Deschooling Society - Education for Social Control

“School is the advertising agency which makes you believe that you need the society as it is.”
– Ivan Illich, “Deschooling Society”

Illich raises a germane point in his quote above. School maintains the social status quo so that people do not question why society is as it is, and who controls it. This is at odds with the concept and meaning of education.

Why is it that regimes burn books? It is because reading sets people free and exposes them to new ideas. We drug our children's minds at school so that they conform and learn not to question. This is why schools are so important to those who control society (the military-industrial-political complex). Schools are needed, not to educate but to control.

This also explains the flak that comes from the establishment when home-schooling is discussed. Home-schooling, deschooling and unschooling all pose a serious threat to the status quo because they turn out engaged and questioning, self motivated learners. I would suggest that any critics reading this post should get out and meet some of these kids. Be prepared to be very scared. These kids are not afraid of adults, do not accept things at face value and are usually not impressed by what conventional society has on offer.

Imagine a generation of children who are not interested in spending hours in front of the TV or playing video games. Who are not exposed to all of the advertising that brainwashes people and contribute to their feelings of inadequacy. How refreshing to talk to young people who are interested and engaged within their communities and families.

They may turn the age...

DK

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The Buddha on Teaching

Believe nothing merely because you have been told it . . . or because it is tradition, or because you yourselves have imagined it. Do not believe what your teacher tells you merely out of respect for the teacher. But whatsoever, after due examination and analysis, you find to be conductive to the good, the benefit, the welfare of all beings – that doctrine believe and cling to, and take it as your guide.
- Gautama Buddha

This advice coming across the centuries is as important as the day it was spoken. The Buddha was a great teacher but he encouraged his followers and students to examine and analyse the teachings they received. His view that we should seek the good of all beings is at odds with today's schooling factories that turn out many blind learners without the skills to examine the world around them objectively. To use Gatto's term it is all about the interests of "the Combine" - big business, the military, transnational conglomerates and those who pursue wealth at all costs. For their interests to be served they need an army of unthinking people who are "educated" to obey without question, to endure boredom and have arid inner lives.

There are now millions of our young people who have been home schooled, deschooled or unschooled and who will not obey but rather challenge the mindless burearcracy that keeps the products of formal schooling in thrall to their masters.

May they turn the age...

DK

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What Exactly do we Learn at School

“There were no sex classes. No friendship classes. No classes on how to navigate a bureaucracy, build an organization, raise money, create a database, buy a house, love a child, spot a scam, talk someone out of suicide, or figure out what was important to me. Not knowing how to do these things is what messes people up in life, not whether they know algebra or can analyze literature.”

– William Upski Wimsatt

This quote by Wimsatt highlights a problem with today's schooling system - a lack of relevancy to life and living. People can do 12 years of education and still be unequipped to cope with independent living. Why is this? It appears to be caused by the professionals slicing out something for themselves from every day life while making children and young adults dependent on them and their tests, grading and diplomas.

Education should be about learning, not teaching. How is it that our children can learn their first language without any formal teaching? Children experiment, interact with others and learn naturally and spontaneously. Compare this with the foreign language instruction within our schools and universities. Some people come out of college with a degree in a foreign language and still can't speak the new language fluently and idiomatically. The academic approach is not the best fit to learn a new language. Compare this with young children who move to a new country with their parents. They pick up the new language by interacting with their peers. Children below the age of five who have not been stifled by traditional schooling are not afraid of making mistakes. FACT - you can not become fluent in another language without making many mistakes. Yet schools reward those who make the least mistakes with the best grades.

It has taken me a lifetime of formal education to realise how I have been cheated and robbed of real learning. I am rectifying this now at the advanced age of 58.

DK

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The Worth of Education

"America believes in education: the average professor earns more money in a year than a professional athlete earns in a whole week."

Evan Esar

I think this quote tells us something about our priorities. The Greeks put education and physical education as equals - a healthy mind in a healthy body. How did we get so out of kilter that sportspeople get paid so much more money? I guess though there are a lot less pro sports people than professors.

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

Popular Education

Next in importance to freedom and justice is popular education, without which neither freedom or justice can be permanently maintained.

John Garfield (1831-1881)

I am a great believer in the concept of public education. Every person is entitled to, and benefits from, a public education. Education helps to break the shackles of poverty and ignorance. It allows people to shine and to soar, to add something to the wealth of human endeavour.

DK

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Education - an old view

Education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance

Will Durrant

That is definitely true, take it from one is ignorant.


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Natural Ability

Natural ability without education has more often attained to glory and virtue than education without natural ability

Cicero (106 BC-43 BC)

Education helps you to think in the same way as your professors whereas natural ability helps you to think for yourself. DK

What is the ideal degree?

What is the best degree to make you a fit citizen, a member of society who adds value - to yourself, family and society at large? Obviously if you want to be a doctor you take a medical degree, if a lawyer, a law degree. I came to the conclusion, that for me, the ideal education encapsulates both academic and hands on content. You should be able to apply what you are learning academically in the real world as you learn it. There is no substitute for applied education. Education should be about making us useful members of society, not academic navel-watchers. I am not decrying the academic fraternity here, but even they would have to admit, that some of their writings are overly obscure and contain language to deliberately hide meaning from society. Many undergraduate programs, especially in colleges, are beginning to reach out to their communities, to give students the opportunity to get out, learn and apply their new found knowledge. This is to be applauded. DK First published on Qassia

A Call for Eclectic Reading

To broaden your mind, broaden your reading. If you always think and read in the same way, the chances are that you will not increase your knowledge or challenge your beliefs. I think it is Bill Gates who subscribes to a wide range of different publications, including many outside of his spheres of influence, so that he can expand his mind and challenge the way he looks at things. During my formal education I got introduced to three main ways of reading and thinking. Firstly the scientific method, secondly the business school approach, and finally the humanities way of thinking and writing. This surely increased the breadth of my learning. When I was in graduate school I decided to do a Greek History paper at undergraduate level for interest. I was amazed when I got my first assignment back and only got a B for it. I have never forgotten the lecturers comments - "You have told me what Smith thinks, you have told me what Brown thinks, you have even told me what Ventcatchalan and Jones et al think, but what do you think? Thios was a turning point for me. As an undergraduate in science and business we were expected to feed back what we had been taught. Your thoughts and opinions were for grad school. But here in a 101 Humanities paper, the professor is interested in my thoughts, Wow! This realigned my whole focus on education. Keep well DK First published on Qassia

The Primary Source in History

The use of primary sources is critical to an understanding of history.

So what is a primary source? A primary source can be defined as: a document, speech, or other sort of evidence written, created or otherwise produced during the time under study. Primary sources offer an inside view of a particular event. (Definition accessed at http://www.library.unr.edu/instruction/help/primary.html)

So the definition of a primary source is wider than just a document or textual evidence. It can include music, folksongs, novels, paintings, sculptures, clothing and a host of other things. Today in our electronic age we have blogs, videos, social networking sites and YouTube clips that will be used by future generations of historians as primary sources to see how we lived. No doubt in hundreds of years time, people will watch clips of the 9/11 tragedy and gain an insight into our age and particular concerns. To really get to grips with history it is important to engage with a range of primary sources. It is too easy to look at books about primary sources (called secondary sources because they are at one remove from primary sources) or read what the experts see and miss the crucial evidence of handling the primary source materials ourselves. Read the Declaration of Independence instead of reading what Prof X says about it.

However, primary sources differ in relevance and there are some questions we need to ask ourselves when evaluating primary sources. What questions should we ask about Primary Sources? Lets take as an example the Civil War in the US.

1. How close to the time is the source? Generally the closer to the time of the action, the more valuable the source (documents/letters etc from the time period covered by the Civil War would be the most useful. Those written 10, 30 or 50 years later would have a decreasing relevance.

2. Who created the source? What was their position in society, Lord, General, maid, slave? Different people bring different perspectives on events.

3. Did the person have a view on the action? Are they biased in their view. Were they a Confederate or Union supporter, slave owner or abolitionist, neutral or partisan? You have to weigh up how honest and unbiased a source is before putting heavy reliance on it. In truth though, no human source can be completely unbiased, but some are more unbiased than others.

4. What does the source reveal between the lines? Sometimes in history we have to scan a document for examples of what is not there. You would expect a victorious General in a battle to say how wonderful everything was, but the losing General may well leave out pertinent material that would attribute blame to his actions. History is all around us and increasing in volume with every second. Handle the primary sources. Try to get a selection of sources from different stratas of society, gender and rank positions, from people with different levels of education and from different sides of a conflict or action. Weigh their respective validities and make your own conclusions. Learn to love learning, evaluating history is something we do every day without thinking about it. Keep the points above in mind and history will come alive.

First published on Qassia http://drkelp.qassia.com

Hints for Language Learning

In a global economy it is a distinct advantage to know more than one language. Learning another language helps you to consider your own mother tongue. When learning a new language there are some hints that will make your task a little easier. Hints for Language Learning Be consistent in your application. You need to be exposed to your new language on a daily basis. It might only be 5-10 minutes a day but do it consistently. Learn from a variety of sources - podcasts, textbooks, talking to native speakers, reading newspapers, listening to TV and radio in the language you are learning. You will be surprised over several months how much you can pick up of a new language. Invest in a good dictionary that has your first language and the language you are learning. Try and learn as much about the culture of the area where your language is spoken, visit the area if possible. Culture and language are intertwined. Get used to hearing native speakers of the language so you pick up the correct speed, intonations and linguistic nuances. Speak the new language whenever you can. The Internet is fantastic for this, if you have a webcam or microphone. The use of Skype will allow you to talk to a native speaker for free. Buy some children's books in the new language. This will give you confidence at picking up simple vocabulary and syntax. Relax and enjoy the experience. As the old saying goes: He who has another language has another soul. First published on Qassia http://drkelp.qassia.com