Welcome to PathsOfLearning.net and this discussion of education alternatives. Hosting a blog is a new experiment for me, and I'm curious to see where our conversations will lead.
I've been working since the mid-1980s to help build a more unified, connected movement for educational alternatives. I'm convinced that as long as the groups of Montessori and Waldorf educators, democratic schools, homeschoolers, progressive activists in public education, charter schools, and other alternative approaches remain separate and scattered, we will not effectively change the authoritarian educational culture that dominates U.S. and other societies. I have long suggested that the philosophical perspective of "holistic education" could offer a broad, unifying set of principles, but so far this suggestion has not caught on widely.
More recently, I have begun to think in terms of building an "educational rights movement" that consciously honors and builds upon the struggles of the civil rights movement of an earlier generation. I see our work in education as a natural extension of the ongoing struggle for a more authentic and participatory democracy. I'll write more about this here and in essays that I'll post on www.PathsOfLearning.net .
By the way, if you've visited this website before, you'll notice that it has changed dramatically. Here's a bit of history: In 1999, I opened the Foundation for Educational Renewal to publish the magazine Paths of Learning. A very bright graduate student named Robin Martin contacted me and wondered whether the Foundation would sponsor her in establishing an online database containing resources on educational alternatives. We worked together for several years, and Robin did a fabulous job creating this website and filling it with great material. A couple years ago, having completed her Ph.D. work, Robin went off to other adventures (she's teaching at a university in the Middle East) and the site has been rather passive. Even though I discontinued the magazine and shut down the Foundation, I realized that this could still be an important resource and networking tool, and decided that I would use it to gather and make available my recent writings and conference presentations. I've kept what I thought was Robin's best work, but removed material that has grown outdated. I hope to keep PathsOfLearning.net fresh and stimulating.
So, who's reading this and what are you interested in discussing? What do you find useful on this website and what other writings or resources would you like to see added?
Let's get this blog rolling...
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8 comments:
I like it, Ron! I will be sending you a quick screen shot of how the new logo could work with the blog.
Keep on Blogging!
Thank you for this beginning. I look forward to being part of this dialogue on an on-going basis.
For further info on me, you can go to the wisdom website and read parts of my dissertation, Systemic, Integral Education and an article I wrote for the Journal of Conscious Evolution.
http://www.cop.com/wisdompg.html under
WISDOM, THE ACADEMIC ENTERPRISE, AND EDUCATION FOR WISDOM
I feel it has a lot to do with keeping the conversations for holistic/integral education alive and well distinguished....and wide spread
I am committed to bringing together the people around the world who are practicing integral/hoistic practices in education.
Anne Adams
Hi Ron! Cyberspace seems somehow smaller when I can check out a new blog site and see names I know - Shelley Vermilya, Anne Adams, Ron Miller - (hi everyone!)
In the future, hope to see a lot of new names too, which might suggest that the community of kindred spirits is growing and connecting.
All the best in this new endeavor - we've come a ways since PeaceNet, right?
Glad you are starting a blog Ron. We need more venues like this to have this sort of discussion.
I like your idea of trying to gather all the different flavors of alternative education under one common set of principals so that we can challenge the prevailing education culture together.
The idea I want to bring to the table is that of liberty for youth and fostering many paths of learning, including school and alternatives to school, that they can choose from. This concept of liberty is a key one in the founding of our country, and gave these former British colonies tremendous energy and moral legitimacy.
But as you point out in your book, "What are Schools For?" and John Taylor Gatto addresses in his book "The Underground History of American Education", our current public school system, as conceived in the early 19th century is not a product of the idea of liberty, but of the ideas of industrialization, centralization, and social engineering.
So I would put forward, that in looking at learning and infrastructure to help youth with learning (what we call education), we need to reassert the concept of liberty. Learning is something that an individual has the right to choose a path and pursue. It is not something that the government, even as it is intended to be an instrument of the people's will, has a right to impose.
Hi Ron, I must say that I really like your idea of thinking in terms of an educational rights movement. Just calling it that begins to raise questions. An educational rights movement? What are my educational rights? What might an educational bill of rights look like? Are such rights being adequately protected by our government? Is there a constitutional change that we are seeking that could be clearly articulated, and could we create a test case to put before the supreme court? I think it has great potential to be far more unifying for the various alternative educational approaches than “holistic” education. How exciting! I look forward to reading your articles about this in the near future.
Ruth Lopez
Dear Ron,
I just discovered your blog. I saw you do the keynote at the AERO Conference last year and read your book What Are Schools For. I'm also part of the group working to start the Stone Soup School in Worcester MA. I want to encourage you to keep writing, and as long as you are, I'll be reading. Someone recently inspired me to think about starting my own alt ed blog... so perhaps I'll give it a try. I'm also thinking about bringing alt ed to the world of podcasting. How about a podcast which addresses broader concerns (i.e. outside of education), but frequently focuses alt ed issues, to bring in a wider audience?
I'm excited about the idea of building an educational rights movement. I think such a movement would be most successful if we can first move beyond our own strictures and make a case to people in other movements that these are issues they should care about (even if they don't have children or any already vested interest in education). We need to make a case that education -- not just the fact of it, but the question of the form in which it takes, is crucial for social change and a positive human future. Even in ecology and sustainability spheres, where people tend to share many of my values, I feel like I'm speaking a foreign language when I speak of non-authoritarian education. I'd love to see you and other alternative education people speak at conferences like the Bioneers, and other places where we'd be well received, but where people really have never had the opportunity to think about these ideas.
I also think we need to perform studies of people who have been alternatively educated. Something that would measure their satisfaction, success (in college, as adults, salaries, etc.), something with both quantitative and qualitative components and that profiles them in interesting ways. We need to find ways to address parents' concerns of how their children will succeed in alternative settings. So far, I haven't heard of any such studies, but it's been something I've been interested in a while, and if anyone is inspired, I'd love to talk to you about it.
Jason
dewiniaeth@gmail.com
I wanted to add... There were a lot of valuable resources on the old Paths of Learning website that I'd love to see available again if at all possible. Most valuable to me were the bibliographies and the path guides. It was wonderful to find a place where people could seek or offer mentorship. There aren't enough opportunities for that, and to me this movement is also about encouraging and fostering different kinds of learning relationships in everyday life, making them more accessible...
Hi Ron
please could you explore Reggio Emilia experiences for PathsOF Learning.net to offer truly fresh and stimulating encounters via your blogs!
Hope we can have conversation that can be shared both in India(www.flame.edu.in) and Singapore(www.street11.org.sg)
Inspired by Ron-we will find a way to connect with you ! vashima@mac.com
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