Primary
or elementary education consists of the first years of formal,
structured education that occur during childhood. In most countries, it
is compulsory for children to receive primary education (though in many
jurisdictions it is permissible for parents to provide it). Primary
education generally begins when children are four to eight years of age.
The division between primary and secondary education is somewhat
arbitrary, but it generally occurs at about eleven or twelve years of
age (adolescence); some educational systems have separate middle schools
with the transition to the final stage of secondary education taking
place at around the age of fourteen. In the United Kingdom, Ireland, New
Zealand, Australia, South Africa, etc., schools which provide primary
education are referred to as primary schools. Primary schools in these
countries are often subdivided into infant schools and junior schools.
Technology is an increasingly influential
factor in education. Computers and mobile phones are being widely used
in developed countries both to complement established education
practices and develop new ways of learning such as online education (a
type of distance 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
understandings of students, including Multimedia literacy, and provides
new ways to engage students, such as classroom management software.
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 whiteboard is capturing
the attention of students in the classroom. Technology is also being
used in the assessment of students. One example is the Audience Response
System (ARS), which allows immediate feedback tests and classroom
discussions.
Schooling occurs when
society or a group or an individual sets up a curriculum to educate
people, usually the young. Schooling can become systematic and thorough.
Sometimes education systems can be used to promote doctrines or ideals
as well as knowledge, and this can lead to abuse of the system.
The philosophy of
education is the study of the purpose, nature and ideal content of
education. Related topics include knowledge itself, the nature of the
knowing mind and the human subject, problems of authority, and the
relationship between education and society. At least since Locke's time,
the philosophy of education has been linked to theories of developmental
psychology and human development.
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