Although learning is a part of everyone's life, and society spends billions of dollars on education, it seems learning is not as well undersood as it should be.
Lacking a clear sense of what learning is, what there is to be learned, and why it is important, there has really been no strategic overview to guide our efforts, although there is a lot of 'hitting the barn door' in hopes of getting at least close. Without a clear sense of direction (or, lately, MANY clear senses of direction, each one being the 'right' one)we have allowed our pub lic arrangements for learning to drift along the currents of institutional expediencies, ritualized form and narrow political agendas (witness NCLB...).
It's clear we cannot continue in this way. Global changes in technology, economies and culture are forcing us to choose a future or have one thrust upon us, one that we most certainly won't like very much...and todays students are pointing the way. Our immensely rich natural resources cannot sustain our priviledge in a post-industrial world where initiative and intelligence are the most important forms of capital. In short, 'learning fitness' is the key to not only individual quality of life, but to national survival.
I'm borrowing a lot of these ideas from Ken Low, President of Action Studies Institute in Alberta, Canada. Teenagers are a new 'invention'...and so is education, although those in education won't want to hear this. Historically, teenagers didn't exist before the second World War. The average age of the Pony Express rider was 14-15-15 and 1/2. Romeo was 17, Juliet was 14. We create this transition zone learning how to function in institutional environments because it is something that takes quite a lot of practice to do...and that, in and of itself, is depressing.
Education, in the United States, was 'borrowed' from Europian Prussian models that exemplified producing a compliant populace for the military...and, unfortunately, in 250 years, that 'model' hasn't changed much...and, according to the military complex AND business, that is STILL the norm...but, is it really? What of these kids, who are so 'plugged-in', something else is suddenly going on?
Our capacity to survive as a species is based more on our ability to operate in tune, than it is to innovate and look at other things differently: straight numbers, the human species spent 50,000 generations as hunter/gatherers...50,000 generations...then 500 generations in the agricultural era. We spent 10 generations in the industrial era, and now in generation ONE of the micro-electronics era...to quote from 'Ghost Busters', who're you're gonna call??? It ain't, more, according to most teachers, in the latter...
I'm tired and spent, but want to add some further thoughts...a LOT of further thoughts, to the above...stay tuned...
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