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