Experience Versus Education

I find the debate on education versus experience one I have encountered many times. I have heard many graduates state they were rejected for a job due to lack of experience, but how are they to gain experience if no one is willing to give them the opportunity? Alternatively is it possible to learn all that we need from experience alone? Would you be happy for a teacher to educate your child based on a wealth of experience but with no formal training? As Eraut (1991) suggests a degree certificate or qualification validates ones claim to a specialised knowledge. It gives us confidence that that person will be informed, skilled and capable of performing well at their job.

However even the most qualified of people will have something to learn from experiencing work in a profession. I have been teaching for over 10 years and I encounter new experiences every day. Schon (1983) argues that a focused teaching of professional knowledge does not include the same situations or scenario's professionals perceive as central to their practice. I agree with this reasoning, in many of my teacher training classes students can show expert knowledge and understanding of the work with regards to build ups and syllabus theory, but then struggle to relay that to those they teach. Knowing the theory is not enough, to be a successful teacher we need to be able to be adaptable and creative when passing are knowledge onto others. I believe this is what Schon was debating, this knowledge can only be learned though are experience and interaction with students in the studio.

With all this considered I believe in order for us to become the best possible professionals a mixture of both experience and education is needed.  In recent years I feel that has become more recognised as a break away from more traditional forms of education is evident. Universities negotiate and compromise with professions in order to incorporate ideas of professional training which were previously outside higher education. Work based learning is becoming more popular, This BAPP course allows us to use our knowledge based through experience in our fields and gain formal recognition and academic credit for learning that occurs in the workplace. Apprenticeships have once more taken a more prominent place in today’s education. As the understanding of knowledge expands so does our views on how we can gain that knowledge.

This led to the thought of how modern education and people’s views on intelligence have changed. Intelligence was understood and could be measured by a grade received or an IQ score, however, with more people choosing apprenticeships or work based courses to further their knowledge it is recognised that experience is an important part of knowledge and intelligence is not as easily measured as we once thought.

Howard Gardner (1983) proposed the theory of multiple intelligence. Gardner suggested that there are 8 different types of intelligence and that each person has a unique blend of all 8 types of intelligence.

The traditional definition of intelligence is too narrow. Gardner's broader definition more accurately reflects ways in which people think and learn. It credits linguistic and mathematical abilities as intelligence but also classes’ musical, athletic and artistic abilities.  

Schon stated that knowledge should not be categorised as all knowledge: propositional, personal, tacit, process and know how is needed to perform professionally. While I agree that the whole is needed and all knowledge should work together to create a professional, I feel categorising and studying different types of knowledge and where they derive from will lead to greater understanding and better implication of knowledge.  In the same way that we can better understand a person’s intelligence or capability for intelligence based on an understanding of their strengths in each intelligence type, could we determine a person’s ability to perform a job it we discover where their knowledge is routed?

Here’s a link to the Birmingham Guild for Learning website where you can discover your blend of the 8 intelligences.