I've just returned from the fourth annual conference of AERO--the Alternative Education Resource Organization. Over 300 people were there, representing diverse kinds of schools, learning communities, and homeschooling/unschooling. There was a lot of enthusiasm, and it was clear that momentum is growing for building a completely new system of education that will be more child-centered, democratic and decentralized than the authoritarian and standardizing monstrosity we now have. Parents and teachers are getting together in many parts of the U.S.--indeed, in many places around the world--to figure out how to provide more caring and nurturing learning environments for young people. I believe that an education revolution is in the making. It is almost completely off the mainstream radar, but it is growing at the grassroots.
The rallying cry of this popular rebellion is CHOICE. Parents and student-centered educators want freedom from the oppressive authority of government mandates and corporate-style standards and "accountability." They want room to experiment, innovate, and respond spontaneously to the real and shifting needs of individuals and small communities. There is a healthy streak of individualism in this movement, sometimes bordering on the eccentric and anarchic, but vitally necessary for counteracting the fascist standardization of learning that our culture has sanctioned. The revolution is not exactly a coherent movement; trying to find agreement on any concerted action, beyond calling for "choice" and "child-centered" learning, is very much like herding cats. I've spent my 25-year career trying to describe some unifying principles that might weave these scattered efforts into a social and political force of some kind, but now I'm starting to wonder whether a spontaneous, unchoreographed uprising from the grassroots is exactly how this revolution needs to happen. Readers, what are your thoughts?
I'm working on a new book that will describe this revolution and my vision for the future of education. A lot of good books have come out recently, or are in the works, including Emmanuel Bernstein's The Secret Revolution, Kristan Morrison's Free School Teaching, Chris Mercogliano's In Defense of Childhood, and a new Directory of Democratic Education. These are all available through AERO's online bookstore (see www.edrev.org). I've also just reviewed a manuscript for a book that proposes a sweeping vision of educational freedom, drawing on an unusual but potent blend of ideas from Montessori, Dewey, and Ayn Rand. (I never thought I'd see Dewey and Rand brought together in the same discussion!) So a lot of thoughtful people are envisioning a new educational system, and I hope to weigh in with my own thoughts in the next few months.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
7 comments:
Ron,
It was wonderful to meet you at the AERO Conference! Thanks so much for your recommendation of vipassana and that very productive discussion we had at dinner on Saturday. I need to sit with it for a while, but it was powerful. The conference was so transformative for me...
There was a post here that I hadn't responded to but it appears to be gone now? And I wanted to look back and see what I had written about the internal/external reality problem but now I can't find it. (The way I'm thinking about this is changing so fast that it would be interesting to see how I put it!)
I really appreciate how you're able to bring so many perspectives together so fluidly. And how you're able to hold onto multiple perspectives yourself! I think your work coming up with unifying principles is extremely valuable, and without it, I'm not sure I'd be able to articulate where I stand. It's very grounding to realise that holistic education can be conceived of as a historical tradition which clearly contrasts with mainstream educational models. While I love the spontaneous individualistic approach I don't think it's enough: a sense of the big picture is important, too. Without the unifying force that AERO provided I'm not sure I would have ever developed a sense of the breadth of what this movement is or how I could get involved in it. My passion is not Montessori schools or democratic schools or unschooling; my passion is all of it; what it is as a whole; and without your work I'm not sure I'd have the language to describe what all of THIS is about! It's not just educational choice (though I think that's a great way to frame it, and people seem to understand when I put it that way.) It's valuable to see that these models have something (say, a basic trust in human nature) that the mainstream approach does not. Perhaps herding isn't necessary; but being aware of some of the broader goals that we share, I think, definitely is.
That said, this spontaneous approach is so exciting to me, and I DO think it's just what we need to become more visible! It's where the energy is; and I've been thinking about how much of this is generational, because the younger people I met seemed much more interested in this kind of action. The boy on the panel really grasped the enormous potential of YouTube! The important thing at this stage is just to get these ideas out there to as many people as possible via whatever means possible. Even the smallest actions are important. I'll be starting a website soon, called No child Left Unheard, and we're going to interview young people about their schools and what their perfect school might look like. We're also going to start an alternative education wiki which will be a "hub" for people who are curious about alternative approaches to education to find out about everything that's going on. Talking with a girl at the conference we came to the conclusion that there really aren't many places people can go on the Internet that will connect them to everything that's happening in this larger movement... so we want to do that. (And she plans to start an alt. ed. blog too.) What about an alternative education podcast? People browse podcasts and subscribe, not necessarily to what they're already interested in, but what looks like it might be worth listening to. If they see an "alternative education" podcast, I'm sure quite a few people will be interested, and if it's good... we may get quite a few new people involved. Also I've talked to Manny Bernstein who's encouraged me to pursue controlled studies of alumni of alternative schools (with alumni of public schools being the control) and is very excited to support me on this. It's something I've long thought was necessary and may be finally coming into fruition.
So many things ARE happening. I don't remember seeing so much of this grassroots action at last year's conference but we really seem to be ready for it. When we do get on the mainstream radar, and the culture starts grappling with what this movement is, the unifying principles will be extremely important in putting together a political force. And while we advocate choice, these principles can help us get a better idea what the choice is BETWEEN.
Please do keep sharing. I'll tell people about your blog and hope you get more readers!
Jason
Thre is one single unifying principle:
Follow The Child
Morgan Gallagher
I've watched my unschooled son grow and learn all on his own with very little of me "teaching" him anything.
Learning doesn't happen because someone is teaching. Learning happens when the child (or adult) is allowed to choose their own path.
The government (federal, state, and local) needs to get out of the business of homeschoolers so our children can learn as they see fit.
I'm for the spontaneous rebellion--not the directed movement with unified ideology. One concern I have with this movement is the question of "access" ... to opportunity ... especially for the working poor. How do any of you readers out there react to that concern? Glad to have found this blog. Thanks.
Thanks for your blog. I am so thankful to have found all of you. I have only been blogging a short time myself on the issues of forced schooling. "Choice" is a good, all-inclusive word. Let's just use Public School as an elective! The alt. ed. wiki is a great idea and more in the blogosphere please.
Myschoolsout.blogspot.com is my rant from nothing more than frustration at the current state of affairs. And now, in many states, the powers that be want to take in 0 to 3 years of age into the DOE net. The way I see it is that "big brother", for economic reasons, wants to control the first 22 years of a person's life!
I run a small private school of 40 students. I also run a day care but am closing that at the end of August. My state says that they don't want day care personnel to teach the children anything academic (like pre-reading or reading skills). They also want the children to be allowed to be insolent and disruptive because the wee ones are just learning how to stand up for themselves! This is what our society is coming to. I must close my business. To stay open and follow their new regulations, mental screening of 2 and 3 year olds, and on and on, is more than I will stand for. It violates my entire belief system.
Anyway I am so happy to still have my little private school. And I am glad that there are other like-minded individuals trying to change things for our children. Thanks. I will be checking back often and letting others know about this blog.
С мужем решили заказать в рассрочку [url=http://shkafy.com/vstroennye/]встроенные шкафы купе[/url] посоветуйте еще что нибудь, ассортимент продукции сейчас такой большой не могу понять чего выбрать
I love the fact that education is now beginning to take new forms. I personally love the online education aspect. It has allowed me to finish up my schooling on my own time. And allowed me to get what I needed to take the next steps in my education. Excel High School (www.excelhighschool.com) is a great place for students, adults, anyone really who needs to finish up their high school diploma. Check it out.
Post a Comment