It's been nearly two months.
Recently, a dear friend gifted me a copy of Stephen R. Covey's book, The 8th Habit.
Synchronicity seems to be at work. I was thrilled when on p. 27, I found another reference to Robert Frost's poem The Road Less Travelled that has been buzzing in my mind for quite a while now, and was discussed in my last post.
"Two roads diverged in a wood and I -
I took the one less travelled by,
And that has made all the difference..."
I have talked in my last and other posts about the need to break away from old patterns and explore new paths. With a marvellous analogy about the practice of blood-letting used to heal people in the Middle ages, Stephen Covey writes on p.19,
"If you want to make minor, incremental changes and improvements, work on practices, behavior or attitude. But if you want to make significant, quantum improvement, work on paradigms."
Further on p. 20 he writes, " ...the problem is that paradigms, like traditions, die hard. Flawed paradigms go on for centuries after a better one is discovered..."
Seems to be that's where we are at really - trying to discard old paradigms and find new ones. Which comes first?
We must teach the new generations that mediocrity cannot walk hand in hand with "greatness and contribution". (p.28) And we must walk the talk.
In the same vein, a really fun and entertaining card game about change and transition that some friends in Cirencester introduced us to is Fluxx. Quite disconcerting at first, dealing with and adapting to rapidly changing rules. Quite too much like life really.
Sunday, 31 May 2009
Tuesday, 7 April 2009
The Road Less Travelled
The Road Less Travelled (or The Road Not Taken) - Robert Frost's famous poem has always been one of my favourites. It comes to mind again as I seem to be repeatedly drawn into discussions about education and employability. There is also a project on hand to design resources for young children to learn "work-related skills". And much discussion about learning outcomes. One of the outcomes identified is to help youngsters recognise common stereotypes in their lives and how stereotypes affect and limit their attitudes, choices and opportunities.
There is also an enlightening discussion about the subtle way in which stereotyped thinking and deep rooted assumptions are woven into our lives, and how and why we tend to fall for tall, dark and handsome men in Malcolm Gladwell's Blink. To learn more about the implicit associations that underlie our perceptions about life and people and affect all our decisions, try the Implicit Association Test. You may be very surprised at what you learn about your own way of thinking! Definitely a must for those who pride themselves on being open minded!
How do we learn these stereotypes and how can we avoid teaching these same patterns to our children? How do we unlearn these patterns? Can these patterns be unlearned? While our brain needs to classify and categorise information in order to make sense of the world, this process is not always objective or based on evidence. Breaking the mould takes courage and risks isolation as it is based on asking questions about the relevance and integrity of traditional classification systems and rejecting irrelevant data. It's never easy to walk the road less travelled.
I think it all starts with asking questions. Questions such as, Is this the only way? Why this way? Is there another way? Is there a better way? Why not this way? It also means delving into the past to uncover how many of these classification systems have arisen and understanding their dangers and weaknesses. Let's teach our young to explore the roads less travelled. For that, we must first confront our own fears.
There is also an enlightening discussion about the subtle way in which stereotyped thinking and deep rooted assumptions are woven into our lives, and how and why we tend to fall for tall, dark and handsome men in Malcolm Gladwell's Blink. To learn more about the implicit associations that underlie our perceptions about life and people and affect all our decisions, try the Implicit Association Test. You may be very surprised at what you learn about your own way of thinking! Definitely a must for those who pride themselves on being open minded!
How do we learn these stereotypes and how can we avoid teaching these same patterns to our children? How do we unlearn these patterns? Can these patterns be unlearned? While our brain needs to classify and categorise information in order to make sense of the world, this process is not always objective or based on evidence. Breaking the mould takes courage and risks isolation as it is based on asking questions about the relevance and integrity of traditional classification systems and rejecting irrelevant data. It's never easy to walk the road less travelled.
I think it all starts with asking questions. Questions such as, Is this the only way? Why this way? Is there another way? Is there a better way? Why not this way? It also means delving into the past to uncover how many of these classification systems have arisen and understanding their dangers and weaknesses. Let's teach our young to explore the roads less travelled. For that, we must first confront our own fears.
Wednesday, 18 February 2009
Potential and Potential Wasted
Waste is potential unrealised, untapped, unexplored.
Potential is..."inherent capacity".
I really liked Jacob Kestner’s blog post about Potential. He hits the nail on the head, that only by "providing the most motivating circumstances" can we truly help people achieve their potential.
Empowerment and social inclusion are tremendous motivating circumstances.
Read about LASSIE. The Libraries and Social Software in Education project (March 2008) was funded by the University of London Centre for Distance Education to explore the role of information literacy in lifelong learning and social inclusion.
It's key message is that there is an imperative to seriously develop information literacy in order to enable lifelong learners to find and access the magnificent resources available to education today. Without information literacy there can be no lifelong learning.
In my last post, I suggested a reading of Michael Feldstein’s discussion on the History of OE. In case you didn’t click the link, this comment about MIT’s OpenCourseWare initiative really got the gongs sounding for me: "….enormous, multi-million-dollar effort has made large quantities of high quality educational materials from one of the world’s most elite technical institutes available to anyone with a web browser. Ironically, by doing so MIT made clear the distinction between OER and open education. They could afford to make all course content available for free, they argued, because the MIT course materials (even the lectures themselves!) are not the same thing as an MIT education. The locus of value from an MIT education comes from gathering smart people, teachers and students, to discuss those materials. It is in the free exchange of ideas in the classroom..."
Today, social networking technologies have dissolved the territorial boundaries of the classroom. There is much to be gained from global exchange. And Open Education cannot be just about parking mountains of resources on the Web. It is also about building communities of learners and developing routes for win-win exchanges. I can't see how global discussion and inclusion can diminish the worth of brick and mortar institutions.
Some institutions have already recognised this and are seriously launching initiatives through blogs, on Facebook and through whispers on Twitter. Here is just one example.
LASSIE found that librarians have become keen bloggers and in the US (and to a lesser extent in the UK) libraries are using blogs and RSS feeds to reach out to their users. They are also allowing ‘user generated content’ (such as ratings, book reviews and user comments) to enrich their catalogues.
Social networks are also the key mechanism for peer driven learning. Read more about this phenomenon here.
We are however in the very early part of our journey to realising the true potential of Open Education. And until many more people come onto the bandwagon, we risk serious waste. Remember, waste is potential unrealised, untapped, unexplored. It is a global issue.
Potential is..."inherent capacity".
I really liked Jacob Kestner’s blog post about Potential. He hits the nail on the head, that only by "providing the most motivating circumstances" can we truly help people achieve their potential.
Empowerment and social inclusion are tremendous motivating circumstances.
Read about LASSIE. The Libraries and Social Software in Education project (March 2008) was funded by the University of London Centre for Distance Education to explore the role of information literacy in lifelong learning and social inclusion.
It's key message is that there is an imperative to seriously develop information literacy in order to enable lifelong learners to find and access the magnificent resources available to education today. Without information literacy there can be no lifelong learning.
In my last post, I suggested a reading of Michael Feldstein’s discussion on the History of OE. In case you didn’t click the link, this comment about MIT’s OpenCourseWare initiative really got the gongs sounding for me: "….enormous, multi-million-dollar effort has made large quantities of high quality educational materials from one of the world’s most elite technical institutes available to anyone with a web browser. Ironically, by doing so MIT made clear the distinction between OER and open education. They could afford to make all course content available for free, they argued, because the MIT course materials (even the lectures themselves!) are not the same thing as an MIT education. The locus of value from an MIT education comes from gathering smart people, teachers and students, to discuss those materials. It is in the free exchange of ideas in the classroom..."
Today, social networking technologies have dissolved the territorial boundaries of the classroom. There is much to be gained from global exchange. And Open Education cannot be just about parking mountains of resources on the Web. It is also about building communities of learners and developing routes for win-win exchanges. I can't see how global discussion and inclusion can diminish the worth of brick and mortar institutions.
Some institutions have already recognised this and are seriously launching initiatives through blogs, on Facebook and through whispers on Twitter. Here is just one example.
LASSIE found that librarians have become keen bloggers and in the US (and to a lesser extent in the UK) libraries are using blogs and RSS feeds to reach out to their users. They are also allowing ‘user generated content’ (such as ratings, book reviews and user comments) to enrich their catalogues.
Social networks are also the key mechanism for peer driven learning. Read more about this phenomenon here.
We are however in the very early part of our journey to realising the true potential of Open Education. And until many more people come onto the bandwagon, we risk serious waste. Remember, waste is potential unrealised, untapped, unexplored. It is a global issue.
Sunday, 8 February 2009
Empower and Include
It's been a busy time. I finally did manage to pass my driving test (a very kind examiner, the winter chill and empty roads helped me overcome my mind numbing fear of tests!). Tremendously liberating. Still don't have a car, but it's nice knowing that there is now no other bar to mobility. So Empowering!
So, today, I focus on Empowerment.
And if and how global learning assets and open source education can be used to foster empowerment.
"The idea of empowerment is that those who have little or no influence, such as excluded people, are able to develop informed opinions, to take initiative, make independent choices and influence change...
It also means that those with influence actively change their attitudes and rules and change the way decisions are made through involving excluded people."
Source: The EQUAL Community Initiative (whose activities have now been completed).
Empowerment is the opposite of Powerlessness, which is described in the Voices of the Poor: Crying out for Change as "the core of the bad life", manifesting in "the inability to control what happens, the inability to plan for the future, and the imperative of focusing on the present". Read this global study by the World Bank published as a three part series "Voices of the Poor".
Powerlessness is a serious constraint on the ability to pursue happiness. Its antidote, true empowerment, must be preceded by a recognition of the need for some degree of equality. And for that there must be a change in attitudes and a fundamental shift in how education and learning is offered and made available, accessible and inclusive. It means turning things upside down and inside out. It means Open Education.
As a launch pad into the study of this immensely exciting arena, read Michaeil Feldstein's primer on The History of Open Education here.
Today, every institution that offers education must seriously assess their responsibility to the marginalised and the excluded and think about how they can empower the powerless. And how they can share their assets and benefit from the amazing possibilities for exchange.
So, today, I focus on Empowerment.
And if and how global learning assets and open source education can be used to foster empowerment.
"The idea of empowerment is that those who have little or no influence, such as excluded people, are able to develop informed opinions, to take initiative, make independent choices and influence change...
It also means that those with influence actively change their attitudes and rules and change the way decisions are made through involving excluded people."
Source: The EQUAL Community Initiative (whose activities have now been completed).
Empowerment is the opposite of Powerlessness, which is described in the Voices of the Poor: Crying out for Change as "the core of the bad life", manifesting in "the inability to control what happens, the inability to plan for the future, and the imperative of focusing on the present". Read this global study by the World Bank published as a three part series "Voices of the Poor".
Powerlessness is a serious constraint on the ability to pursue happiness. Its antidote, true empowerment, must be preceded by a recognition of the need for some degree of equality. And for that there must be a change in attitudes and a fundamental shift in how education and learning is offered and made available, accessible and inclusive. It means turning things upside down and inside out. It means Open Education.
As a launch pad into the study of this immensely exciting arena, read Michaeil Feldstein's primer on The History of Open Education here.
Today, every institution that offers education must seriously assess their responsibility to the marginalised and the excluded and think about how they can empower the powerless. And how they can share their assets and benefit from the amazing possibilities for exchange.
Monday, 22 December 2008
Virtual Universities, Education for All and Lifelong Learning
Unicelled creatures adapted to their environments and evolved into increasingly sophisticated beings over the millenia. Today however, time is a scarce commodity and we must quickly and constantly update, upgrade and add to our skillsets in order to continue to be a part of the new world order. Lifelong learning is perhaps even more strongly linked to survival today than ever before. And the instrument that will make it accessible, flexible, inclusive and accessible is the virtual university.
In an era of technology and digital divides what is the role of a virtual university and how can such schools be a driver of social and economic change? How are virtual universities set up? What are the costs and what are the technologies and infrastructure needed to establish a virtual university? How can these ethernet campuses be made accessible and affordable? What are the accreditation schemes available, and can and will these rally people into adopting this new model of learning on the scale and with the enthusiasm needed to justify the investments? Can such models of learning withstand economic storms and monetary market crunches? What are the pedagogies needed, and what will be the quality of teaching and learning and what calibre of learners will be developed as a result? These are some of the questions I'd like to explore.
To start with, some background.
In 2004, the International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP) launched a project on the Virtual University and E-learning. This project provides insights and case studies, explores and shares the lessons learned in the setting up of virtual universities both in developed and developing countries. There is an overview of policy planning and management issues and a range of diverse case studies that cover the main institutional models.
Traditional universities must keep pace with these new modes of delivery and evolve suitable and appropriate approaches. They must explore ways to offer an education that is transnational, global, inclusive and accessible. Shall we join forces or go it alone?
In an era of technology and digital divides what is the role of a virtual university and how can such schools be a driver of social and economic change? How are virtual universities set up? What are the costs and what are the technologies and infrastructure needed to establish a virtual university? How can these ethernet campuses be made accessible and affordable? What are the accreditation schemes available, and can and will these rally people into adopting this new model of learning on the scale and with the enthusiasm needed to justify the investments? Can such models of learning withstand economic storms and monetary market crunches? What are the pedagogies needed, and what will be the quality of teaching and learning and what calibre of learners will be developed as a result? These are some of the questions I'd like to explore.
To start with, some background.
In 2004, the International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP) launched a project on the Virtual University and E-learning. This project provides insights and case studies, explores and shares the lessons learned in the setting up of virtual universities both in developed and developing countries. There is an overview of policy planning and management issues and a range of diverse case studies that cover the main institutional models.
Traditional universities must keep pace with these new modes of delivery and evolve suitable and appropriate approaches. They must explore ways to offer an education that is transnational, global, inclusive and accessible. Shall we join forces or go it alone?
Monday, 8 December 2008
Yakkity Yak - Don't talk back!
Picking up from where I left off -- I failed my driving test last month. Aargh! 'Twas the devlish roundabout that led to the rout! I was felled in thirty seconds by a faulty manoeuvre attempting a Second Exit Right. When we returned from the test for the debriefing, my instructor said to me, "You are a good driver. What happened?"
Not really sure what happened. For some inexplicable reason (fear of tests!) I was not able to communicate my expertise to the tester. Despite twenty years of driving in Mumbai.
Delving deeper, what really happened is what happens to many people when they're faced with having to prove their worth. They are unable to communicate their skills with the degree of sophistication that may required.
It is the ability to communicate that determines the survival and success of a species. History Channel's Evolve Series offers an indepth insight into how communication has played a critical role in evolution, providing different species with the ability to fend off predators, acquire a mate and find food.
Not surprisingly, one of the key skills identified for Employability is Communication, both verbal and non-verbal. Fostering employability is about cultivating skills and building the confidence and communication techniques needed to show and tell people about it.
That brings us to the role of Conversation and Dialogue. Many generations (and I!) have suffered school systems where talk in class was forbidden and punished. Today however, conversations and dialogue are recognised as essential to development and learning. Dialogic literacy is recognised as a critical necessity in a revolutionary new pedagogy.
New research into brain development and socio-economic status suggests a possible link between talking to children and their ability to process visual stimuli.
There is much in the literature about the role of conversation and dialogue in fostering exchange, collaboration and learning. Many educationists have highlighted the role of the role of dialogue and the community of inquiry in facilitating self-evaluation and feedback. Lipman (1991:19) writes that “…ideally the relationship between teacher and students has this character of face to face dialogue…”
But how exactly does it work? You'll find an excellent overview and references to the subject in Engaging in Conversation and Dialogue and Conversation.
For an indepth discussion, read Robin Alexander's 2005 paper, Culture, Dialogue and Learning: Notes on an Emerging Pedagogy. He suggests that classroom talk tends to become mere recitation or pseudo-enquiry and points out that though"...classrooms are places where a great deal of talking goes on...Teachers rather than learners control what is said, who says it and to whom. Teachers rather than learners do most of the talking."
Shall we let the learners do the talking for a change? To be continued.
Not really sure what happened. For some inexplicable reason (fear of tests!) I was not able to communicate my expertise to the tester. Despite twenty years of driving in Mumbai.
Delving deeper, what really happened is what happens to many people when they're faced with having to prove their worth. They are unable to communicate their skills with the degree of sophistication that may required.
It is the ability to communicate that determines the survival and success of a species. History Channel's Evolve Series offers an indepth insight into how communication has played a critical role in evolution, providing different species with the ability to fend off predators, acquire a mate and find food.
Not surprisingly, one of the key skills identified for Employability is Communication, both verbal and non-verbal. Fostering employability is about cultivating skills and building the confidence and communication techniques needed to show and tell people about it.
That brings us to the role of Conversation and Dialogue. Many generations (and I!) have suffered school systems where talk in class was forbidden and punished. Today however, conversations and dialogue are recognised as essential to development and learning. Dialogic literacy is recognised as a critical necessity in a revolutionary new pedagogy.
New research into brain development and socio-economic status suggests a possible link between talking to children and their ability to process visual stimuli.
There is much in the literature about the role of conversation and dialogue in fostering exchange, collaboration and learning. Many educationists have highlighted the role of the role of dialogue and the community of inquiry in facilitating self-evaluation and feedback. Lipman (1991:19) writes that “…ideally the relationship between teacher and students has this character of face to face dialogue…”
But how exactly does it work? You'll find an excellent overview and references to the subject in Engaging in Conversation and Dialogue and Conversation.
For an indepth discussion, read Robin Alexander's 2005 paper, Culture, Dialogue and Learning: Notes on an Emerging Pedagogy. He suggests that classroom talk tends to become mere recitation or pseudo-enquiry and points out that though"...classrooms are places where a great deal of talking goes on...Teachers rather than learners control what is said, who says it and to whom. Teachers rather than learners do most of the talking."
Shall we let the learners do the talking for a change? To be continued.
Monday, 10 November 2008
Learning vs Training
Last year, many of my friends (and I) turned forty (!) and at every party, we reminisced about the numerous gaffes and blunders we had survived as we made our way through schools and colleges into our first experiences of work and life. Most of us (but not all!) had recovered sufficiently from these misadventures to be able to laugh as we looked back. In hindsight we were unanimous in saying, “If we had known then what we know now….”
This is exactly what education for employability is about. You can read about it in a series of publications called the Learning and Employability Series produced among others, the by the Pedagogy for Employability Group, in consultation with the Enhancing Student Employability Co-ordination Team (ESECT) and the Higher Education Academy (Generic Centre). You can also access some of these and other related papers here.
This series of publications, (edited by Professor Mantz Yorke) offers an in-depth, balanced and thought provoking discussion of the key issues in providing an education that ensures that learners can “hit the ground running fast”.
So what exactly is employability?
Most definitions say it's "a set of skills, knowledge and personal attributes” that improve an individual's chances of success in whatever path they may opt for after their education. It's essentially about teaching individuals to reflect on what makes them tick and finding out what they really want to do in life.
“Employability derives from complex learning, and is a concept of wider range than those of ‘core’ and ‘key’ skills.”
“Employability is not merely an attribute of the new graduate. It needs to be continuously refreshed throughout a person’s working life.”
Source: Employability and Curriculum Design (Kenneth Aitchison and Melanie Giles).
Moving beyond content mastery
While different teaching approaches can lead to similar levels of content mastery in a subject, they can lead to significant differences in other outcomes.
Conventional passive delivery approaches are not renown for fostering independent thought, creative problem solving, critical thinking, experimentation, reflection and transfer of learning to other contexts. Problem based or scenario based learning approaches may be better suited for such outcomes.
The underlying ethos of this series of publications is that there is no conflict of interest between promoting good learning and in promoting employability and that it essentially involves a shift in perspective and approach, a fine-tuning of the curriculum to include the development of skills and attributes in addition to and not in lieu of content mastery.
The primary purpose for the introduction of personal development planning (PDP) in schools is to develop in learners the capacity for reflection and self-awareness. The exercise is meant to help them gain clarity about their attitudes, aptitudes, personal goals and explore how they can work toward these goals.
Making explicit connections
It is now univerally acknowledged that for real understanding, learners must be made to see the big picture. It's critical to make clear the rationale behind these PDP exercises by means of explicit connection building, because,
“provision without student awareness is a missed opportunity. Students need to know that PDP has these purposes and to see how it can link to job-getting and employability generally. They need to see the significance of PDP for their personal development, rather than treat it as an externally imposed requirement (which might be perceived merely as a bureaucratic chore with no apparent benefit).” (Pedagogy for Employability, p. 14)
More to come. Once I’ve passed my driving test (critical to employability)!
This is exactly what education for employability is about. You can read about it in a series of publications called the Learning and Employability Series produced among others, the by the Pedagogy for Employability Group, in consultation with the Enhancing Student Employability Co-ordination Team (ESECT) and the Higher Education Academy (Generic Centre). You can also access some of these and other related papers here.
This series of publications, (edited by Professor Mantz Yorke) offers an in-depth, balanced and thought provoking discussion of the key issues in providing an education that ensures that learners can “hit the ground running fast”.
So what exactly is employability?
Most definitions say it's "a set of skills, knowledge and personal attributes” that improve an individual's chances of success in whatever path they may opt for after their education. It's essentially about teaching individuals to reflect on what makes them tick and finding out what they really want to do in life.
“Employability derives from complex learning, and is a concept of wider range than those of ‘core’ and ‘key’ skills.”
“Employability is not merely an attribute of the new graduate. It needs to be continuously refreshed throughout a person’s working life.”
Source: Employability and Curriculum Design (Kenneth Aitchison and Melanie Giles).
Moving beyond content mastery
While different teaching approaches can lead to similar levels of content mastery in a subject, they can lead to significant differences in other outcomes.
Conventional passive delivery approaches are not renown for fostering independent thought, creative problem solving, critical thinking, experimentation, reflection and transfer of learning to other contexts. Problem based or scenario based learning approaches may be better suited for such outcomes.
The underlying ethos of this series of publications is that there is no conflict of interest between promoting good learning and in promoting employability and that it essentially involves a shift in perspective and approach, a fine-tuning of the curriculum to include the development of skills and attributes in addition to and not in lieu of content mastery.
The primary purpose for the introduction of personal development planning (PDP) in schools is to develop in learners the capacity for reflection and self-awareness. The exercise is meant to help them gain clarity about their attitudes, aptitudes, personal goals and explore how they can work toward these goals.
Making explicit connections
It is now univerally acknowledged that for real understanding, learners must be made to see the big picture. It's critical to make clear the rationale behind these PDP exercises by means of explicit connection building, because,
“provision without student awareness is a missed opportunity. Students need to know that PDP has these purposes and to see how it can link to job-getting and employability generally. They need to see the significance of PDP for their personal development, rather than treat it as an externally imposed requirement (which might be perceived merely as a bureaucratic chore with no apparent benefit).” (Pedagogy for Employability, p. 14)
More to come. Once I’ve passed my driving test (critical to employability)!
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