Revolutionary view of 21st C learning

Revolutionary view of 21st C learning

by chris macrae -
Number of replies: 2

For 22 years now I have taken the view that a networked world will need completely different modes and content of learning for all ages from eg 9 years up . I am always happy to rehearse  (chris wcbn007@easynet.co.uk) this with people who wants to test extemities, and equally don't want to divert attention from less that revolutionary debates

But these are some of the dimensions:

television age dumbed us down compared with previous ages

I like the measure of personal productivity proposed at Claremont by Csikszetmihalyi -it tends to be very low eg1 or 2% - imagine just doubling that (Calremont us the University Peter Drucker resided at and we are nowhere near living up to the knowledge worler revolution Drucker mapped as possible by now)

I believe if we trained people early to use the net to find deep mentors through life and help others do likewise that would be a great start

I believe people haven't really lived in any meeting or elarning format if they haven't experienced harrison owen's open space format www.openspaceworld.com and there's really no reason why kids from 12 up shouldn't be introduced to at elast 1 day of open space a year; once you've experienced this format, it chnages how you view meetings

we cram people to exam results losing a lot of emotional and ocllaboration energies, and its unclear that much that's on the syllabus is really future proofed or practical or contextually diverse enough

All of this also needs to be seen in the context of where is globalsiation taking us if top down power ever more rules at a time when so much needs to be community up or interlocal. Almost every profession seems to me to be more interested in siloising its own complex expertise rather thahn enabling people to innovate collaboratively

a bit more on revolutions -is the web the greatest revolution ever to hit one generation worldiwde at the same time and will good or bad socnequences spiral out from this over time? at eg

http://www.normanmacrae.com/netfuture.html

http://globalcharters.blogspot.com

http://ninenow.blogspot.com/1999_12_01_ninenow_archive.html

http://worldyear.blogspot.com

http://clubofscotland.blogspot.com

In reply to chris macrae

Re: Revolutionary view of 21st C learning - Can learning communities help?

by Stephanie Chu -
Greetings Chris and welcome to our discussion on student learning communities.

I've read through your listed resources and considered the more global issue of educational reform. In particular, a couple of points stand out in your posting for me:
  1. "I believe if we trained people early to use the net to find deep mentors through life and help others do likewise that would be a great start."
  2. "Almost every profession seems to me to be more interested in siloising its own complex expertise rather thahn enabling people to innovate collaboratively."
In the postings over the past week, there have been discussions around communities that build relationships among peers and professionals in order to support academic and continued learning. These include communities across disciplines, geographical boundaries, and different expertise. Communities of practice/working professionals may help to enable professionals to innovate collaboratively.

We are perhaps still far from an ideal revolutionization of learning, but learning communities such as student learning communities or professional learning communities may be a step forward. I'd also add that revolutionizing learning would also entail revolutionizing expectations and perceptions about learning, including those held by the learners themselves. These are long-held beliefs which take time, patience, thoughtful consideration and reflection and positive experiences to change, if they can be changed at all.

You've mentioned some examples for different learning experiences such as Owen's open space and activities that harnesses collaborative and emotional energies, rather than exams. Can you help us to identify how learning communities (for students and/or professionals) can move us towards more ideal learning experiences? How do we deal with factors such as beliefs about learning, motivation, scaffolding, and roles, to name a few?
In reply to chris macrae

Re: Revolutionary view of 21st C learning

by Bruce Jones -
I will agree that TV has to a great extent NOT been as educational as it could be.  Consider,  prior to 1938 the average education level in the US was about the 7th grade, people graduated at age 16 and either wound up in the  'trades' or on the farm,  only a few recieved an adequate, or better yet superior education.    WW II helped increase the access to education and new technologies along with developing theories of learning opened new vistas of data and learning.   

In other words I think it is not dumbing down but excess knowledge and inadequate methods and means of teaching.    The idea that we here in the US have 'failed' to teach is ... IMHO ... a misinterpretation of lazy thinking.