Education 'IN' The world, Not 'ABOUT' the world..



Learning knowledge is not simply a banking system whereby students can acquire and save knowledge about a subject to be studied. This duality results in the split between the student and the teachers in what becomes a didactic process of presentation and memorization.

This approach is see's the world as something separate from human experience, a world that is studied from the perspective of the observer must be removed from context, seperated into its most simplistic components and re-assembled in the mind of the observer in an attempt to acquire some knowledge that can be banked and labeled as such.

This removal of the person from the world is they come to 'know it' results in a sever in the intimate link between what can be known and what can be abstracted, one can only truly know something as it relates to everything that brings it into being and therefore this removal of what can be 'known' from the context that creates it and gives its meaning can lead to a lack of awareness of its true worth. Furthermore, a person who views their education as about the world rather than as a person for whom creating the world and coming to Know it are part of the same emergent journey; will fail to recognize their own value.

For example, I can only exist as I am part of 'we'. This embodying of the learner in the world leads to the emergence of the attention needed to come to 'know' anything. It is for teachers to guide students towards the problems of the world as they exist in it, rather than to abstract them out of the world for analysis of their Parts, before re-presenting as something that no longer truly exists in time.

This However is not to say that the role of teaching knowledge is not an important aspect of learning, rather that what knowledge, how much and when should be considered. As previously mentioned in my last blog here: https://wordpress.com/post/didactics.uk/6 (New knowledge), knowledge should be delivered 'Just on-time'. This means that students should be encouraged not to view the world as separate from themselves but as created by their engagement with it, Knowledge that is delivered 'Just on-time' is embedded in the context of the students journey through the world rather than removed and frozen in time.

Knowledge as 'Grammar'

Grammar is the knowledge that helps us define the parameters of the world as we experience it, For it seems to be key that this should be delivered by the teacher neutrally and without individual bias. Teachers should present problems to students alongside some established theory so that students can perceive this information in context (just on time).

Holding space for Dialogue

The teacher and student should exist together in creating the world not as sperate persons viewing the world from different moments in time. This calls for a reframing of the language to teacher-student or student-teacher. As the next step after Grammar has been presented is to hold space for Dialogue so that both students and teachers can enrich their awareness of the problems faced. This is the beginning of a journey that is co-adaptive. Both student-teacher and teacher-student learn to understand the position of the other and co-create a new shared perception to bring the world into a new light.

It is only the power of neutral empathic dialogue that will afford students the opportunity to develop their own sense of awareness and critical thought while protecting society from the emergence of a didactic higher-achy of 'knowledge About' Banked in memory and only withdrawn to justify status. This type of knowledge acquisition can never truly afford equality amongst all persons. There will always be those persons who have a greater acquisition of knowledge equity that others in this banking system. Time can not exist in the banking system where Knowledge is seen as a means to acquisition of wealth rather than a shared awareness of how the world can be co-created in equality for all who come to experience it and to 'Know it'.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What Is a 'Good' teacher'?

Image
 What does a good teacher mean? Its important to preface this extract by stating that I don't believe that one can 'be' a 'good teacher', a teacher is not a kind of status (new, experienced, expert0 or a badge that can be attained and boxed away ready to be diploid when the need for a 'good teacher' arises. Rather, I believe a teacher is an infinite process of 'becoming' much like learning, teaching for me is a 'way of being' in the world. Its a way of being that relies on others seeking to be guided as much as it is a self driven journey. Teaching is about crafting with another being or whole class of beings as your join them on a learning journey. The learning journey calls for a correspondence between others. to bring the world into the realm of what can be 'known'. The key here is the language, Lets start be changing the term 'good teacher'. I prefer the term 'skillful guide'. As mentioned above, in order...
Read more

New Knowledge

Image
  Where does knowledge fit in our journey towards understanding? Knowledge has been at the forefront of modern educational debate for some time now. In in increasingly technological age there are more and more questions surfacing as to what the role that 'teaching knowledge' Plays in the information rich age that we find our-self living through. Even now reading this blog (if there is anyone out there) you have probably stumbled across it, driven mainly by your own curiosity and the availability of access to information on your phone or Computer. But does this mean that we don't need to be 'taught' Knowledge anymore? Lets begin by examining the language here. The Etymology of the word Knowledge comes from the early 12c., word cnawlece  "acknowledgment of a superior, honor, worship;" ( https://www.etymonline.com/word/knowledge ) which rings true with the phrase 'Knowledge is power'. Its seems to be the popular rationale for direc...
Read more

Educational Alchemy

Image
Educational Alchemy 'Alchemy an Introduction' Today, the term "alchemy" is often used metaphorically to describe the transformation or refinement of something, whether it be physical, mental, or spiritual. Word's themselves carry no meaning, its is that in which we perceive them that delivers their message. Perhaps Alchemy is a word that has always represented two distinct paths'. The search for spiritual enlightenment or the juxtapositioned search for wealth from extraction. Achemic processes involved techniques, such as distillation, sublimation, and purification in an attempt to turn common metals into gold or Even discovering the elixir of immortality. In the west the ancient arts of alchemy have transformed into modern chemistry, as early alchemical practices contributed to the development of experimental methods, laboratory equipment, and the understanding of chemical processes. Perhaps This word Alchemy can be used in an attempt to explore our way...
Read more