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Education or learning?

By Daniel Donahoo - posted Tuesday, 12 February 2008


If we are really committed to helping young people thrive, we can approach learning very differently. We could positively re-shape the systems governing education in ways that give children greater responsibility. Learning is so much more than what we do in the classroom. It is not just the teacher’s responsibility to teach - that too belongs to the community.

Holistic learning in a community classroom

In Castlemaine, Central Victoria, a local government primary school, driven by a group of enthusiastic parents, has quietly gone about the process of introducing a new approach to education. They attempt to make learning more holistic, and introduce children not just to science, the humanities and arts, but also to humanity. Winter’s Flat Community Class is as focused on learning in and about your community as it is about the formal curriculum.

In the Community Class, students learn to engage with issues with a range of different adults. These adults may be parents, or local business people or a recognised local figure. They dedicate their time to coming in to the class and teaching the children for a period of time. They may talk about an area of work they do, it might be a practical demonstration, or showing children a new skill like planting vegetables. The class is within the state school system and children must learn the set curriculum, but their learning environment is less structured, and there is a greater focus on giving children the skills of learning, rather than sets of specific knowledge.

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The class has a vertical structure, which means it encompasses children aged from seven to 12 years. Instead of creating problems, this structure mirrors the experiences children have with other children in their communities. Older children develop skills like mentoring and supporting younger students, which gives older students more responsibility and the teacher a range of supports within her student body.

To some degree, children direct their own learning and make suggestions about what the class could explore. The process of learning is more interactive and children are participants in their own learning. They gain responsibility and empowerment. Instead of needing gold stars, they build their self-esteem through involvement rather than perceived success. They are continually building competency and capacity as they learn to gain control and understanding of their environment.

The Community Class is a dynamic model of learning that demonstrates how flexible the education system can be beyond simple changes in curriculum. Even within the bureaucracy of the state school system, models can be developed to place greater emphasis on learning in different ways: ways that bring the community into the school and allow a broader range of people, besides just children, to take responsibility for their learning.

The Community Classroom is a step towards a more holistic model of learning. It is developing systems beyond the rigid model of education, supporting children to understand and experience a range of learning techniques from many different people in their community. Most importantly, they are given more control of their learning process.

In helping to shape the experience of learning with their teachers, and sharing learning with parents and other community members, learning is being taken beyond the school gate. The example of the Community Class demonstrates learning as an informal as well as formal process. This kind of learning fosters the development of the whole person, rather than just preparing them for the world of work.

Preparation for work is still important. But many life skills, which are vital to our health and well being, are neglected in conventional education systems. And in a time when health services focus on the value of human connectedness, when depression and isolation are common and we are realising the vital nature of human networks, how do we make our children’s learning more holistic? How do we counteract emerging issues faced by our young people by rethinking the way we support their development?

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In our culture, survival and success is frequently equated to having a “good job”. The definition of a “good job” usually entails a high salary, or the potential of a high salary. However, as is evident in debates over work-life balance, we are realising the need for balance to achieve quality of life. Yet young people are still subject to a demanding and ultra-competitive education system that continues to perpetuate the myth of the “good job”.

Why are the top-ranking university courses always medicine and law? Why did we recently witness a surge of interest in information technology courses? And why are entrance scores steadily rising for commerce and economics degrees? These trends indicate education and social systems that prime young people to work for the dollar, not for the love of their job.

It also indicates a lack of holistic learning in our education systems. Holistic learning is more focused on learning a range of skills to prepare us for life - not just a working life. And this learning doesn’t all take place at school.

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This is an extract from Idolising Children.



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About the Author

Journalist and columist with The Age, Sushi Das says he is ‘one of today’s young rebels’. Author and ethicist Leslie Cannold has referred to him as one of her ‘gorgeous men’.

Daniel Donahoo is fellow with OzProspect, a non-partisan, public policy think tank. He writes regularly for Australia's daily papers and consults on child and family issues. A father to two boys. Daniel's first book is called Idolising Children and explores our society’s obsession with childhood and youth. Updates on Daniel's work can be found at www.danieldonahoo.com.

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