Learning to fall and rise in the 21st Century

When I first began NGL I was concerned about juggling the course along with all my other commitments. My concern was exasperated by my belief that I needed to use all the tools and read everything, assuming the conventional approach that I experienced as an undergraduate. Stephen Downes dubs this as the "industrialist consumption-based model of learning." Due to being used to "impossible external standard[s]" I was concerned about failing the course, or at least, just passing.

Now, in hindsight, and with my knowledge of the industrial era, and in particular how the modern schooling system came to be, I realise how indoctrinated I was in the traditional paradigm of schooling. Prior to completing my Masters, if a teacher/lecturer provided resources, I would use them all. If I didn't, I assumed, and it was emphasised periodically, I wasn't engaging with the course. Due to this I felt the fear that if I did not do it, I would "fail," or not get a job because I wasn't fully completing "course requirements."

Nevertheless, upon engaging in the literature about Connectivism, particularly the posts by Stephen Downes, I have learnt that the traditional paradigm that shaped my thinking does not empower the learner, teaching him or her to master their lives. Indeed, it can do the opposite. Downes highlights in his critique of traditional schooling that "whether the students wants to learn is irrelevant." He writes how the current model of primary and secondary education is based on a "coercive premise," and that there is a façade, or should I say an "elephant in the room," where schooling is made to appear "voluntary," but really is "compulsory." A quick look at the definition of compulsory is: "having the power of forcing someone to do something." This definition made me ponder, what would be the consequences of forced education?

The consequences of using force reveals to me why many people feel powerless as adults. As children I believe that their experience of being coerced to learn, rather than receiving guidance to develop into who they have the potential to be (which encourages autonomy and responsibility) contributes to feelings of powerlessness. This is particularly so in traditional schooling where learning is scaffolded to such a repetitive degree that the learners' become dependent on the teacher, leading to passivity, or even worse, to a lack of self-confidence. When one believes that they must rely on authority to tell them what to do, they silence their inner voice and rely of the voices of others.

I think the inequality of schooling that Downes refers to (and it's not referring to the economic inequality, but the inequality between the student and teacher) is the reason why the majority of adults experience a low "self-efficacy." Many have lost a belief in themselves to learn, let alone succeed. Many also end up trying to avoid "failure," and in this avoidance also avoid living - where they are merely existing, or at least, this is how it was for me and many individuals who have shared their story with me.

This brings me to something that I found problematic in Brennan's critique of Connectivism. It wasn't his critique per se, as there are many valid points, it was his consistent reference to failure and the need to avoid it. The fear of failiure, I believe, causes individuals to avoid taking risks, and to avoid risk is to avoid life. By not participating in activities where there is the potential that one will not succeed, he or she will indeed not get uncomfortable (they will avoid feelings of failure or even ideas of failure) but, as a consequence they will not learn.

I think, as a mother and an educator, we have to keep trying things until we find things that fit, and even then, when things do fit, if we remain the same we won't grow. I, like Downes, "blame," for want of a better word, "traditional" systems of education (not the teachers as they become enculturated into the system, as I was).

I also think it is unwise to believe that an individual has failed if they do not achieve immediately what they have set out to do. Richard Branson, in an article about why entrepenuers struggle with formal schooling, says that traditional schooling makes "mistakes" look like failure rather than an opportunity for learning and growth. I know in my own experience that when things did not go as planned or I did not achieve what I set out to achieve, I learnt the most, I also learnt what I did not want. In other words, I learned more about who I was. It has taken me many years to understand that it is okay to "fail," or at least fall so that I can pick myself back up. This is an allusion to one of my favourite superhero films, Batman Begins, where Master Wayne says to a young Bruce, who is recovering from a fall into a deep well:

"Why do we fall Bruce? So we can learn to pick ourselves up."

   by  Hot Rod Homepage 

Superheroes and snippets of wisdom aside, I think it is this fundamental belief that enabled me to continue in NGL, despite at first feeling like I was falling and thinking that I wouldn't be able to prevent myself plunging head-first to the ground. However, if the course had been less immersive, and tools were introduced one at a time, or even limited, I think it would have frustrated learners who were already "experts" with online tools and navigation. I think NGL, in accordance with Downe's argument, enabled learners of all experience and levels to participate.

Does this mean that I don't think there were any problematic issues. Definitely not, and this is where a critical perspective is essential, particularly when ascertaining alternative models of education. Mari writes how her "stress levels have risen over the past week," as mine have due to trying to complete the course requirements of two subjects as well as juggle an increasing workload. Mari also highlights how the incorporation of traditional assessment in a Connectivist subject that emphasises authentic learning experiences is problematic, and in stark contrast to the types of activities that the course participants have been engaged in.

What Mari's post, and many of other posts from other peers, illustrates is although there are challenges, everyone is learning how to conquer his or her fears. Through allowing ourselves the possibility of falling we are also learning how to rise, and do it all over again.