Open Conversation

Posts tagged education

Projet Citoyen was an interesting learning exercice for the kids in East Dunbartonshire schools, at least that is what it seems when you read there blog. An international experience, of cultural exchange, is something vital in today’s world. Our world demand more people able to understand there neighbourg, especially if this one does not belong to the same culture as I do. 

While the project is not recent, I feel it is a pity such an innovative experience does not happen more often, and in more schools. One of the reason why Europe today is suffering from the crisis, stem partially from the lack of shared culture, and mutual understanding between different European nations.

If sixty years ago, the funders of Europe were dreaming of a europe living in peace, and common understanding, it is not quite the same picture we can witness today when we look at european social and cultural reality.

The best tool to change such a situation is education, but for this we need to invest time and effort in building the bridges while kids are still in school.

A fascinating talk of James Fallon, a neurologist with an unusual story. His talk brings quite a lot of interesting questions to think about, and I would really advise it to all, plus, it might fit well as a basis for some high-school class.

Teachers, have you talked about the #occupyTogether in your class? If so, what have you done? Have you raised a conversation? How did the kids reacted? If not, why did you choose to not speak about it?

Our society is undergoing constant changes, no breaking news to anyone, however, the nature of changes might require some kind of examination. 

When we come to try to realize some changes in education, it important to have a look at the big picture, because approach to education is really our approach to life. 

So far human society has developed along with the evolution of our desires, or more precisely with the growth of individual desire. 

Each one claiming for each its own desires to be satisfied.

But now, I think it can be said that we are at a turning point, where individual satisfaction has grown to a point where it undermines the stability of our social structure. 

Somehow, we need to learn how to take in consideration others in our own personal satisfaction, so that the society which we need to realize these very same desires, will survive this collective claim for individual satisfaction.

Instinctively, we know we need to take others in consideration, of course, however this is not enough anymore, because the level of interconnection and interdependency has grown in our world to a point where our instincts are somewhat falling short to make the right evaluation. 

We need to educate ourselves how to live in this global world. 

It is as if our social senses are getting confused by these fast changes our society is going through and we have to learn a whole new set of social skills to make us more collaborationist, if one may say. 

Collaboration is not just a buzz word - it is really the key to this new sustainable society, when one need to find the right way to satisfy its own personal desires, while keeping alive the social connection between us.

Learning how to collaborate is a required step to develop our society on the short and long term.

Or at least it is a absolute requirement for long term, it turns out to have immediate pay out, as the business world is discovering. (See last summer HBR dedicated to collaboration)

Meanwhile some kind of schema that could illustrate the idea: