An underground movement is recruiting subversives to replace the massive machine for the manufacture of controlled content. Must see learning as a growth process. Must demonstrate the envisioning of a botanical process of planting of seeds that blossom into flowers. Insights into ecological cycles, successions and transformations -- a plus.
Must have experience with industrial models of schooling. Evidence of switching from pushing content to pulling for the learners is a requirement. Context creators preferred over content developers. Must be able to win without a battle and not make enemies of power trippers who think they can make learning happen with "command and control" requirements.An M.Ed in informal learning optional. Must show the abilities to have nurturing effects on learners, to act like a learner oneself and to approach life as an endeavor of continual learning. Evidence of significant personal growth given precedence over stagnant or composting developments. Contact with educational aliens taken into consideration.
(Thanks to Pete Reilly for his comment here and post to his own blog yesterday!)Technorati tags: educational reform, learning
I'd be happy to join. Unfortunately, I think that teacher certification requirements are a major barrier to those who could actually do some good in the classroom. Despite the fact that I've had some major successes in working with programs that don't require teachers to be certified (such as Job Corps), I wouldn't be allowed in a public school classroom unless I jumped through the pedagogical hoops that brought us here in the first place. We need to start focusing on demonstrations of success and competency as the measures of who works with our kids--and I don't mean as measured by teacher training and certification programs.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment Michele. Classrooms are still guarded as if there are problems with deviants wanting to contribute to schooling. That is more often the loss of the school system, rather than those that are kept out of the system. This reminds me of how difficult it must have been to contribute an article to a "closed source" encyclopedia (Britannica, World Book, Colliers, etc). Hopefully schooling will shift to open source models like Wikipedia and other mass collaborations (explored in the book Wikinomics). In the meantime, there is a massive amount of valuable content (amidst the dross) being generated in the form of blog archives, podcasts, videos, slide shows, etc.
ReplyDeleteThe future looks bright to me.
Tom
We learning revolutionaries will gladly join forces with the subversives. Usually we start with a chat over a beer or two ;-)
ReplyDeleteWhile the machine is guarding against creativity, change and compassion. those meet-ups while feel like islands of sanity amidst widespread panic.
ReplyDelete> Must be able to win without a battle and not make enemies of power trippers who think they can make learning happen with "command and control" requirements.
ReplyDeleteI would point out that satisfying this condition does not require subservience to those in power, catering to their needs and fears, or pandering to them. Opposition to their power and control is still necessary, through words, and most importantly, through unyielding behaviour.
The key to Gandhi's revolution was not merely his refusal to accept Britain's monopoly on the manufacture of salt, it was was the act of going to the sea himself and making it, in full defiance of British rule.
If the only options are defiance and subservience, I am the same page as you Stephen. This is often the case when viewing a close-up lens that can only focus on those in power and those hurt by the abuse of power.
ReplyDeleteWhen viewing with a wide angle lens, other options appear. In the case with Gandhi's making salt, he played it out on the stage of the international press, as well as in front of the troops by the sea. His act of defiance against power was also an act of commitment to citizen rights, self-rule, and freedom of choice. If he was only acting in defiance, he would not have generated the alliances around the globe that turned the tide against the British. It took the larger context of issues beyond power and abuse. As the Irish inquire when a spat breaks out in a pub: "Is this a private fight or can we all join in the brawl?"
Hey Tom:
ReplyDeleteTwo years ago, I would have probably been standing in my home office applauding and crying out bravo! over your post. But after two years of trying to find one of the few employers out there who say they are looking for such a subversive AND are serious about doing it, I a bit less ready to declare that the revolution is near victory.
Not that I'm going to change my ways any day soon, but I do think that it's a fair warning that being subversive from inside is one thing, but trying to get back inside with a track record as a subversive ain't so easy.
Hi Dave
ReplyDeleteI think you're right about being a subversive is a longshot when seeking acceptance for employment. I've been a subversive once inside, but haven't tried to sell myself as one. The only two types I've thought of that might hire a "declared subversive" are:
-- the CEO seeking someone to head a breakout division that will cannibalize the existing products/services that current employees are loyal to and thinking inside the box about
-- the entrepreneur valuing a kindred spirit as him/herself that has similar talents to launch a fresh idea, get creative about problems and defy the "business as usual" mind set every day.
Thanks for the comment!