I am going to be writing an open letter soon to Bill Gates. Specifically in response to this story that my father forwarded me:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/25/education/25schools.html?ex=1178164800&en=64c526e2221ce366&ei=5070&emc=eta1
My question for this group are in a country the size of America, or even Australia, why would you argue for/against a national curriculum.
More specifically who, if a national curriculum would be created, would administer such a thing.
This is making me very upset. On at least one issue I am not a federalist! AHHHHHHH!!!!!
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
My Doctorine: Educationalism.
From my response to Chris' post:
"My most recent realisation is that I liberate myself with the omission of certain words: I will try not to mention education or learning in the pursuit of my PhD in the Department of Education on Community Learning. Instead I will focus on the words: diversity, community, democracy, voice, play, involvement, activism, environment..."
Why does this help me?
It does!
The more I avoid those words the more I can express what I am talkign about. I firmly believe in public education, but I dont believe in what people understand education as. I dont agree with how "learning" is understood by the institution of Education--notice the capital E. I feel like a feminist, but instead I'm an educationalist. Im reclaiming the e word.
"My most recent realisation is that I liberate myself with the omission of certain words: I will try not to mention education or learning in the pursuit of my PhD in the Department of Education on Community Learning. Instead I will focus on the words: diversity, community, democracy, voice, play, involvement, activism, environment..."
Why does this help me?
It does!
The more I avoid those words the more I can express what I am talkign about. I firmly believe in public education, but I dont believe in what people understand education as. I dont agree with how "learning" is understood by the institution of Education--notice the capital E. I feel like a feminist, but instead I'm an educationalist. Im reclaiming the e word.
Sunday, April 15, 2007
...must lose, focus
After an inspiring start, something strange had befallen the AO team. No-one knew quite what it was. Some said it was apathy, some said it was epistemic fatigue, others said it was something to do with not eating enough red meat.
Look, I admit it, I have made some bold claims recently about intention to post and have not come through with the goods. But I guess we're all asking ourselves exactly what the purpose of this blog is (aren't we...anyone...is anyone out there?). Is the purpose merely to post idea after idea, or to actually start constructive dialogues with the aim of refining understanding of particularly pressing questions? Personally my contributions have mainly been massive question-asking exercises. Trying to open up spaces for dialogue to start. Selfish, I know. And nothing has really kicked off. It's hard to maintain the necessary feelings of community out here in deep virtual space that would inspire one to continue to post comments, consider responses and keep thinking in the face of all the rest of life's...well, stuff.
As is my general habit, the further I look, more and more questions seem to open up, and before long some new conundrum takes my fancy. Then it's like an obsession, I'll spend weeks, months thinking, reading writing about it, conviniced it is the one thing that simply must be answered if life on this earth (at least mine) can continue. Then, as if a honeymoon has ended, I slowly begin to see the icky technicalities, deep lines of debate and impasses that the question in question leads to. I realise that many other people, most of them almost certainly alot smarter than I, have spent decades, entire careers, whole books and journal issues nutting out the critical issues involved. Already done.
Here, then, is the problem:
I am smart enough to identify what I believe to be a number of very important questions. Sadly, though, I am also smart enough to realise that I am almost certainly not smart enough to solve any of them.
Not knowing where to go with that, I'll mention something that occurred to me during meditation today:
To be aware of everything, one must focus upon absolutely nothing.
C
Look, I admit it, I have made some bold claims recently about intention to post and have not come through with the goods. But I guess we're all asking ourselves exactly what the purpose of this blog is (aren't we...anyone...is anyone out there?). Is the purpose merely to post idea after idea, or to actually start constructive dialogues with the aim of refining understanding of particularly pressing questions? Personally my contributions have mainly been massive question-asking exercises. Trying to open up spaces for dialogue to start. Selfish, I know. And nothing has really kicked off. It's hard to maintain the necessary feelings of community out here in deep virtual space that would inspire one to continue to post comments, consider responses and keep thinking in the face of all the rest of life's...well, stuff.
As is my general habit, the further I look, more and more questions seem to open up, and before long some new conundrum takes my fancy. Then it's like an obsession, I'll spend weeks, months thinking, reading writing about it, conviniced it is the one thing that simply must be answered if life on this earth (at least mine) can continue. Then, as if a honeymoon has ended, I slowly begin to see the icky technicalities, deep lines of debate and impasses that the question in question leads to. I realise that many other people, most of them almost certainly alot smarter than I, have spent decades, entire careers, whole books and journal issues nutting out the critical issues involved. Already done.
Here, then, is the problem:
I am smart enough to identify what I believe to be a number of very important questions. Sadly, though, I am also smart enough to realise that I am almost certainly not smart enough to solve any of them.
Not knowing where to go with that, I'll mention something that occurred to me during meditation today:
To be aware of everything, one must focus upon absolutely nothing.
C
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