tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542735367750845260.post7425862746024496864..comments2023-11-03T03:41:01.783-07:00Comments on Musings from an Amateur: The problem of control in educationAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14991593461200755444noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6542735367750845260.post-34929834493091161402010-06-23T10:26:35.223-07:002010-06-23T10:26:35.223-07:00Bryce,
I hear a lot of support for customizable ed...Bryce,<br />I hear a lot of support for customizable education lately, and it is certainly true that students want ever more control over their educations, inside and out of educational institutions. I wonder, though, where common values/expectations fit into this discussion though. As a civic engagement person I still strongly believe in the civic role of education in the US--that is, whatever else schools do they ought to help students build the skills necessary for a healthy democracy. Should educators abandon this and other common purposes to focus entirely on the private interests of students?<br /><br />On a related note, my sense is that much of outside of school learning is actually in highly controlled settings. Take music lessons, for example, and you conform yourself both to generations of musical tradition and the will/pedagogy of your teacher. Take up a sport and the same thing happens. Even things that we see as open like contributing to a wiki actually invite control.<br /><br />So for me the issue isn't control entirely but choice. When do we empower students to make a choice? What is the significance of that choice? Is the choice public? What are the terms of a decision made by a student?<br /><br />Higher ed invites choice at the wrong time. We try to do anything we can to get students to enroll and stay in college, even to the point of avoiding the discussions that might lead a student to select another institution. Once they enroll we let them change majors capriciously, etc. because we value their freedom of choice. But in the classroom students have almost no control over their learning. It seems to me that students should have limited choice at high levels (ie if you enroll at Westminster you commit to staying) but much wider ranges of choice in the classroom--how do you want to approach a topic? What is the best way for you to demonstrate your learning? etc.<br /><br />I've been toying with the relationship of common and custom educational experiences. The question here is this: can an institution require all students to do certain things in common (study abroad or learning communities, for example) which lead to highly customized outcomes? if so, then you get the best of both worlds--the institution has some integrity, it stands for something in particular and the student gets an experience that has deep, particular meaning for that student.garyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05362826471852969332noreply@blogger.com