious of the words they say and more importantly, in their actions.

For the concept that no child left behind, from my understanding reflects the concern of teachers for every individual student that they have. It shows that as everyone starts the race, everyone should cross the finish line. The approach shows that every student is given utmost importance and despite the seemingly low performance of the student, he or she should be given the necessary assistance to cope with the demands of learning. This is seen in certain examinations; some students prefer essay questions while some prefer the objective type, a good type of examination would then be to balance the items to reflect both essay and objective types in the examination. Another form of leaving no child behind is manifested during tutorial sessions wherein students are given added time to study their lessons on a one on one setting.

Educating the whole child refers to the way in which one should transcend the conventional methods and scope of learning. With this mindset of educating the whole child, one must recognize that there are other forms of intelligence that an individual should have, the individual may be good linguistically or may be aesthetically gifted. Educating the whole child corresponds to meeting the full potential of the child in terms of his or her intellectual abilities and transforming the individual into a good citizen, a productive member of society capable of following the law and helping those who are in need. For me, educating the whole child should go beyond learning the technicalities of a specific discipline but it should incorporate values such as performing one's civic duty that would over the long-term make the person a better member of the community.