Autonomy?
There’s been a flurry of excellent posts by Ewan McIntosh about learning, over the past few days, filled with interesting questions about how the read/write web enables learning, and (I think) by extension, autonomous learning. There are autonomous learners in school already - guitar players, programmers, dancers, illustrators, and other kids who have a keen interest in something. These kids have built up, over time, highly complex skills and knowledge of their interests. I’m struggling at this point though. If we want autonomous learners in the classroom, then which of the following are true?
- Choosing to learn means choosing subjects that reflect interests - the challenge lies in providing meaningful subjects that also offer futures.
- It is not possible to engage children completely in subjects that they dislike - they will not take it upon themselves to learn something they are not interested in. As job requirements, not pupil interest, must dictate the direction of schooling, the only pupils that can autonomously learn are those that are interested in general, academic pursuit (as it currently the case?)
- Engaging pupils with their interests can encourage them to be autonomous learners. Relating these interests in a meaningful way to our (and by our I mean the government/society’s) interests is the bridge to providing better learning.
Again, this is all thinking out loud. ACfE encourages me that the people in charge may understand this in the same way as I do. However, I’m not sure, really, how it all will fit together.
Hi Peter
I’m planning to do a bit on Open Source software in education (for the un-initiated) for a forthcoming Booruch podcast. Would you be up for me recording a Skype conversation between ourselves?
Hi,
Sure would. Just moved house though so you’ll need to give me a wee bit to get me broadband in order - probably a week! Unless you want to phone, of course.
email is peter dot liddle att gmail dot com!
The good thing about CfE for me is that I get the feeling that many of those pushing CfE also don’t really know how it will all fit together - but, they know it is the right way to go!
If, collectively, we have the vision right - and the rhetoric of CfE seems to pretty damned good - then the detail will take care of itself over time, because we will all do our bit to ensure it works. Let’s just make sure that the technology agenda is not subsumed as an add-on to the ‘educational’ bit - the digital environment is now a critical part of the landscape within which young people now live their lives and deserves to be taken very seriously in building the new curriculum from the ground up.