As a person who has taught secondary ed in the USA, I couldn’t agree more with 90% plus of what he says.
Sadly, to openly share pedagogical strategies that work which aren’t sanctioned, is inviting trouble from administration and derision/skepticism from many peers — and/or loss of job.
My best “lessons” as a teacher were when I planned little or nothing, and engaged the students on what they were interested in.
This is verboten in most educational institutions b/c this type of learning isn’t quantifiable. In my experience, one can not openly admit to teaching this way. I found after prodding, that other educators had the same joy with unscripted “lesson plans” too.
I also found that deconstructing the current educational paradigm to help students broaden education and generalize skills, left students floundering — they too didn’t know what to do with the 4 blocks, as it were.
Compulsory attendance at school or work would likely need to be part of this new paradigm for students, or many communities would likely see huge increases in already high crime rates.
One bright note for the USA, from what my colleagues tell me, the Common Core tests are much more application of knowledge based than those currently administered.
rant complete
p.s. Does anyone know the title of the textbook that is being used in AUS elementary schools to teach Permaculture ideas?
Thanks for sharing this, Stefan. In fact, I shared it in the forum a week or two ago with regards to education being a tool for indoctrination rather than the critical evaluation of ideas.
I have posed the question, “What is school for?” to heaps of people. The answer is always the same so I thrust this video upon them, hopefully so they can see it from a different perspective. I am overwhelmed by the number of people that still choose to ignore Godin’s argument – they do this without qualification. “I don’t agree. School is good.”
Godin is a clever guy. He’s a philosopher. And I have a lot of respect for him, even if his bread and butter is in helping people sell gadgets.
Long ago, in times gone by, people were taught how to think and learn before they were given subjects to learn. This method was known as the Trivium. So before an in depth learning of subjects would happen, children first learnt grammar, logic and rhetoric.
I still think people would do well to teach themselves about these. It helps in bringing order and clarity into thinking, an ability to detect fallacious arguments and to know why they are fallacious (Beyond woolly talk of a BS filter/alarm) and to bring eloquence and logical conviction into one’s own arguments.
We are all , largely, a product of our politically motivated education systems based on the old Prussian model. Where we are to be educated in subservience and unquestioning obedience to authority. That is essentially the ‘purpose’ of education. After all, many jobs require no real education just ‘on the job training’.
However most of us here are all grown up and are free to explore the intellectual field, I hope people enjoy that freedom and exercise it. Here’s a good place to begin:
As a person who has taught secondary ed in the USA, I couldn’t agree more with 90% plus of what he says.
Sadly, to openly share pedagogical strategies that work which aren’t sanctioned, is inviting trouble from administration and derision/skepticism from many peers — and/or loss of job.
My best “lessons” as a teacher were when I planned little or nothing, and engaged the students on what they were interested in.
This is verboten in most educational institutions b/c this type of learning isn’t quantifiable. In my experience, one can not openly admit to teaching this way. I found after prodding, that other educators had the same joy with unscripted “lesson plans” too.
I also found that deconstructing the current educational paradigm to help students broaden education and generalize skills, left students floundering — they too didn’t know what to do with the 4 blocks, as it were.
Compulsory attendance at school or work would likely need to be part of this new paradigm for students, or many communities would likely see huge increases in already high crime rates.
One bright note for the USA, from what my colleagues tell me, the Common Core tests are much more application of knowledge based than those currently administered.
rant complete
p.s. Does anyone know the title of the textbook that is being used in AUS elementary schools to teach Permaculture ideas?
Thanks for sharing this, Stefan. In fact, I shared it in the forum a week or two ago with regards to education being a tool for indoctrination rather than the critical evaluation of ideas.
I have posed the question, “What is school for?” to heaps of people. The answer is always the same so I thrust this video upon them, hopefully so they can see it from a different perspective. I am overwhelmed by the number of people that still choose to ignore Godin’s argument – they do this without qualification. “I don’t agree. School is good.”
Godin is a clever guy. He’s a philosopher. And I have a lot of respect for him, even if his bread and butter is in helping people sell gadgets.
Check out Edible School Gardens site – might find something there
Long ago, in times gone by, people were taught how to think and learn before they were given subjects to learn. This method was known as the Trivium. So before an in depth learning of subjects would happen, children first learnt grammar, logic and rhetoric.
I still think people would do well to teach themselves about these. It helps in bringing order and clarity into thinking, an ability to detect fallacious arguments and to know why they are fallacious (Beyond woolly talk of a BS filter/alarm) and to bring eloquence and logical conviction into one’s own arguments.
We are all , largely, a product of our politically motivated education systems based on the old Prussian model. Where we are to be educated in subservience and unquestioning obedience to authority. That is essentially the ‘purpose’ of education. After all, many jobs require no real education just ‘on the job training’.
However most of us here are all grown up and are free to explore the intellectual field, I hope people enjoy that freedom and exercise it. Here’s a good place to begin:
https://www.gbt.org/text/sayers.html
An essay on the “Lost Tools of Learning.”