Throughout the world, we all have the need to learn and educate ourselves further, whether it is too further ourselves with our work or to further our knowledge in general. Education is critical throughout the world; it allows us to partake in some of the most needed professions, such as professions related to the health career path. In order to educate ourselves, many outlets have become widely available all over the world, such as Schools, Colleges, University, Libraries and the Internet, allowing us to expand our knowledge like never before.

What is Education?

Education, in the largest sense, is any act or experience that has a formative effect on the mind, character or physical ability of an individual. In its technical sense, education is the process by which society deliberately transmits its accumulated knowledge, skills and values from one generation to another. Education involves a variety of knowledge, be it in basic skills, academics, technical or discipline. In order to educate ourselves, we will often process knowledge using a variety of different techniques, using inspiration, visionary ambitions, creativity, risk, ability to bounce back from failure or motivation, each are all key when it comes to successful education, as they allow you to understand the value of knowledge, and what is can do for you.

Teachers within Education

Teachers in educational institutions direct the education of students, and might draw on many different subjects, such as reading, writing, mathematics, science and history. This process is sometimes called schooling when referring to the education of teaching only a certain subject, usually as professors at institutions of higher learning. There is also education in fields for those who want specific vocational skills, such as those required to be a pilot. In addition there is an array of education possible at the informal level, such as in museums and libraries, with the Internet and in life experience. Many non-traditional education options are now available, and continue to evolve as each year passes.

Education as a right

The right of education has been established as a basic human right since 1952, Article 2 of the first Protocol to the European Convention on Human Rights obliges all signatory parties to guarantee the right to education. At world level, the United Nations’ International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights of 1996 guarantees this right under its Article 13.

Formal Education Systems

Education is a concept, referring to the process in which students can learn something. Instruction refers to facilitating of learning toward identified objectives, delivered either by an instructor or forms. Teaching refers to the actions of a real live instructor designed to impart learning to the student. Learning, as opposed to teaching and instruction, refers to learning with a view toward preparing learners with specific knowledge, skills, or abilities that can be applied immediately upon completion.

Primary Education

Primary (or elementary) education consists of the first 5-6 years of formal, structured education. In general, main education consists of six or eight years of schooling, starting at the age of five or six, although this varies between countries. Globally, around 70% of primary-age children are enrolled in primary education, and this proportion is rising. Under the Education for All programs driven by UNESCO, most countries have committed to achieving universal enrolment in primary education by 2015, and in many countries, it is compulsory for children to receive primary education. The division between primary and secondary education is somewhat arbitrary, but it generally occurs at about eleven or twelve years of age. Some education systems have separate middle schools, with the transition to the final stage of secondary education taking place at around the age of fourteen. Schools that provide primary education are mostly referred to as primary schools. Primary Schools in these countries are often subdivided into infant schools and junior schools.

Secondary Education

In most contemporary educational systems of the world, secondary education comprises the formal education that occurs during adolescence. It is characterized by transition from the typically compulsory, comprehensive primary education for minors, to the optional, selective tertiary, “post-secondary”, or “higher education” (e.g., university, vocational school for adults). Depending on the system, schools for this period may be called secondary or high schools, gymnasiums, lyceums, middle schools, colleges or vocational schools. The exact meaning of any of these terms varies from one system to another. The exact boundary between primary and secondary education also varies from country to country and even within them, but is generally around the seventh to the tenth year of schooling. Secondary education occurs mainly during the teenage years. In the United States and Canada, primary and secondary education together are sometimes referred to as K-12 education, and in New Zealand, Years 1-3 are used. The purpose of secondary can be to give common knowledge, to prepare for higher education or to train directly in a profession.

Secondary education did not occur in the United States until 1910, caused by the rise in big businesses and technological advances in factories (for instance, the emergence of electrification), that required skilled workers. In order to meet this new job demand, high schools were created and the curriculum focused on practical jobs skills that would better prepare students for white collar or skilled blue collar work. This proved to be beneficial for both the employer and the employee, because this improvement in human capital caused employees to become more efficient, which lowered costs for the employer, and skilled employees received a higher wage than employees with just primary educational attainment.

Higher Education

Higher education, also called tertiary, third stage, or post secondary education, is the non-compulsory educational level that follows the completion of a school providing a secondary education, such as a high school, secondary school. Tertiary education is normally taken to include undergraduate and postgraduate education, as well as vocational education and training. Colleges and universities are the main institutions. Tertiary education generally results in the receipt of certificates, diplomas, or academic degrees.

Higher education includes teaching, research and social services activities of universities, and within the realm of teaching, it includes both the undergraduate level (sometimes referred to as tertiary education and the graduate (or postgraduate) level (sometimes referred to as graduate school). Higher education generally involves work towards a degree-level or foundation degree qualification. In most developed countries, a high proportion of the population (up to 50%) now enter higher education at some time in their lives. Higher education is therefore very important to national economies, both as a significant industry in its own right, and as a source of trained and educated personnel for the rest of the economy.

Adult education

Adult education has become common in many countries over recent years. It takes on many forms, ranging from formal class-based learning to self-directed learning and e-learning. A number of career specific courses such as veterinary, medical billing and coding, real estate license, bookkeeping and many more are now available to students through the Internet.

E-Learning

The term e-learning often has different meanings to different people. For instance, in the business world, it often refers to the strategies that use a company network to deliver training courses to employees and lately, in most Universities, e-learning is used to define a specific mode to deliver course content and activities or program of study online.

By 2006, 3.5 million students were participating in online learning at institutions of higher education in the United States. According to the Sloan Foundation reports, there has been an increase of around 12-14 percent per year on average in enrolments for fully online learning over the five years 2004-2009 in the US post-secondary system, compared with an average of approximately 2 per cent increase per year in enrolments overall.

Educational Curriculum

An academic discipline is a branch of knowledge which is formally taught, either at the university, or via some other such method. Each discipline usually has several sub-disciplines or branches, and distinguishing lines are often both arbitrary and ambiguous. Examples of broad areas of academic disciplines include natural sciences, mathematics, computer science, social sciences, humanities and applied sciences.

Learning techniques

It is currently fashionable to divide education into different learning “modes”. These modes include:

* Visual – Learning based on observation and seeing what is being learned.

* Auditory – Learning based on listening to instructions/information.

* Kinaesthetic – Learning based on hands-on work and engaging activities.

It is said that depending on preferred learning modalities, different teaching techniques have different levels of effectiveness. A consequence of this theory is that effective teaching should present a variety of teaching methods which cover all three learning modalities so that different students have equal opportunities to learn in a way that is effective for them.

Technology and Education

Technology is an increasingly influential factor in education. Computers and mobile phones are used in developed countries both to complement established education practices and develop new ways of learning, such as online education. This gives students the opportunity to choose what they are interested in learning. The proliferation of computers also means the increase of programming and blogging. Technology offers powerful learning tools that demand new skills and understands of students, including Multimedia, and provides new ways to engage students, such as virtual learning environments. Technology is being used more, not only in administrative duties in education, but also in the instruction of students. The use of technologies such as PowerPoint and interactive whiteboards are capturing the attention of students in the classroom.