The apprenticeship style of learning appears to be no longer a valid component of education. There was a time when the education of children would be primarily via parents and mentors, those entrusted with the awesome task of passing on to the next generation the things that had been tested and proved true and valid through life's experiences.

Today we learn from the written and spoken word in all its streams of presentation (via lecturers, books, the internet and hard copy) and yet who are our mentors in the learning process? We embark on our education at the age of four or five years and rapidly become accustomed to listening to an older person, a symbol of authority, teaching us what he or she has been trained to pass on. There is little proof of the teacher's integrity in this learning process. How do we really know they believe what they are passing on? Is it demonstrated in their own life and behavior?

Of course as we get older we are encouraged to obtain information from the internet and other impersonal sources. We are rapidly becoming the victims of information overload. Our brains are not able to be effective filters for the data that is presented to us so indiscriminately. Like the computers from which we glean much of our information, we are able to spout forth what we have taken in with little real understanding and appreciation of its significance.

Compare this type of education with the long-tested apprenticeship style of learning. The importance of this lies with the relationship that develops over time between student and teacher. A foundation of trust becomes an invaluable facilitator for the passing on of information. The student sees how his mentor displays what he teaches in his own life. Information is not presented in a vacuum; the integrity between the teacher's words and actions is constantly being reinforced. The practical demonstration of the theory is a powerful learning tool, and when it takes place over an extended period, the student becomes an appreciative learner.

The apprenticeship style of learning today is usually denigrated by universities as being merely the method through which a trade such as mechanics or plumbing is passed on. There appears to be no place for it in institutions of higher education. However I believe we would all benefit from this type of learning. It is not a short-term process, as it takes some years for the relationship between teacher/mentor and student to develop. It was seen at its

• 1
• 2
• next page >>

---

Add your voice

Know something about The missing ingredient in education?
We want to hear your view. Write now!