Educational Solutions

Dr, Caleb Gattegno was the first scientist to propose:

• that a Science of Education is possible
• that only awareness is educable in Man, and
• that the central object of study under the Science of Education be awareness

An early sketch of what Gattegno had in mind regarding the possibility of the Science of Education dates back to 1972 in an article originally published in Mathematics Teaching, the Bulletin of the Association of Teachers of Mathematics, #59, Summer 1972, titled "A Prelude to the Science of Education."

Gattegno writes:

"The usual demand made by the sciences of scientists is that they be with their problems and let these guide their steps.  A scientist gives himself to the subject he studies and only wishes to make statements which are valid about it..."

"In the field of education it is in no way different..."

"This paper also aims to be an inducement to its readers to consider the fulfillment that is possible in becoming scientists for education."

In this paper, written before the development of the Science of Education series of books, Gattegno begins with neutral and universal statements about education. In doing so, he outlines the facts on which the science is to be based. While acknowledging the unique qualities of every person, he discusses the inherent characteristics of human learning. Gattegno goes on to suggest a unit of measurement for learning, and identifies where, in various activities, these units are "spent."

In the years following this article, Gattegno further elaborated on what the Science of Education is, the uniqueness of human learning, appropriate instruments of study and methods of working, as well as the development of educational technology.  A consolidated overview of Gattegno's Science of Education is presented in a series of books originally published in the late 1980's:

1. The Science of Education Part 1: Theoretical Consideration
2. The Science of Education Part 2A: Reading the Social and Human Challenge
3. The Science of Education Part 2B: The Awareness of Mathematization
4. The Science of Education Part 2C: The Teaching and Learning of Foreign Languages

Several other books related to the Science of Education are also published.  These include

1. What We Owe Children
2. The Mind Teaches the Brain
3. In The Beginning There Were No Words: The Universe of Babies

The Science of Education is relevant and necessary for the directed and meaningful advancement of Education. Gattegno's core propositions give structure to an organizing paradigm present in most sciences, but lacking in education:

1. What is educable in humans? According to Gattegno it is "awareness."  In fact Gattegno claims "only awareness is educable in man"
   
   
2. What do Scientists of Education observe, study, and scrutinize? They study human awareness.  There are two nuances:  1.) awarenesess, that is those things of which we can become aware, and 2.) awareness itself, the property/capacity/characteristic/attribute of our Self that enables us to generate awarenesses.
   
   
3. What kinds of questions do Scientists of Education ask? They asked questions related to awareness. General questions: What is awareness? how does awareness work?  Or, more specific questions.  For example: What types of activities and experiences can we suggest to enable 5 and 6 year old students to become aware that they can generate and read thousands of words at a low cost of time and effort by working on three ways to algebraically (insertion, addition, reversal) manipulate the graphemes and phonemes in a word.
   
   
4. How do Scientists of Education structure these questions? Education is field in which absolutes are far and few between, and relativities dominate.  There are three essential currencies in play.  Time, Effort, Effectiveness.  Time can be measured in more or less the usual way - minutes, hours, days etc.  Effort can be measured in terms of personal energy expended.  Effective educational experience yield large amounts of learning.  High quality educational experiences are those which are 1.)  shorter in duration, 2.)  requirie lower amounts of effort, and 3.)  yield comparatively larger amounts of learning.  Scientist of Education structure their questions within this context and they are cognizant that the questions are typically framed, studied, and answered in a comparative sense.