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Encyclopedia

Posted: Mon Jan 29, 2007 3:25 am
by portokalos
Is education a circle?

Posted: Mon Jan 29, 2007 11:55 am
by skinem
Ah, Portokalos, I didn't know you were a philosopher!

Many would argue that it is, in the sense that for education to take place an individual must be looking for it, or at least, receptive. (After all, much of life's educational lessons are involuntary!)
If that is the case, education starts with the indivudual, there is a source that imparts some sort of lesson, and it returns to the individual, who, then in turn, can impart lessons to others.

Personally, I've viewed it more as a give and take, with much monitoring to ensure understanding...

I'll see if I can dig up some of my old foundations of ed texts--if that's the subject you were asking about!

Re: Encyclopedia

Posted: Mon Jan 29, 2007 1:22 pm
by Palewriter
Is education a circle?
From the Online Etymology Dictionary:

Encyclopedia

1531, "course of construction," thought to be a false reading by L. authors of Gk. enkyklios paideia taken as "general education," but lit. "training in a circle," the essentials of a liberal education, from enkyklios "circular," also "general" (from en- "in" + kyklos "circle") + paideia "education, child-rearing," from pais (gen. paidos) "child." Modern sense of "reference work arranged alphabetically" is from 1644, often applied specifically to the Fr. "Encylopédie ou Dictionnaire raisonné des Sciences, des Artes, et des Métiers" (1751-65).


Seems logical, particularly as such reference works are so popular among folks who move in academic circles.

-- PW

Re: Encyclopedia

Posted: Mon Jan 29, 2007 4:48 pm
by Perry
Is education a circle?
I often find myself circling back to refresh my memory of things already learned. But I also always seek new knowledge. Perhaps education is a spiral?

Re: Encyclopedia

Posted: Mon Jan 29, 2007 5:42 pm
by Palewriter
Is education a circle?
Perhaps education is a spiral?
Or maybe a double helix. :-)

-- PW

Posted: Mon Jan 29, 2007 6:52 pm
by skinem
Or a Venn diagram...

(very popular in education...)

Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 12:14 am
by Bailey
For me it's a hairpin, I start out to do something and have to double right back to try to figure what it was I was doing or what I just learned. Sigh.

mark back-to-back-Senior-moments Bailey

Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 5:53 am
by portokalos
"Ah, Portokalos, I didn't know you were a philosopher!"

Was I? I like that you said

Posted: Wed Jan 31, 2007 1:11 am
by Stargzer
Ah, Portokalos, I didn't know you were a philosopher!
...
He should have said punster ... :D

Thanks for prodding PW into a little research. That is a nice pun!