False Dichotomy? 'Western' and 'Confucian' concepts of scholarship and learning

Ryan, Janette and Louie, Kam (2007) False Dichotomy? 'Western' and 'Confucian' concepts of scholarship and learning. Educational Philosophy and Theory. 39 (4) Pg 404-417

'We don't see things the way they are, we see things as we are' Anais Nin.

This paper was a good way of challenging my preconceived ideas of different educational approaches, and at the end of the paper I was ashamed of my own biases when teaching foreign students by projecting my own image of passivity onto them, and not being generous enough to understand that my own behaviour of questioning was the result of much practice and cultural acceptance in doing so.

The authors were also very good in pointing out that a middle ground was a desired outcome, to explore what was good in each paradigm and combining them to create a richer 'learning' environment. And that includes role-modeling. A good teacher is open to learning and should demonstrate life-long learning and self improvement (a mainstay of Confucian learning, as pointed out in the paper).

In a recent conversation with my mother I was taken aback by her attitude to Aborigines (Aboriginines, as she pronounced it). It also made me more aware that we change over time, although we may be unaware of it because it is a subtle movement. My mother was raised on a station in Marble Bar and spent a lot her time with the mothers and children of the local population. This was in the days when the men worked as stockmen in return for flour, tea, blankets, jam and tobacco. We see this as exploitation now, however the way Mum tells it the aboriginals had dignity in their horse skills and ability to provide for their families. There certainly wasn't the welfare mentality that Noel Pearson rallies against.

So what made my Mum change her opinion? When I challenged her she said that it was from her experiences nursing, as I guess our community services often deal with the tragic side of our 'society'. In my experience the police have the most prejudiced views of all our community groups, and I guess they have developed a fortress mentality as they are continually under siege, with the threat of violence never far away. Like the army, you need a strong, cohesive culture to deal with that kind of  threat. I could also hear in Mum's language the prevailing attitude of the 'Bowling Club' and the entrenched position our older generations hold.

So bringing it back to an educational context, we need to see learners as individuals, not labels, because there are a multitude of attitudes even within a defined group. We should be aware of the complexities, rather than dumb down to simplistic models of reality, try to draw out the positive aspects and develop a deeper understanding of views other than our own.

Self-Direction and LLL in the Info Age: Can PLE's help?

Muldoon, Nona (2008) Self-Direction and Lifelong Learning in the Information Age: Can PLEs help? Source. Accessed 5 August 2010 Lifelong learning : reflecting on successes and framing futures : keynote and refereed papers from the 5th International Lifelong Learning Conference, Yeppoon, Central Queensland, Australia, 16-19 June 2008. p. 277-283 Refereed ISBN: 1921047569

 An interesting paper that raises the question of how to address the way that ICT's have 'changed the way people think and operate' and is blurring the dichotomy between school-based and work-based learning. The pace of change due to globalisation means that to maintain currency in ones chosen discipline necessitates continued learning across the lifespan.

So the author posits that one of the roles of higher education in this context must be to foster Self-Directed Learning in graduates, and that one way to accomplish this is by letting students practice learning by using Social Media rather than locked-down operating environments and by changing the balance of power between teachers, curriculum and students.

Personal Learning Environments include access to Web 2.0 tools such as search (Google, Flock) create and publish (Blogs, PodCast, YouTube, Flickr) Collaborate and Share (Wiki, del.icio.us) and join communties (Facebook, LinkedIn groups) and to create their own identities (ePortfolio, Facebook)

Using such tools changes the power dynamics of the learning environment and creates a longitudinal attachment to their learning (which will be useful given the unreliable nature of our memories).

This paper has helped me think about my own lifelong learning strategy, and blogging on my readings in an open platform rather than on an LMS so I can access their ideas in any future context that I find myself in.

Citizenship is a global society

Given that online courses contain a mix of international students, many of whom are living or working outside of the country of their birth, reflect on your experience with the concept of citizenship. You may wish to include observations about your context (Do you live in a multicultural/multiracial society? How inclusive is the society and culture?), your own situation and activities (Are you a participant or observer in that society? Are you a citizen of the country in which you live? Do you have dual/multi-citizenship? How does that affect your participation? If you are an active citizen, are you an educated one? Why do you say so?) and the actions of others (Would you characterize yourself as a mainstream member of society or a marginalized member? Are there opportunities for you to exercise your citizenship?).

My context

I have lived in Australia for three quarters of my life, the first quarter being spent roaming through Papua New Guinea, Singapore, Malaysia and traveling from India to England where we lived for a few years before returning to Australia. I guess this contributed to my identification with the outsider, the underdog, despite being blessed with being born in an affluent culture, well educated and being in a secure family environment. Moving around meant being exposed to the bullies whenever you started at a new school because you were new, or different. I'm extremely grateful for this because I think you grow through being challenged, and because I don't doubt that if I had been brought up in a more closed environment I would have conformed to the dominant mindset, which I find in Australia is rather insular, tainted with an underlying racism, economically dominated and thoroughly Western (individualistic, consumptive) in its outlook despite being part of a greater Asia.  

I once had a job on a Wheat bin out of Geraldton in the mid-north of Western Australia. The hardest working member of the local team was an aboriginal man who happily pulled the weight of the rest of the employees because he knew that was what kept him employed. He couldn't join them in the crib room for smoko, because he wasn't part of their circle, so he kept working. He was a 'good' Abo, but an Abo none the less. The local population was also having a bit of whinge about the Asians coming in an taking over the market gardens. The ironic thing was that the loudest complaints came from the 'Wogs' who had met exactly the same reception when they set up their market gardens after the war. The Italian migrants had become fully integrated into Aussie culture and my only hope is that so will the Asian immigrants in time and that the blend will keep the good (industry, perseverance) and lose the bad (resistance to change, isolation from our Aisan neighbours, consumerism).

My situation and activities
I have recently moved to a small coastal village on the the Far North Coast of NSW. I can't say I am a very active participant in society at the political level, but do try and participate in community groups, i.e. Mothers group (Even if I am a Dad) and tuckshop duty at my daughter school. I am active in some global contexts, i.e. Interest Groups through Social Network tools, such as LinkedIn eLearning and Education groups as well as membership of organisations such as Amnesty International. I do want to participate further in politics, however it will need to wait until I can devote time and energy that are currently occupied with raising children and study.

Connectivism, the new educational paradigm?

I'm a fan of Guy Claxton Wise Up (Visions of Education) and his work on life-long learning and the power of the mind in non-traditional education, yet to me there was always something missing. His three tenets of Reflection, Resilience and Resources made me think of a Knight (on horseback). The Knights helmet was so shiny, yet the visor had the merest crack in it, and like the Lenard Cohen song, that was to let the light in - not to see the outside world, but to reflect on what was inside themself. Why have some of the wisest protagonists in stories been blind? Does it allow them to focus on their inner world and not be distracted by the shifting sensory cacophony around them? So that is the core of learning as espoused by so many great thinkers (Dewey, Polanyi, Einstein; the list goes on...), that knowing yourself and exercising your imagination is the wellspring of learning and of thus embracing the change you perceive as necessary.

The second point is resilience. The Armour and a shield to protect this mindfulness from the slings and arrows of failure, to enable you to live to fight another day and learn from your mistakes - by reflecting on what worked and what didn't. It provides a level of confidence that you can take on the world safely, with all its detractors and pits and trap falls of counterpoints. You can trust yourself to fight your best fight without wasting your energy on doubt and negativity.

Lastly, Claxton wrote of resourcefulness, which I saw as the long lance clutched firmly in the Knights gauntlet. It was both offensive and defensive. It keeps people at bay, and can skewer them like a kebab if they have the affront to challenge. It could also be utilised in myriad ways. It could be used as a flagpole when travelling, carrying your standard for all to see for miles around when held upright in your stirrup, or even as the tent pole to pitch your canvas over when resting. A very handy tool - but an inanimate object.

For me the vision lacked the Charger, the Relationship part of the connectivist paradigm. The trusty horse that enabled you to travel to far-away lands and make connections with different kingdoms. Also the knight as a chess-piece is the most innovative mover; it provides the hook from left field that feeds innovation (like the weak ties in Social/Organisational Network Analysis). And it is dynamic and taps into how we are social creatures at heart. Behaviourism, Cognitivism and Constructivism all focus on the individual, just like the Knights Helmet, Shield and Lance does. But wasn't the Round Table the real strength of Arthurs' kingdom? United we stand, etc? Gestalt shows us that we are greater than the sum of our parts

The Goldilocks dilemma

I've been working on a collaborative paper with peers around the world, and our topic has been on the role feedback and reflection play in learning (through an online environment). It's been a gut-wrenching experience to say the least, and right now, for me, that hasn't been resolved.

I don't think of myself as a lazy person, yet I recognise that my motivations lie in the perceived rewards from my efforts. It has been interesting to note that the feeling of failure in tackling this topic has been strong, that it is too complicated to achieve a result in the time we have, yet the urgency to push on has come from my own sense of self - that I am a team player and this is a core of my self-identity. The balance between discomfort, with the drive to push through led me to Mezirow and a bit of an ah-ha breakthrough. As a learner I need to complete 'pictures' - see interconnections, and until now I have been juggling. I wouldn't have reached this point without the support and encouragement of my peers.

Is this the core of a good teacher? Pushing without shoving. Setting stretch goals and then supporting the learner to reach them. Finding the fine line of balance between too much and too little?

The exhaustion of being an Introvert

When I did the Myers-Briggs I was surprised to find I was classified as Introverted. I like being with people, it's just that I energise by spending time by myself. So I feel like I fell off the studies after submitting my first assignment. I was so enthused when I started I was like a puppy replying to every post, and that finally took its toll.

Networks - the paradox of density and Gestalt

Nicholas Christakis has a fascinating take in his TED talk on Social Networks, and the part where he showed the knitting of atoms of carbon into graphite and diamonds was illuminating. The diamond is far denser than the pencil lead, but lets in light because the atoms are arranged in a connected network much more than in graphite. It is not the property of the carbon, but of the network, that gives it its 'personality'.

This sort of counter-intuitive result is like America's use of torture to combat terrorism. I don't think anyone would argue that Abu Ghraib damaged their reputation, and made the job of their soldiers even harder, so how to you counter this behaviour? I would argue open and transparent systems, with prisoners accorded all the rights of an American in court will win the war of hearts and minds - if not the isolated battles of interrogation. Why destroy something you respect and trust? If you understand something then you can begin a basis of communication, negotiation, persuasion...At least begin dialogue.

So it is in management. Command and Control doesn't work as effectively in the Knowledge Economy as other techniques that distribute power and empower employees (which used to be known as people, before they were turned into Human Capital).

So lets start looking at the real animal, and rename it as the 'living system' that is an organisation, not the dry graphical nodes of 'social network' chart. By recognising the big picture and seeing it as having it's own dynamic life, that requires care and nuturing, we give dignity back to the people who sustain it. The gestalt is the sum all of us, and yet bigger than all of us individually. As our actions ripple back and forth across the distances between indirect connections you realise the system takes on a life of its own, it develops personality - and that can't be isolated into individual nodes.