apcampbell :
I posted the following comment on Aaron’s excellent blog:
Great stuff! Prompts me to re-read Illich. I would add that, while the “drone on the throne” is to be avoided, the problems with “traditional models of pedagogy with rigid curricula and predefined outcomes” are not only these but also the fact that it is a 1-way, transmission model of learning, and research (and practical experience) shows that this is simply not the way human beings learn best. While SOME people can learn well this way (sometimes), not ALL people do. Firstly, humans seem to learn best by being involved, by doing something, and secondly different strokes for different folks, as Gardner has so eloquently described. Your post is thought-provoking, and resonated with me. While my focus recently has been on autonomy and language-learning, I found that what I’m really searching for is “real learning”, or acquisition as opposed to “learning” (going through the motions, showing learning behaviour which does not necessarily lead to acquisition). Perhaps this is what you are searching for too (“Can it empower our students to take control of their learning, follow their bliss and play as they learn, like they did as young children?”)