Stephen Downes (http://www.downes.ca)
is a Senior Researcher with the E-Learning Research Group, National
Research Council Canada, Moncton, New Brunswick. Comments on this
article can be sent to the author at stephen@downes.ca.
I
had to watch the video a few times before I began to understand the
concepts that Sir Ken Robinson was referring too. When I think of
education reform I think of it in terms of Newton's Cradle.
Some
external catalyst or motivation begins the motion to reform education.
In this case the catalyst for educational reform is the preparation for
the changing economy in the 21st century and the the maintenance of
cultural identity. Both in my mind very valid starting points to trigger
reform. Using Newton's Cradle then the ball represents the idea of an
education reform. Once the ball or reform is released it goes through a
series of cultural and societal institutions.
Each institution
takes a piece of that reform, absorbs it, and in turn (hopefully??) uses
it to change educational practices. However, if with each transfer of
idea the only thing that takes place is the absorption the reform
eventually stops. In other words the pendulum stops swinging since all
energy has been used. What needs to happen in order to keep the pendulum
swinging is a reinvention and application of a particular educational
reform so that new reforms can contribute back and redistribute ideas
(energy) back to the institutions thus maintaining momentum.
Educators
need to embrace the new reforms which in many cases do not come from
the professionals or other institutions but from the learners
themselves, the students. I like to think of myself as the student rather than the teacher.
After
reading the article I could not help thinking back to the summers I had
spent with my grandfather and grandmother. There was never a summer day
that went by where my grandfather did not repeat his personal motto to
me. He would say:
Michael take time to learn anything
and everything you can. Learn a skill no matter how big or how small,
one day you will be thankful that you learned that skill, it will serve
you well. Learn it, set it aside but do not forget it. (Ernesto
Salerno)
The 15 steps to cultivate lifelong learning
speaks to me on a very personal level. Step 2 "keep a to learn list" and
step 3 "get more intellectual friends" are two steps that I am very
thoughtful in carrying out. It would be a challenge to have everything
on your to learn list crossed off since the list is continually growing
however it keeps the learning process moving forward, creating many sub
or side lists to work from. Surrounding myself with intellectual
friends can be intimidating and uncomfortable but it is within that
uncomfortable feeling that learning takes place. My career as a teacher
has certainly helped me carry out both steps.
I share with you a Google Scholarly Search using the term: Blogging in education.
