Social Dimensions of Education: Key Concepts

A. The social dimensions of education take into account the global and national
issues and concerns of the 21 st century, including globalization, peace
education, multiculturalism, human right education, development education,
population

education,

citizenship

education,

environmental

education,

gender education, transformative education, and the new perspectives on

learning.
B. The social dimensions of education also consider the questions that reflect
common human dilemmas concerning stability vs. change, reaction to
differences and diversity, provision for needs and wants, individual freedom
vs. social control, population problems, environmental issues, technological
changes, and other challenges of life on earth.
C. Multiculturalism/Cultural pluralism
A philosophy that recognizes cultural diversity in a society and believes
that, although with different backgrounds, each diversity ethnic, social,
or racial group if encouraged, can work towards the society is common

good.
Is concerned with minorities as much as with majorities as they
relate and interact with each other in a given society; takes into
account cultural differences, inequalities, and ethnocentrism (belief
that ones own culture is superior to other cultures), but emphasizes
cultural
tolerance

understanding,
and

recognition,

peaceful

and

coexistence,

rights,

and

as

well

advocates
as

the

Multiculturalization of society
Advocates multicultural education that;
1. Has become an important part of education because of changes
in immigration patterns, historical realities, and birth rates,
concern about levels of achievement, and discrimination against
certain ethnic groups,
2. Aims to create equal educational opportunities to students from
diverse racial, ethnic, social class, and other cultural groups; to
help students acquire the knowledge, attitudes, and skills
needed to function effectively in a pluralistic democratic society
and to interact, negotiate and communicate with peoples from

Social Dimensions of Education: Key Concepts

diverse groups in order to create a civic and moral community
that works for the common good (Banks,1995)
3. Encourages multicultural educational programs that;
Are based on assumptions about relationship among cultural
background, self-esteem, motivation, and learning.
May stress the contributions of famous ethnic minority
individuals to the mainstream culture; multicultural concepts,
themes, and points of view, and the need to take actions
concerning multicultural issues.
Includes such key concepts as ethnic identity, cultures,
ethnic community, racism, communications, self-concerns,
power, and acculturation, among others.
Makes use of such instructional techniques as peer tutoring,
cooperative learning, and mastery learning, among other
effective strategies that are personality empowering, socially
transformative, and pedagogically humanistic.
D. Globalizations
Reflects an increased interdependence among nations as a result of

technologies that draw most parts of the world closer together

Involves the processes of changes that emphasized

the

transformation in the organization of human affairs by linking

together and expanding human activity across regions continents

(held, et al, 1999)

Focuses on the intensified interconnectedness among nations and
regions on accounts of the increasing flow of trades commerce,
emerging patterns of immigration, moderns forms of communication
and technology, and growing concerns over social, cultural, political,

environmental and other aspects of life worldwide

Creates a strong need for global education that should:
1. Help students develop a global perspective, especially as regards
their futures rate as citizens of their own country and of the world,
and without unduly and intentionally creating disregards and
indifference towards things that are local, particularly that which
concerns the developments of national identity and sense of
nationhood;
2. Focuses on the increasing magnitudes of the necessity for interconnectedness as much as on the issues and concerns that

Social Dimensions of Education: Key Concepts

inherently

emanate

from

such

inter

connectedness/interdependence;
3. Aim to equip the students with the required knowledge, skills, and
attitude that will help[ them understand, appreciate, and cope with
the demands of globalization;
4. Contains specific lessons that provides answer to these questions;
What are the historical origins of cooperation and conflicts
among nations?
What are the patterns of resource distribution across the face
of the earth? How are global relations affected by unequal
distribution of population and resource?
How the economic problems of one nation do affects the
other parts of the world?
How are the disputes between and among nations resolved?
How has technology charged the norms of behavior in
different parts of the world?
What have the world cultures done to retain their individual
identities in the face of accelerating changes?
How are the difference personal & social needs of people met

in different parts of the world?

Certain implications of globalization on Education
1. May lead to the establishment of a more profit-oriented, commodities and
corporate run educational kind of educational institutes
2. May threaten the autonomy of national educational systems
3. Could create a culture that makes people more of consumers than
producers
4. Could encourages higher institutions of learning to focus more on
programs that support the nations wealth growth than on liberal
education
5. May encourage more protection and reputation of intellectual property
rights
6. Could lead to a reduction of government supports and subsidy for
education
7. Close partnership of higher education with industry and governments

techno-science initiatives
E. Human rights education
o Human rights as a terms basically refers to that right of all individuals
to be human, with a claim to dignity, freedom, equality, and justice,
according to law and moral precepts.

Social Dimensions of Education: Key Concepts

o

Human rights are legal rights that defines a persons existence and
protect him from inequality and harm as national and international

treaties, laws, and pronouncements clearly show

Human right apply to everyone everywhere regardless of colors, sex,
religion, country, wealth or opinion and are based on universal values

of equality, freedom, human dignity, and justice

Human right are of several types;
1. Civil and political right (right to life, privacy, found a family,
nationality, poverty, and recognition as a person)
2. Economic right (right to an adequate standard of living/social
security/ work/ justice and favorable work conditions/ join trade
unions
3. Cultural rights (right to participate in cultural life/ education and
training/ information
4. Right to education, development, and balanced environment
5. Legal right ( equality before the law, freedom of thought,
conscience, and religion/ opinion and expression/ assembly and

association/ movement/ participate in public affaires

Human rights education focuses on the teaching and learning of values,
principles and standards of human right, and how they can be made a part of
a persons daily life to the extent that it becomes a way of life; aims to
empower individuals as they realized and enjoy the fact that have right that

serve as equalizer for all people of different traits, beliefs and status in, life.
F. Gender education
o Gender education is anchored on gender equality/sex equity, which has
the following dimensions:
1. Equality of access, which means, that both boys and girls are
provided equitable access/opportunities to gain admission to
formal, nonformal, or alternative means to basic education.
2. Equality in the learning process, meaning that girls and boys
receive

equitable

treatment

and

attention

and

have

equal

opportunities to learn; that they are exposed to teaching methods,

curriculum, and materials that are free of gender biases, and both
have the freedom to learn and develop skills in all academic and
extra-curricular offering
3. Equality of educational outcomes, which means that girls and boys
enjoy equal opportunities to achieve, with outcomes based on their

Social Dimensions of Education: Key Concepts

individuals

talent

and

effort.

To

ensure

fair

chances

for

achievement, the length of time to finish a career, academic

qualification, evaluation measures, and diplomas should not differ
based solely on a persons sex.
4. Equality of external results, refers to equal access given to both
men & women in terms of goods, resources, and opportunities to
participate in, contribute to, and benefit from economic, social
cultural and political activities. This also includes equality in terms
o

of employment, career opportunities, and earning.

Gender education attempts to develop each individuals to his or her
potentials and to ensure that all life roles are virtually open to both male
and female students, so that they feel secure in the knowledge that their

sex is not a block to pursuing a career

Gender education aims to promote gender equality and harness the role

of women in development
G. Environmental education
o Environmental education should make all students realize that:
1. Cultures and societies must consider the impact of human activities
on the physical environment in order to survive
2. Cultural attitudes and values play a role in the discussion that
weight the potential benefits of technological advances and the
potential damages these advances pose for the environment
3. We, as human beings, are part of an involving eco-system in which
all life system (plants, animals, air, water, soil, minerals, etc.) are
connected in every significant ways; we are one with the earth, we
are not dominant of it.
4. People should understand fully well that if they destroy or alter one
link in the chain of life systems, it will damage other links,
weakening the life support system, and threatening the survival of
o
o

all earths species including people and the whole planets as well.
Rethinks human- earth relationship, promoter care of environment for
sustainable document.
May include topics that can provide answers to these question:
1. What have been the consequences of past abuses of the physical
environment?
2. What relationships exist between the locations of environmental
problems and the patterns of population distributions?
3. How can change in land use influence the physical environment?

Social Dimensions of Education: Key Concepts

4. What costs are associated with conversation and environmental
protection?
5. What are the approaches to resolving international environmental
problems?
6. How have groups cooperated to protect the environment?
7. How do different cultures view their relationships with the
environment?
8. Why do some individuals resist changes and continue actions that
damages the environment even when confronted with evidence
that their actions are harmful?
H. Education for sustainable development
o Education for sustainable development envisions a world where everyone
is provided with the opportunity to benefit from quality education and
learn the values, behavior, and lifestyle required for a sustainable future
o

and for positive social transformation

To promote education for sustainable development, four core values have
to be considered:
1. Reverence of all life, which may be associated with environmental
education, gender education, and human rights education.
2. Intergenerational equity, which may include gender and human
rights education
3. Concept of Universal harm, which may be related to environmental
education and human rights education
4. Solidarity / communion, which particularly relates to environmental

I.

education
The four pillars of Education
1. Learning to know
a. Involves development of the facilities of memory, imagination,
reasoning, problem solving and the ability to think coherently and
critically
b. Assumes that acquiring knowledge is a never-ending process, hence
mastering the instrument of knowledge must be mastered.
2. Learning to do
a. Ability to communicate with others effectively
b. Aptitude toward team work
c. Skill in building meaningful interpersonal relations
d. Adaptability to change in the world of work and social life
e. Competence in creating innovations/ job creation
f. Readiness to take risk
g. Ability to resolve/manage conflicts
3. Learning to live together
a. Fuller understanding of self and others
b. Recognition and appreciation of human diversity
c. Awareness of the similarities and interdependence among all
people

Social Dimensions of Education: Key Concepts

d. Cooperation, sharing and caring for others
e. Respect for other people, then cultures ad value systems
f. Ability to resolve conflicts and work with others towards common
goal
4. Learning to be
a. Aim of development of is the complete fulfilment of man, in all richness of
his personality, the complexity of his forms of expressions and his various
commitment as an individual, member of the family and community, a
citizen, a producer and user of technology, a creative dreamer
b. Basically means learning to be human who is imbued with the necessary
knowledge skills and attitudes conducive to all aspects of personality
development
c. Requires the kind of education that cultivates the learners imagination
and creativity, develops their potential, critical thinking, independent
judgment, personal commitment and responsibility