[SSC] Some thoughts from today's SSC meeting.

[Alan Gurbutt]

Dear All,

 

Grace and I enjoyed today so have just had a discussion about Paulo Freire –
Pedagogy of the Oppressed. If you don’t mind I’ve included those links to
the webhosting, The Flynn Effect and some other thoughts.

 

1&1 website hosting £2.49 per month - Linux or Windows platform – 1 SQL:

http://order.1and1.co.uk/Hosting?__lf=Static
<http://order.1and1.co.uk/Hosting?__lf=Static&linkOrigin=&linkId=ct.stage.ho
sting> &linkOrigin=&linkId=ct.stage.hosting

 

The Flynn Effect shows that ‘intelligence’ changes over time given greater
opportunity to interface with education and the social environment in the
developing world (IQ differences in race and gender are now becoming smaller
due to a rise in environmental opportunities / education, which goes against
previous eugenic theories on heritability). Conversely, this has
implications where opportunities are denied in schools and Higher Education.
The Flynn Effect shows we are getting better at abstract reasoning but no
better at finding world view solutions, a credible observation when
considering our environmental situation. 

http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/allinthemind/are-we-getting-sma
rter/4109676

 

http://www.cambridge.org/gb/knowledge/isbn/item6835805/Are%20We%20Getting%20
Smarter/?site_locale=en_GB
<http://www.cambridge.org/gb/knowledge/isbn/item6835805/Are%20We%20Getting%2
0Smarter/?site_locale=en_GB&?site_locale=en_GB> &?site_locale=en_GB

 

Carl Sagan, Dragons of Eden, wrote about extra-evolution, human
intelligence, as being the only place for finding solutions to humanity’s
problems. The downside being, we are probably the only species on the planet
to be aware of our own mortality, which leads to a tendency to live for
today, to seek instant gratification, to ‘escape’ from capitalist
oppression, rather than long term solutions.      

 

Freire, for me, provides an alternative to standardised education. The
relationship between learner and teacher is important to be based on mutual
respect and neutral power. We are all teachers. 

 

I try to show my children a world view that is critical and meaningful as
part of a reciprocal process because I firmly believe that their survival
depends on finding new solutions to world problems. 

 

Teaching one’s children should obviously be community based and provides an
opportunity to act when it is not working. How to empower, to liberate
through education? I mostly find the best way is to ask my children!

 

A public lecture should be good for attracting new students as does
occupying public spaces.

 

I’m still not sure what my role is insofar as I wanted to be a
student-scholar with extension into learning support for potential disabled
learners. Is this still possible? And is there scope to be part of a working
group?

 

Best,

Alan

 

    

 

 

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