Learning, Memorizing or Both? Autonomy of Education; A Comparative Analysis

Abstract

Freedom to one selves learning, is the most simply put explanation to autonomy in education. This article humbly discusses various aspects of autonomy in education, why it should be an active trait in educating systems (targeting higher education), how it could be implemented, reasons as to why a change in the education system is imperative not just for the students but equally essential for the other stakeholders such as academicians, parents and society who are largely and proportionately responsible for shaping young minds, the vitality of hands on knowledge and its use in real life situations. As, one can’t train an army by handing them a book of techniques, and expecting them to attain victory at the war front, that will simply put them at risk and the country at a higher one. Eventually, elaborating on a comparative analysis on the education system in India to the Cambridge education system; as the researcher has first hand experience of both. Without demeaning either of the education systems. “Education is a social process. Education is growth. Education is, not a preparation for life; education is life itself”, said John Dewey. The world is growing at an exponential rate, every single day. There are groundbreaking innovations taking place around the world almost every minute. The objective is to produce individuals pioneering creativity and not otherwise. Accountability, responsibility, productivity and self-reliance are just to name a few; real life facilitating tools helping an individual attain his/her maximum potential. Psychologically speaking, learning is defined as, “any relatively permanent change in behavior brought by experience or practice”. Moreover, it is biologically proven that each time we learn a new motor skill or something new, our brain structure physically changes to acclimatize it. Experience and practice being the fundamental characteristics here; which merely lead us to accountability by broadening our horizons, making us think out of the box, helping us understand why sometimes, coloring out of the lines is necessary, then likewise, enables learning by creating fresh thinkers, not just human versions of outdated operating systems.The present research is aimed to produce a comparative analysis of both the education systems by listing the broadly understood and experienced findings for both. It is also an attempt to initiate a system with an integrated conceptual framework comprising both learning and memorizing as their fundamental core.