Thanks to @SirKenRobinson for posting about this little gem of a film recently (full film here). The threats of imposing one system regardless of local tradition - what harm has already been caused by such "modern" education? On a deeper level, how will we work to prevent further cultural erosion through schooling? An impressive "cast" is featured in the film: Wade Davis (his site is worth checking out - fascinating photography), Vandana Shiva (heavy hitter in the activist world), Helena Norberg-Hodge, and Manish Jain, along with some beautiful footage from Ladakh. The film highlights how over 90% of students in Ladakh are deemed "failures" through school, and are not able to enter the global economic system as intended. Norberg-Hodge contrasts this with the struggle they face back home, and the value of ancient cultural knowledge: There is no doubt that traditional forms of knowledge fostered sustainability... once they have been educated in "modern" schools, they literally don't know how to survive in their own environment. It's high time we turned the tables - what can we learn from these ancient forms and systems? Davis provides excellent examples of how local systems of education shape important differences in people and how they relate to the earth; a warning not to keep pushing for universal, uniform education. He gives the example of a child raised in Colorado versus one raised in southern Peru under different systems of belief and knowledge. Say the child in Colorado is raised with the belief that the mountain is inert and waiting to be mined. This child will have a very different relationship to the earth than the child in Peru who believes that the mountain has an active spirit, and sees it as a protective force. In this case, one system clearly lends itself to resource misuse, and the other can help us move towards true sustainability. Finally, Vandana Shiva warns of the shift from valuing wisdom to valuing information that is impacting our development as people: We have moved from wisdom to knowledge, and now we are moving from knowledge to information, and that information is so partial that we are creating incomplete human beings. The film doesn't knock our systems of education entirely (but does come close!). It does provide a lot of food for thought and powerful critique, and re-inspires me in thinking about alternative models.
To see the whole film (64 minutes and entirely worth it!), and read some excellent posts, visit: www.schoolingtheworld.org
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Recently I’ve seen some posts on the “Unschooling” movement, a distinct form of homeschooling founded on a philosophy of freedom-based learning, allowing kids to learn through natural exploration. They don’t follow a set curriculum; instead these kids are encouraged to initiate their own learning, spend a lot more time outdoors and exploring their creativity, with facilitation by their parents. Traditional homeschooling has a fundamental difference when compared with unschooling; the former still involves the following of curricula, just from the home environment, with more flexibility. So what are the proposed benefits of unschooling? As this article by Sarah Boesveld explains: Proponents say it (unschooling) raises self-aware, inquisitive and worldly young adults who care about learning and have pursued passions they wouldn’t have otherwise found on the scheduled treadmill that is school. The same article estimates 100,000 students homeschooled in Canada, with 10% of those students being “unschooled”.
Now that we’ve explored what he views as the purpose of education, and the important roles of parents and teachers, we can finish our review of Krishnamurti’s “Education and the Significance of Life” by considering the type of schooling he proposed. Krishnamurti first places emphasis on the failure of large institutions: A large and flourishing institution in which hundreds of children are educated together, with all its accompanying show and success, can turn out bank clerks and super-salesmen, superficial people who are technically efficient; but there is hope only in the integrated individual, which only small schools can help bring about. He pushes us to re-think the common idea that we need to start on a large scale to effect change; that instead, we need to act, beginning with ourselves and our children:
Recently, I've been coming across posts and people who believe in a "free" approach to education, allowing kids' natural exploration guide their own learning, and having them do this outside the confines of a formal school. I like this in theory; but in practice I wonder about the competencies parents need to guide this experiential learning. Continuing on from my post on the ‘right kind of education’, Krishnamurti places a lot of emphasis on the role of both parents and teachers. With the challenge of developing integrated individuals, parents and teachers need to be integrated themselves. One of my favourite Krishnamurti quotes sums this up: What we are in ourselves is much more important than the traditional question of what to teach the child. He goes on to explain that our fears from childhood are often not dispelled by parents nor teachers, which is dangerous as we grow up with these fears dominating our judgment and preventing deeper learning: ..there cannot be intelligence as long as there is fear. Fear perverts action and is one of the causes of self-centered action.. To be without fear is the beginning of wisdom, and only the right kind of education can bring about the freedom from fear in which alone there is a deep and creative intelligence. Krishnamurti also boldly calls parents out for failing to care enough to transform society, and instead continuing the status quo:
"I wish he would just grow a pair" - apathy and empathy in Gaza, and the role of education7/20/2014 Today, I decided to ‘unfollow’ a friend on my Facebook newsfeed due to her crude comments towards the attacks on Gaza. With friends across religions (and no religion at all!) it was unsettling to have to hide her posts.
This woman's post was about how she wished her leaders would grow a pair (it was actually along the lines of someone lending him a pair) so they could fight off all the critics and and stick to their attack on Gaza. How could a smart, well travelled and ‘educated’ woman, be oblivious to the killing of innocent women, children and men, that was happening? I won’t comment on the politics and so-called leaders who are responsible for these killings (According to the Globe and Mail, over 400 Gazans have been killed in two weeks, along with 18 Israelis). But as an educator, I will say that key stakeholders in education have a significant, albeit more general, role in all of this, especially if we accept Krishnamurti's assertion that education's purpose involves how we relate to ourselves and one another. Parents perpetuate their own fears (and hatred) by passing them on to the next generation; schools and teachers typically fail to push students to analyze different sides of an issue and to be aware of what is happening right now, in the real world. The curriculum and textbooks don’t often promote media literacy over a passive acceptance of ads, assertions, and propaganda. What a beautiful weekend here in Toronto! Under sunny skies, it felt great to “pause” for some time by the lake yesterday. As I waited for a friend to join me, I started to re-read one of my favourite books, "Education and the Significance of Life", by Jiddu Krishnamurti. Krishnamurti is regarded as one of the greatest thinkers and teachers of our time, speaking about issues ranging from the constant struggle we have for security, moving beyond religious divides, and perhaps most pertinent, how to live a deeply fulfilling and integrated life. In this book he puts forth his views on the radical reforms needed in education, a perfect segue from my last post. Taking an important step (leap!) back, Krishnamurti pushes us to think fundamentally about the purpose of education, and focuses on the importance of self-knowledge and individual freedom. In a chapter on “The Right Kind of Education” he expands: |
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AuthorA passionate educator.. on a quest for a schooling model to love! Archives
August 2017
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