Seventh Task: Neutrality in educational settings
Neutrality has been one of the most widely discussed topics throughout the whole world, especially when it comes down to moral and political issues, which are often devoid of compelling or conclusive evidence that may bring forth the absolute truth. Such paradigm acts as the groundwork for many people who would rather not stake their claims, or simply not take sides, and stay as the omniscient narrator of the novel.
In regards to educational settings, educators are generally inclined to provide a neutral pedagogical intervention in regards to topics that transcend a technical and methodological nature, which constitutes a predicament as that position does not enable learners to reflect upon the challenges they grapple with on a regular basis in their social contexts. Within this vast and confounding realm of neutrality, we will center on a few main topics — the definition of neutrality, the implications of being neutral, neutrality in education, disparate outlooks on neutrality, as well as critical pedagogy. These are the basis of our concern and will be unfolded throughout this paper.
Neutrality understood within the educational frame entails a myriad of different implications that range from ineffective learning processes to inappropriacy of teaching approaches. From the student’s perspective, neutrality may seem innocuous as it might enable learners to take up any form and meaning of events and phenomena surrounding them; however, this seeming convenient attitude more often than not hinders learners’ comprehension of the topics presented to them, as the vast array of possibilities are apparently equally valid, thereby rendering them all worthy elements of the truth. This premise compels students to set up a perilous habit of not properly questioning what they are given. As for the teacher’s viewpoint, according to Touriñán, J (1976), it is undoubtedly beside the point for education to whirl around protecting everyone’s freedom of thought at the expense of coming to terms with objectivity. As teachers, it is our obligation to hand down to other people reasonable lines of thought, evidence-based theories of the physical and intangible reality we are immersed in, and paying homage to every single stance and opinion will only undermine the ultimate aim of education: developing critical thinking skills as well as determination to rummage in long-held inquiries about bits and pieces of the world in order to close in on veracity as much as possible.
In regards to educational settings, educators are generally inclined to provide a neutral pedagogical intervention in regards to topics that transcend a technical and methodological nature, which constitutes a predicament as that position does not enable learners to reflect upon the challenges they grapple with on a regular basis in their social contexts. Within this vast and confounding realm of neutrality, we will center on a few main topics — the definition of neutrality, the implications of being neutral, neutrality in education, disparate outlooks on neutrality, as well as critical pedagogy. These are the basis of our concern and will be unfolded throughout this paper.
Neutrality understood within the educational frame entails a myriad of different implications that range from ineffective learning processes to inappropriacy of teaching approaches. From the student’s perspective, neutrality may seem innocuous as it might enable learners to take up any form and meaning of events and phenomena surrounding them; however, this seeming convenient attitude more often than not hinders learners’ comprehension of the topics presented to them, as the vast array of possibilities are apparently equally valid, thereby rendering them all worthy elements of the truth. This premise compels students to set up a perilous habit of not properly questioning what they are given. As for the teacher’s viewpoint, according to Touriñán, J (1976), it is undoubtedly beside the point for education to whirl around protecting everyone’s freedom of thought at the expense of coming to terms with objectivity. As teachers, it is our obligation to hand down to other people reasonable lines of thought, evidence-based theories of the physical and intangible reality we are immersed in, and paying homage to every single stance and opinion will only undermine the ultimate aim of education: developing critical thinking skills as well as determination to rummage in long-held inquiries about bits and pieces of the world in order to close in on veracity as much as possible.
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