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Self Education Essay

Decent Essays

From the day we are born, till the day we die, humans are constantly learning new things. Whether it be learning how to walk, learning things in school, or how to navigate the latest technology, everyone of all ages has something new to learn. Learning new things takes often takes a lot of effort on the part of the learner. It is because of this that Leland Ryken said in his speech, the students calling, that “All education is ultimately self-education” I believe Ryken is correct, everything we learn is processed by us, through either direct or unconscious thought.
First, it needs to be realized that self-education as defined by Ryken is different than that of self-directed learning. In the context of The Students Calling, Ryken states …show more content…

If thought about in this way, Ryken is right in his presupposition that all education is self-education. Learning and retaining any amount of information takes effort on the part of the learner; the self.
To further build my case in support of Ryken’s ideas, I would like to illustrate some of the counterpoints that could be made in its opposition, and show how Ryken’s statement holds true in the face of them.
I believe the biggest argument to be against the idea of all education being self-education is the idea that every now and then we learn things, despite no brain power or effort being put towards learning them. About three years ago while I was standing in my kitchen talking with my brother, a commercial with a catchy jingle about peanuts played on the TV in the other room. How is it that I can remember the exact tune and notes of the jingle years after the fact? I clearly remember trying to ignore the background noise the TV was providing, and yet I remember regardless. On its face, this would seem like a big exception to Ryken’s idea about all education being self-education; I learned something without any effort put forth on my end of things. The commercial was “educational” and I myself put in no effort to learn.
What is happening in our brain exactly when we remember information

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