To Be or To Do Rekindling the Five Pillars of Education

Estrelita A. Manalang

“I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.” These words from Confucius sufficed once again as we enliven our experiences with regards to the five pillars of education. Learning to know, learning to do, learning to be, learning to live together and learning to transform are such big words for us educators that require big actions from us.

In my opinion, all the five pillars are equally important, each affects another. Learning to know can be considered as the foundation of the other pillars while learning to do allows the learner to experience the skill first hand in order to gain independence in the following pillars. In these two pillars, teachers must act as facilitators of learning while teaching valuable content and skills.

Furthermore, learning to be is an equally significant element to a child’s development. As teachers, we must allow the child to grow as the person that he/she is. We should guide him/her in the development of his/her true self. Allow our learners to discover their strengths and weaknesses, let them love their own flaws and imperfections and help them realize their full potential.

With these three pillars, the learner becomes ready to learn to live with others. Some say that true happiness is about other people. If this is true then let’s teach the child to mingle, collaborate and unite. This principle is what we follow in today’s trend of giving collaborative performance as a means of measuring our students skills. We give activities that allow them to participate with others.

Ultimately, we allow the child to transform, for the evidence of learning is in changing--positively changing to be a better person. Let’s help the learner to transform, for challenges do not end in the four corners of the classroom. Again, this is only possible in teaching not only the heart but the mind and heart as well.

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The author is Master Teacher I at ACNTS