VICE PRINCIPAL - TEACHING AND LEARNING
REDISCOVERING BEAUTY , GOODNESS AND TRUTH IN EDUCATION
MRS KRISTY IRWIN VICE PRINCIPAL – TEACHING AND LEARNING
VICE PRINCIPAL – TEACHING AND LEARNING KRISTY IRWIN WITH STUDENTS
EMBRACING THE TRANSCENDENT
Throughout history , the purpose of education has been a topic of ongoing debate . Is it merely the accumulation of facts and figures , a means to an economic end ? Or does it hold the potential for something more profound – a transformative journey in appreciating beauty , pursuing goodness and discerning truth ? For millennia , the ideals of beauty , goodness and truth have served as guiding lights for humanity , shaping the very essence of education . Plato , in his allegory of the cave , envisioned education as a process of breaking free from the shadows of ignorance and ascending towards the light of truth – a light that embodies not just knowledge , but also the inherent beauty of understanding .
Plato ’ s student and colleague , Aristotle , regarded education as pivotal to cultivating well-rounded individuals capable of ‘ eudaimonia ’ or human flourishing . His emphasis on fostering intellectual and moral virtues underscored a holistic vision of education in which the development of mind and character are inextricably linked .
Yet , somewhere in the passage of time , this noble vision of education has , at times , been overshadowed by a narrower , more utilitarian perspective . In this paradigm , the success of schools
and students is judged primarily by standardised test scores , such as NAPLAN and ATAR .
Schools , ranked on the basis of these metrics , become embroiled in a competitive environment , often at the expense of a more holistic approach to education . While achieving strong academic results is undeniably important and a rightful goal of any educational institution , an overreliance on such measures of success can distort the true purpose of learning . Rightly or wrongly , academic prowess alone will not suffice in equipping young people to thrive amid the complexities of the twentyfirst century .
So , what will enable young people to flourish ? I believe the answer lies in reaffirming education ’ s transcendent purpose : nurturing the mind , heart and spirit , a purpose deeply connected with cultivating an appreciation of beauty , goodness and truth . By fostering these ideals , students will not only understand the world intellectually , but will also be able to engage with it ethically and in a way that allows them to revere its inherent value and beauty . One way this might be achieved is by connecting with the ideas of leading cognitive scientist , Guy Claxton , who advocates
20 Great Scot Issue 171 – Edition 1 2024