Lessons on Learning (from Charles Eisenstein)

In his short essay, "Time to Cut Class" in the UTNE Reader, Eisentein enumerates several school-indoctrinated bad habits and false beliefs that need to be reconsidered. For us, particularly in the context of educating with technology, I contend these are interesting points as there has always put a more relativistic perspective on education given that the technology educator's field is in constant flux.

So nothing for us to learn here. Stop reading.

Eisenstein suggests avoiding:

1. Seeking "credit" for the right answer.

2. Seeing problems as having a right answer, and thinking that by articulating the solution, I have solved the problem.

3. Seeking external validation for choices, as in "What should I do?" (I can't just choose, can I? How do I know it's the right choice? I had better go ask someone.)

4. Work: a matter of completing assignments.

S. Life: a process of graduating from one externally provided program to the next.

6. Status: defined by rank within an institution.

7. Personal worth: dependent on external evaluations.

He continues:

Wait! As you read through these points, do you notice any habits of schooling operating within yourself? Are you skimming them to simply check if you "know" them already (as if for a quiz)? Are you evaluating each one to determine whether it is right or wrong?

Frighteningly, I had been doing exactly that.

His penultimate advice:

What creates rich and fruitful relationships is not being right, but providing things to people that are useful to them-in other words, givinge wrong.

I think we can agree, he's right.

And you're wrong.