Nigel Smith's Educated Guesses: The Purpose Of Learning Analysis

Education has become an indispensable asset to many successful people. Although there is a common belief that a student’s purpose in pursuing education is simply to “learn” and gain a far-reaching amount of knowledge, many students still express that they do not learn much from school. Nigel Smith, in his article, “Educated Guesses: What is the Purpose of Education?” discusses the question of education’s true purpose, and implies that the most important lesson students need to learn from any educational experience is, in itself, the skill of learning. As schools attempt to instill both considerable amounts of knowledge and useful skills to students, the blend of both can “equip students to continue their own learning as independent adults” (Smith 33). However, educators and policymakers still see school systems and curricula as “hot topics” for debate. Why are students still not learning? What is the best way for students to learn? Is this more of a problem with the pedagogical methods of teachers, or in the students’ study habits?
Educational psychologists declare metacognition as a crucial concept in effective learning. Metacognition is “one’s knowledge concerning one’s own cognitive processes and products or anything related to them” (Cubukcu 2). In the context of the learning process, metacognition can refer to the …show more content…
This can prepare them to critically handle more problems and absorb more knowledge as they leave school and progress in their careers. As Smith says, the purpose of education is to “[foster] the development of knowledgeable, skillful, and ethical citizens in whom we can have confidence about the future of our society and world” (Smith 35). The practice and encouragement of metacognition can undoubtedly assure this development and help students and teachers realize their purpose in