The subject of transforming education seems to be getting a good ply on
some other electronic venues. So I pass this along to those who might care.
I will try to take care of the inter-change (if any)
Harrison
User-Agent: Microsoft-Outlook-Express-Macintosh-Edition/5.02.2022
Date: Fri, 28 Dec 2001 09:48:13 -0500
Subject: Re: [LearningCommunities] transforming education
From: ellis <tra...@rangeley.org>
To: <learningcommunit...@yahoogroups.com>
CC: <owe...@mindspring.com>,
<a...@klein.net>,
<mis...@hotmail.com>
Thanks Harrison, Michael, Alan and others. This is the first serious
discussion of what this list is all about we've had for some time. It is
very much in tune with our prupose for being. And it starts very close to
where we started. But I will add a few caveates in below.
>
> Subject: Transforming Education
BE:
A minor point but a serious concept as, Dr. Roland Meighan often points out.
Our topic is not "education" but "learning." Education is something one
individual does to another, learning is an act of self volition. Schools
educate by teaching. Deschooling society, as Ivan Illich suggests, is
eliminating the school/educate/teach syndrome.
> Open Space is founded on the notion of
> "Self-Organizing Systems". Specifically on the notion that ALL systems are
> self-organizing and that we do damage to them by trying to control them
from
> without.
BE:
"Spontaneous self-organization at the edge of chaos" was the topic of my
1998 E.F.Schumacher Lecture that used homeschooling as one example. I
speculatged that HSing are the cells that are spontaneously linking and
self-organizing could form a radically differen universal system of
learning.
My question here is do we really damage them by tryng to control them?
I agree that they will happen spontaneously without guidance, like the
weather happens. But IMHO we can help them happen by providing the right
social cells and helping to stimulate links. But I agree that it will
happen if we staned out of the way. That is how all evolution happens. It
is a search for bettter ways of doing things and is ruled by survival of the
fittest. If a better system is allowed to evolve society will evolve with
it.
> - What if schools were formed as consciously self-organizing systems.
BE:
The very concept of schools, and certainly government controlled schools,
destroy the concept of open and free learning.
A better learning system will spontaneously self-organize if allowed, but
not if government maintains standards and control.
> - What if all participants (parents, staff, and students) were given
> equal, democratic power and rights within the school?
> - What if students of all ages were recognized as responsible for their
> own learning?
> - What if this meant that there were no mandated classes, tests, or
> other externally imposed requirements?
> - What if the only requirement for graduation is to defend (to the
> entire school community) the thesis that you are ready to take
responsibility
> for yourself in the outside world?
BE:
The idea of "graduation" destroys your other good points. Who is to decide
when someone should graduate. This requires some set of standards, tests,
and control. Margaret Mead, Albert Einstein, Abraham Lincoln, Thomsa Edison
and may others did not rely on graduation to becom valuable members of
society.
The concept of graduation made some sense in the days when one could gain
the skills and knowledge needed for a life long job. As Peter Drucker,
Barry Carter and others have pointed out for the coming age it will be
impossible to "graduate." Instead society will need a lifelong learning
system.
> There are a few schools that operate in this way aound the US as well
> as other places on the planet. What is your reaction to this way of
> organizing education? What concerns arise in you? What excitements
arise? What
> questions occur to you?
BE:
In its book and website 'A Coalition for Self-Learning" has tried to list
such organizations in its "Resource Section," and invites unique learning
organizations to describe their mission, history and organization in "New
Chapters" in the online version of "Creating LearningCommunities."
We have found none.
Would Alan, Harison, Michael, or anyone else like to write a "New Chapter"
of 2500 words or so on Self-organized Shools ???
Bill Ellis
<www.CreatingLearningCommunities.org>
Harrison Owen
7808 River Falls Drive
Potomac, MD 20854 USA
phone 301-365-2093
Open Space Training www.openspaceworld.com
Open Space Institute www.openspaceworld.org
Personal website www.mindspring.com/~owenhh
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