Exploring other perspectives on the world we live and learn in
I’m sitting in the tram headed along the lakeside towards Neuchatel, a medium-sized town at the foot of Jura mountains. It’s Sunday afternoon, the weather is sunny after a prolonged period of heavy rain and flooding and the tram is full. Everybody, with a couple of notable exceptions, is wearing a mask.…
Learning moments – In Western minds learning is bound to a dis-embodied activity called schooling. In comparison, learning moments are activities deeply embedded in life… (Read more)…
Learning in Western minds is inextricably bound with memories and ideas from an institution called school. School is a building where learning takes place. Lots of learning. Only learning. Well, not exactly. Other activities creep in. Meeting your first boyfriend or girlfriend. Fighting during the recreation period. Talking to friends about a TV programme you saw or maybe a book you read or a website you visited.…
The following text provides my personal thoughts on the European Commission’s Working Paper entitled “Schools for the 21st Century” SEC(2007)1009 published early July 2007 (link no longer available). The consultation paper took the form of an introduction followed by a series of eight questions, each accompanied by a short text. The deadline for contributions about the consultation to the Commission was October 15th, 2007. …
Schools challenged by Life Long Learning – In response to eight questions by the European Commission, comments and key directions forward from schooling to life long learning… (read more)
Connected Magazine, 20th Aug. 2007.…
If we want to introduce life long learning where individuals or groups handle their own learning process, assessing progress in terms of real goals (not artificial tests) and related knowledge needs and develop strategies to learn from what goes on around them, then we have to seriously question the “lessons” embedded in schooling as they may well be leading us in the wrong direction..…
Nine lessons of schooling … or why school is not what you think it is – School is about learning Maths or English and preparing young people for work and society. It is also about imprinting strong lessons in children. But how do these ’embedded messages’ impact learning?…
The following article was originally based on a talk I gave at Xchange 2006 in Belfast and on discussion about the concept of the next curve in educational policy-making that took place in European Schoolnet’s Policy and Innovation Committee that met in Belfast prior to Xchange. The title of my talk was “Thinking out of the box … but how big is the box?”…
The following article is one of a series of texts about Emotional Intelligence sparked off by Daniel Goleman’s book about Emotional Intelligence and research work observing a number of primary schools in Geneva, Switzerland. I am also very much indebted to my two children, Zoé and Iannis, who are daily confronted with the refusal of school to take into consideration their emotional abilities and difficulties.…
Ambient schooling: Putting learning back into life – Taking a different perspective on learning as an integral part of all activities with the pedagogical, societal and ethical implications implied… (read more)
Connected Magazine, May 25th, 2003.
“Anyone got a can-opener?” Opening up the Internet – Changing ways things are done has little to do with telling people what to do, but more with creating a framework for them to develop their own ways… (read more)
Connected Magazine, Oct.…