All Worthwhile Learning Occurs in Educational Institutions - Essay Example

This knowledge base takes a person through a variety of life experiences to help him or her practice a profession, meet people and basically, make a life. This paper discusses the fact that the process of worthwhile learning is not limited merely to educational institutions. The paper has been constructed in terms of a discussion of the determinants as outcomes of worthwhile learning outside the educational institutions. From there, it goes into finer details as far as aspects of those determinants of cognitive development are concerned.

These aspects have to do with general and other competencies. Before launching into a discussion of the same, I have separated informal and formal learning so as to better understand the basis on which the determinants of worthwhile learning have been taken. . It could be argued that any learning that contributes to the overall shaping of a person's cognitive development for positive interactions within their various spheres of operation are the determinants of what learning is 'worthwhile learning'.

Also, it is decided from his or her social position which affects the criteria of people of what is worthwhile due to the different needs and potentialities that exist in each social class. This fact raises some social issues about the inequality between people to gain access to privileged education (e.g. the notion of 'elite' universities) that will not be analyzed in this essay. So, the definition of worthwhile learning is a subjective view as according to Johnson: "One person's useful knowledge was another's useless ignorance" (see Johnson, 1988, p.23). But how do experiences structure any kind of learning Usually, it has been believed that the education system begins at home, for example involving the learning of specific sets of values.

To begin with, the role of experience and learning from the same in one's life is one that fulfills the need to belong (Byram and Morgan, 1994). This sense of belonging rises from one's immediate environment where there is focus on the values that one is born into and more characteristics of culture, region, and terrain. It should, of course, be acknowledged that not all learning in the home will necessarily be helpful as sometimes children can learn behaviors from parents that are not acceptable in a wider society like to be racist or sexist.

The experience offers people first-hand knowledge of a variety of symbols (example) like judgment calls, decision-making process, and others, that one comes to associate with a place.