Bicol University

GRADUATE SCHOOL
Legazpi, City

Student : Ma. Sharlyn A. Navia

Subject : PhD 302: Seminar in Educational Philosophy and Sociology

Program : Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership and Management

Professor : Dr. Baby Boy Benjamin D. Nebres, III

……
EDUCATION: A STUDY BASED ON THE UNESCO REPORT ON THE FOUR
PILLARS OF KNOWLEDGE
Nowadays, it is critical to develop a broader vision of educational goals, to facilitate
holistic approaches to reorganizing educational contents, and to build national capacity in
developing key competencies required of all learners through curriculum renewal in emerging
knowledge-based societies of the 21st century in order to achieve the goals of quality
education for all (EFA).

Following my reading of the article, I was able to reflect on the four pillars of learning,
as stated in Jacques Delors' work for UNESCO on the four pillars of knowledge: learning to
know, to do, to live together, and to be, which is bibliographic research. I was able to analyze
the concept of the four pillars of knowledge and reflect on the idea that, in order for education
to succeed in its goals, the curriculum as a whole should be restructured or repacked around
the four pillars of learning: learning to know, learning to do, learning to live together, and
learning to be.

‘Learning to know' demands ‘learning to learn,' requiring the use of concentration,

memory, and cognition, in order to take advantage of ongoing educational opportunities that
arise (formally and informally) throughout one's life. As a result, ‘learning to know' can be
viewed as both a means and an end in both learning and life. Its purpose is to enable individual
learners to grasp at least a basic understanding of nature, humankind and its history, his or
her environment, and society as a whole. As a result, it allows the learner to enjoy the process
of knowing, discovering, and understanding. Teachers should help the students on how to
process the information that is readily available today like selecting to process the kind of
information that we really need and also developing in them the instruments they can use to
master how their own selves learn. Therefore, learning to know is not simply acquiring
knowledge, it is a process of continuously learning to develop your instruments to learn.

Learning to do is intimately linked to vocational-technical education and work skills

training since it requires learners to put what they have learned or known into practice.
However, it extends beyond developing narrowly defined abilities for ‘doing' specific things or
performing practical activities in traditional or industrial economies. The emerging knowledge-
based economy is making human work increasingly immaterial. ‘Learning to do’ calls for new
types of skills, more behavioral than intellectual. The material and the technology are
becoming secondary to human qualities and interpersonal relationship.
 Learning to do thus entails a transition from skill to competence, or a combination of
higher-order skills unique to each person. ‘As knowledge and information become more
important as components in production processes, the concept of occupational skills is
becoming obsolete, and personal competency is taking center stage.' Thus, the ability to
communicate effectively with others; aptitude for teamwork; social skills in forming meaningful
interpersonal relationships; adaptability to change in the workplace and in social life;
competency in transforming knowledge into innovations and job creation; and a willingness to
take risks and resolve or manage conflicts are all examples of what ‘learning to do' entails.
Teachers are expected to develop the skills of the students that will be use to further unlock
their own potentials. As society changes, the demands for skills and competencies also
change. Teachers must be updated with the necessary teaching medium to cater these
changes in the society. As for students, different opportunities will arise, therefore, they should
not limit themselves with what is presented to them. Continue seeking knowledge to develop
your potentials. And one way to develop your potentials is by offering your service to the
society. Opportunity is where the demand is.

Learning to live together necessitates an education that follows two parallel paths: on
one one, the discovery of others, and on the other, the experience of shared goals throughout
one's life. It entails the development of qualities such as self-awareness and understanding of
others; appreciation of the human race's diversity and awareness of the similarities and
interdependence of all humans; empathy and cooperative social behavior in caring and
sharing; respect for other people's cultures and value systems; and the ability to encounter
other people. Understanding ourselves first before understanding others is a crucial process
to take into consideration to fully realized this pillar. Accepting that there are diversities and
knowing how these diversities can work together should be emphasized.
Values to be developed amongst students such as Non-Violence, Cooperation, Selfless
attitude, developing values, accepting human diversity and instill an awareness of the
similarities and interdependence of all people. To develop a sense of belongingness, using
our potentials for the benefit of the humanity will be a great help. Helping other people, being
open for change and other people’s point of view and respecting every culture that is different
to our own are examples that our students should manifest.

Learning to be is based on the principle that "the goal of development is the complete
fulfillment of man, in all the richness of his personality, the complexity of his forms of
expression, and his various commitments – as individual, family member, community member,
citizen and producer, inventor of techniques, and creative dreamer." Learning to be human
can thus be defined as acquiring knowledge, skills, and values that promote personality
development in its intellectual, moral, cultural, and physical aspects. This entails a curriculum
aimed at cultivating qualities such as imagination and creativity, as well as acquiring
universally shared human values, as well as developing aspects of a person's potential such
as memory, reasoning, aesthetic sense, physical capacity, and communication/social skills;
critical thinking and independent judgment; and personal commitment and responsibility.

In general, the school curriculum aims to achieve two broad goals: one, to provide
equal opportunities for all students to learn and achieve in order to make the best possible
progress and achieve the highest level of achievement; The other is to foster spiritual, moral,
social, and cultural growth in learners and to equip all students for the workplace and societal
obligations.
 Curriculum objectives are derived from over-arching educational goals, which address
human development at both personal and societal levels. On one hand education is a very
individualized process, whose stages correspond to those of the continuous maturing of the
personality. On the other hand, it represents ‘a process of constructing social interaction’
(Delors, 1996). From this perspective the four pillars of learning indicate broad goals of
education in a new century and could thereby reorient the setting of curriculum objectives.

To begin with, the pillar of ‘learning to be' reflects a shift from an instrumental view of
education, in which one submits to a process in order to achieve specific goals (e.g., economic
productivity), to a humanistic view of education, in which the development of the whole person
is emphasized, in short, learning to be (Delors, 1996). They indicate a learning environment
that promotes all-round development and the full realization of each learner's human potential.
As a result, school curricula should be more balanced, addressing not only the cognitive-
intellectual dimension of personality but also its spiritual, moral, social skills, and values
dimensions.

Second, the pillars of learning emphasize the importance of education in promoting

social cohesiveness, intercultural and international understanding, peaceful interaction, and,
ultimately, harmony. ‘These are the precise things that our world now currently lacks' (Delors,
1996). As a result, this goal necessitates a whole new curriculum domain, in which necessary
knowledge, a variety of skills, and values should be taught and caught in order to resolve and
manage conflicts for peace in the home, at school, in the community, and around the world.

Thirdly, the learning pillars suggest an educational objective in the development of a

learning society in the twenty-first century. The concept of lifelong learning emerges as "one
of the keys of the 21st century," with "the only way to satisfy it for each individual is for each
individual to learn how to learn." The shift from "schooling" to "learning throughout life" implies
that school education is only a part or a phase of the learning continuum, and curricula should
not attempt to "teach" or "cram" discipline-based details into young minds, aside from
fundamental knowledge, basic skills, and universal values that will prepare students for future
learning.

Fourth, the learning pillars indicate to a goal of considerably greater collaboration

between education and the workplace. This applies not only to ‘learning to do,' but also to the
other three pillars of learning, as one of education's primary goals is to educate young people
to be effective employees and responsible citizens in adulthood. The school curriculum can
no longer be solely academic and college-focused; it must also instill employable skills and
favorable attitudes toward employment, as well as create proficiency in adapting to change,
which is the "only constant."

To summarize, education of today should be directed by the four pillars of learning in

order to create an effective foundation for curriculum development in basic education in
national and regional contexts. These pillars will provide significant value to the relevancy of
curriculum content and the efficacy of curriculum implementation if they are utilized and
adapted effectively within the context. The four pillars of learning could be viewed and used
as essential concepts for reorienting educational objectives. The four learning pillars represent
a set of new essential competencies that should be expected of all students and achieved
through rearranged curricular content. The four pillars of learning could be applied in actual
curriculum repackaging through production of appropriate curriculum modules across learning
domains as cross-cutting themes, binding threads, and important parts in integrated
curriculum. However, the four pillars of learning remain largely a conceptual framework and
points of reference in experimentation with curriculum change. It will much depend on
concerted efforts by educational policy-makers, curriculum specialist, teachers and other
stakeholders of education to translate the pillars of learning into renewed curriculum objectives
content and delivery method in contributing to the achievement of educational goals through
meaningful curriculum changes.

REFERENCE
Delors, J. (1996). Learning: The Treasure Within. Paris: UNESCO UNESCO. 2004. EFA
Global Monitoring Report. Paris: UNESCO