I have this dream of looking for full control of my learning some 30 years ago. I resisted unwarranted power exerted on me, especially when it related to my learning goals and strategies. I had started the journey in questioning the legitimacy of power and control exerted by the teachers for a long time. And I found that learning was in the control of the institution and the teachers back in the 70’s to 90’s. I was surprised to find that the only person who could assess and grant me a pass was the “lecturer or teacher”. I started to reflect why the educational system was structured like that, and that why learners were to serve the teacher, and not the other way round. However, without the deliberate efforts and patience of my respected teachers who guided me throughout the learning journey, I wouldn’t be able to appreciate the strengths and weaknesses of the educational system. Now, I have got my questions answered. As a teacher, I realised the importance of sharing of power and empowerment of learners, in learning and assessment. It’s still not too late to support and inspire our fellow learners to achieve their goals and meet their needs.
Further notes after posting: I just found such notes from Network Logic page 95, http://www.demos.co.uk/files/networklogic.pdf which echoed with my suggestions that:
Teachers are like the network leaders, they start with the deepest needs of their learners, and work back to establish the configuration of organisations, resources and capacities needed to meet them.
“Network leaders start from the outside-in. They start with the deepest needs of their users, and work back to establish the configuration of organisations, resources and capacities needed to meet them. The task then is to find ways of persuading other organisations of the need to work together.”
Will connectivism provide part of the solution? Time will tell.
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