Apologies from: Caroline, Ollie, Fanny
Spectrum lines: Are teachers an essential part of education
Do you think that you are responsible for your own education
Do you think the classroom is where you gain the most knowledge
Do you find education empowering
hard to define what education means.
Hard to rationalise the contradiction between what is the case and what you want to be the case.
Annapurna – don’t be fooled by the ignorant schoolmaster – questioning the role of the teacher. Compares to Paulo friere – his take
Sees society as a whole – either oppressed or an oppressor – idea of fully human form lost by power structures. People who’ve been oppressed not able to fulfil love and joy – there is a truth and something to strive for. Yet —- argues Doesn’t speak of the truth but rather the process and the finding of your own learning. Wants to disregard the teacher and how to get to that truth.
Ignorant schoolmaster, showing the will to learn? What is the role of the teacher? What does empowerment really mean? Is there an own truth, or meaning to things?
Dante – red pedagogy – Native American pedagogy – looking at primary schools in reservations. – statement of intent – radical pedagogy not going back to historical traditions. Red pedagogy reclaiming education lost to whites, not conservative reaction – creative and new – but roots in the past. The broader context, what should our society look like? Everyone has to be well fed and mentally prepared. One of the authors, Goldstein, indigenous knowledge – not just about learning but has to be committed to other principles as well. How are we engaging in this project in ways that are not
Deschooling society – Ivan Tillich – Paula – current trajectory that school system on dangerous for growth. Same as any other consumption pattern. Transferred from self to the institution (education). Due to accessibility – drives wedge between rich and poor. People meeting on a chosen problem or question. University offers a unique combination of circumstances – time to have these conversations – only important to those initiated into the system.
Look at empowerment. Look at examples.
Annapurna’s – example of empowerment through dance – focusing on getting in touch with body – interconnected body parts – in that way going about whole process – empowering as allows you to realise that your body is equal to mine and also functions.
Sean – homeless formal support – he was trusted to fulfil his job as he was a professional – implicit. His practise was so much better as he felt trusted without having to second guess himself.
Dante – marxist soc – one day conference – academic and practical – purely out of self motivation – purely educative and empowering.
Sofia – the staff didn’t want to supervise phd students – convinced people that they were able to supervise as they had the knowledge – empowering for them but also for her as she was not alone anymore
Gabi – rowing in competition – loved getting into the energy around it. – really good atmosphere as young club – they were able to compete with bigger and greater clubs – felt empowered as was believed in by the coach.
Split into three groups – How can empowerment be achieved in the context of the classroom?
What role should teachers play in empowerment in the classroom?
What do you think empowerment in a classroom context should mean?
Group feedback.
How can empowerment be achieved in a classroom context? Empowerment could be done through physical action – importance of the embodiment of the body. The banking model of education. – finding a balance – skills that are useful – diversity of people and recognising the diversity of peoples knowledge – people who feel empowered have had a privileged life maybe? Need to recognise the privilege they have etc – different social backgrounds. Risk. – allow risk to happen in the class, – careful risk.
Question of competition? Can that be empowering in any way? – can competition be useful to find out how well you are doing or looking at how you can doing – allows you to reflect on your progress or your position in the class. Debating the merits of it. Free debate – meritocratic base – ideas are filtered through, different opinions – people are allowed to adopt – lack of grades – when you forgot about grades, you did a lot better. – detachment from grades empowered them.
Stress the importance of collective empowerment – teacher encouraging people to learn – creation of excitement – and teachers felt they were on a social justice mission when they were at segregated schools – not just there for a social justice reason. Part of this mission was that teachers got to know their pupils in a holistic way – sense of mission was important – occupation empowering? – gave a mission to
How to transplant a liver? – learn accumulated knowledge – limit to this – would need to start volunteering – a group of people tying to practise this – less likely to make mistakes – more able to spread knowledge more evenly – scale up in terms of difficulty transplanting.
Many groups don’t want to rely on the traditional medical groups – discriminatory. Is It useful to be able to just do a liver transplant? – need to place the liver better in the wider context of the body.
What about letting people die better? In what society do we need liver transplants?
How to run a successful bussiness- a business doesn’t make sense unless you have a mission? What is important to you? – whole diversity of subjects you can take. – wouldn’t need to be in a uni – being in the world with people, will allow you to gain insight into what you want your mission to be? What are other social enterprises doing around you – face to face context? I am here because I want to apply this to my own idea? Creativity and fostering creativity –
How to formulate an effective migrant policy – need lived experience? – yet you need to be economically ok in your country of origin to be a migrant. Need a sharing of diverse lived experiences – people who are on the ground are knowledgable of the situation yet often don’t have a uni education. Not have a migration policy? – understand the consequences of decisions – boat plan? (see Niamh) – May, Macron etc in a boat in the med.
Could you learn this without formal education.?
Switch? Ask earlier about empowerment?
Discussion about the potential of turning this into a course that honours student can do?
need to submit a proposal to the board of studies on Friday. Based on our discussion – honours level course participation and graded assessment. – discussion
The practicalities of an honours degree – issue with stem students doing it ? Course organisers might not be keen as would change how they graded it.
Should the level 8 course have equal graded assessment?
