philosophy_of_ed

My philosophy of education
While learning is valued as closed knowledge (ie what the book / teacher says) the potential of web learning for school is limited. To make productive use of ICT for learning new structures are needed for > ICT-related learning on at least a par with exam results as measure of learning
 * what learning is valued by school as a system
 * teacher learning to handle ever-changing ICTs

School in the 21st century My concern with school as a social institution is considerable but I still see it as a critical part of any worthwhile society and as such am looking for improvement and accommodation through working from within rather than than taking on the "if only' approach beloved of those who can show 'care' but never have to show 'responsibility'. I would improve schools by working with teachers and others to:
 * set up embedded **teacher learning** structures within schools to support teachers working together and taking on new challenges
 * create **links between teachers** and beyond to demonstrate and recognise what teachers are doind and can do
 * generate **new relationships** between teachers and students, using the latter's relationship with technology to construct knowledge
 * create **specialised knowledge areas** that can make use of specialist teachers

A personal view of the impact of some educational philosophies A look at the philosophical underpinnings of of those who influence my work as an educator.
 * **Geoge Siemens** //[|Connectivism] //  to do "something", ie construct knowledge through  connections, developing relationships and links.
 *  **Seymour Papert** (1928 - ) - educational computing pioneer whose philosophy of **Connectionism** - built on taking Piaget's work and applying computers for learning - is one of the pillars of modern educational computing (computer as tutee) (along with the view of the computer as tool or tutor) - see Taylor (1980) and //Mindstorms// (1980). Related to this is humanist thinking such as **Abraham Malow** (1908 - 1970) on [|Hierarchy of Needs] and 'self actulalisation' and **Carl Rogers** (1902-1987) on importance of 'postive regard'
 * **B F Skinner** (1904 - 1990), a psychologist whose philosophy of science, Radical Behaviorism, saw positive reinforcement as more effective at changing and establishing behaviour than punishment. Shame the more general view is of his development of behavioural modification approaches.
 * **Lev Vygotsky** (1896-1934) emphasized the roles of historical, cultural, and social factors in learning which added a social dimension to theories focused on the individual learner. His **zone of proximal development** identifies the difference between what a learner can do with compared to without help - an important consideration for personal learning when using technology.
 * **John Dewey** (1859-1952) provides hope for a liberating view of education through learning by doing, interacting with the environment around for purposeful, personal learning. See //The School and Society// (1900), // Democracy and Education // (1916)
 * **F W Taylor** (1856 - 1915) and his view of the need for industrial efficiency techniques based on scientific reason holds school in place even to this day.
 * **Jean-Jacques Rousseau** (1712 - 1778) believed that man was essentially good but corrupted by society (such as through school). Points to the potential power of education to liberate but bit too libertarian for me. Shame he didn't walk the walk.
 * **John Locke** (1632 - 1704) considered that education created the man with the mind an “empty cabinet”. See //Some Thoughts Concerning Education// (1693)
 * **Plato**'s (5thC BC) wandering blind in a cave as we seek to know the 'real world' of external forms provides a view of perfection that defines our education - both personal and systemic - through our failures to be comprehend. Plato also started the idea of society being responsible for the education of its young with a higher echelon educated to make the laws.