EDUCATION

Learning can be defined as the relatively permanent change in an individual's

behavior or behavior potential (or capability) as a result of experience or
practice (i.e., an internal change inferred from overt behavior). This can be
compared with the other primary process producing relatively permanent change--
maturation--that results from biological growth and development. Therefore, when
a relatively permanent change in ourselves or others, the primary cause was either
maturation (biology) or learning (experience), or, as is often the case, some
combination of both. As educators, there is nothing we can do to alter an
individual's biology; the only influence open to use is to provide an opportunity for
students to engage in experiences that will lead to relatively permanent
change. Teaching, then, can be thought of as the purposeful direction and
management of the learning process. Note that teaching is not giving knowledge or
skills to students; teaching is the process of providing guided opportunities for
students to produce relatively permanent change through the engagement in
experiences provided by the teacher. parents and educators should be concerned at
least with helping students to develop individual capacities, acquire personal virtues,
and provide service to others.
Education is a prominent cultural institution used to perpetuate the prevailing values of a
society.

Our modern education system has a sordid past largely rooted in industrialism. It's aim
is to produce economically viable products--employable citizens. Nearly all our tweaks
to the system in the last 100+ years are simply attempts to ensure that the products
(graduates) are prepared for the work force.

I want to hear from YOU as I believe this conversation is crucial to lay a foundation to
create significant and meaningful change.

Here is my answer:
I believe that education should be an empowering process that allows and guides
children to develop their passions, critical thinking, compassion, and orientation towards
wisdom for timely action.

In other words, self-cultivation should be the purpose of education. Understanding self-

cultivation in terms of being a part of a unified field of relationships is key to the growth
of a mature culture of peace. When the natural web of our relationships is used to
strengthen our depth of knowledge, the feedback from the environment supports timely
adjustments and refinements in our emotional and technical developments.
certainly agree that our modern education system derived from perpetuating the values
of industrialism; the problem is that while basic literacy prepares workers for a position
within the industry it does not concern itself with the special abilities that exist in each
child allowing them to develop and contribute to society as is best for them.

Although education and literacy are distinct, the emphasis must always be on
education. The elements of literacy should be integrated throughout the day in a social
manner through music, theatre, games and in the form of group discussions where the
educators’ job is to assist students in transitioning from topic to topic and students learn
how the various disciplines are tied into the whole picture of reality.

The purpose of education should be to prepare children for life, nourishing the potential

in every child so that each may connect and contribute his/her unique ideas and abilities
to society.
In the meantime, the thinking/cooperative skills -- total integration -- necessary for true success
in the new global world that has come upon us, are left to float.

The industrial age has been passing to the information age, and now to the global/integral age.

In the 13th century Leonardo of Pisa, "Fibonacci," widely introduced Italy and Europe to the
Hindu-Arabic numeral system and its wonderful arithmetic. It freed them of the hopeless
entanglement and debilitation of commerce and engineering under Roman numerals and
abacus.

Who shall come forth for 21st century children so that they may have the tools to untangle the
global systemic mess. That they may work as a single vast strategist and tactician with billions
of eyes, where all individuals use their unique talents, creativity, and problem solving skills in
mutual concern and guarantee that links into a whole truly greater than the sum of the parts.
Who will teach them to map and implement the interactive/interdependent strategies of Nature,
on the human level, to achieve a world never before known. Who will bring our children to
adapt, evolve, survive and thrive -- to start that great new chapter of human history, to fly forth
as the butterfly from the overspent, rapidly decaying cocoon?
The main purpose for education is increasing the degrees of freedom on various levels.

Freedom of thought - Supplying cognitive instruments / tools, powerful metaphors, learning to

master grammar and algorithmic thought

Freedom of affect - Allowing to feel oneself, to develop an empathic theory of mind, to be able to
"deeply" connect to the world: rather then just "think about it" - "feel a part of it". Feel freely
about love, death, loneliness and meaninglesness (the 4 existential categories proposed by
Yalom)

Freedom of expression - Ability to learn languages: foreign languages, programming languages,

mathematical descriptions of reality, Ability to use one's voice in speach and tone-shaping,
Graphic and literary forms of expression

Freedom of communion - Team skills, Problem solving and negociating skills, basic political and
social concepts applied.

- I think the whole concept of education should be about enabling children to do whatever they
want to do - to make them understand that learning is not something they "have to" but
something they want to in order to do whatever makes them happy. I don't think a reform in
education will do it. Old forms of education have their merits and sometimes when dilluted with a
bit of freedom concepts have shovn worse results than the original - which only goes to show
that sometimes a full-hearted choice or the other is better than any compromise.

Persuasive
Communications skills - you must be able to speak effectively in public and in most
cases, you must have good writing skills also. You must be able to communicate in
the style or jargon of the group or organization. Your message must fit your
audience. For example, large words and complex sentences will not work with
people of limited formal education. Writing in technical terms may help in a few
instances, but writing in clear simple terms helps in almost all cases. Well-educated
people can understand simple clear information; but those with limited education
cannot go the other way. The old KISS principle (keep it simple - stupid) has much
utility.

Persistence
3. Keep trying - most social changes, large and small, is and should be slow. Major
changes in values and beliefs often occur between generations. It is unusual for
major social changes to occur in less than a few years or even decades. Changes in
the educational system often take several decades. If change occurs too fast, people
become uncertain about what is "right," good or appropriate. They lose their sense
of security. Something as simple as a small change in curriculum of the local school
system may take years. But if the idea is good, the results may last decades and
effect many people. Also realize that in historical perspective, the changes you are
working toward are small and incremental.

Patience
There are times when you will need to relax and wait for events or time to pass.
Many new ideas will become accepted after people have had time to think about
them. Most people who are angry or excited about a proposed change will cool
down with time. Patience is a hard attribute for many young and not so young to
learn. Most things, especially if they are worthwhile, do not happen quickly. Self-
discipline is an essential trait for leadership.

Perceptive
You must be sensitive to other people's wants and needs and to changes in these
wants and needs. Genuine interest in another person will often develop a sense of
trust by that person. A gifted politician is one who can carefully always perceive the
current mood of his constituents. The ability to listen is an essential skill of a good
leader. You must stay in touch with your supporters. If the group is large or
unorganized, this is very difficult to do because of the lack of accurate feedback.

Probity
Honesty and trustworthy, you need to be honest both now and in the future. Most
people will believe and follow someone they trust. Openness and candor are
characteristics that most people appreciate. There are a few people who will take
advantage of such traits, but the vast majority will appreciate them.

The age-old Golden Rule: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" is
a good standard to follow both today and tomorrow.
 positive orientation
8. The future should always be seen as bright and optimistic. Tomorrow will be
better than today. Norman Vincent Peale in his best selling book of fifty years
ago, The Power of Positive Thinking, contributed to a deeply held American belief
about what the future will be like. We as a culture have an aversion to the negative
except, paradoxically, in the mass media where the only "news" is defined to be
negative stories - what went wrong today - crimes, injures, death and destruction. We
prefer the positive in our personal and everyday lives. We want to think that the future
will be better than today, that things can and will improve. Problems can be solved by
our actions. And we want our leaders to portray a positive optimistic attitude.
Problems are not "problems", but opportunities. Simultaneously, we want our leaders
to be honest and realistic. So in dismal situations, the statements of optimism must be
tempered. If there are no easy answers, say so. You must be open and honest.

Always assume that someone will closely examine your stance on almost anything
you say or do.

A motto you might want to try: "Pessimism breeds negativity. Optimism breeds
opportunity."

people based
9. Leadership must be of, by and for the people. The only reason for leadership
should be for the benefit of the people. The current tendency is to look for the benefits
to an individual and not to the larger group. One reason why many so-called leaders
are distrusted today is that they are seen as self-serving - primarily interested in their
own benefits.

possible
10. A leader must be realistic to determine the art of the possible. How much can
realistically be accomplished in the time and resources available? How strong is the
desire for change? Are the people willing to pay the price either in reduced services or
higher taxes - what ever it takes? Very often people call for changes, but when they
find out how difficult or expensive it will be to solve the problems, they will not
support the proposed solutions. Determining which ideas in any organization or
setting are politically and economically feasible and which are not is a vital asset for
any leader. Do not jump into "solving" a problem until you have given very careful
consideration to the process of solution. Will the other people support the proposed
solution? A little caution is a good asset for a leader.Bold and swift action by the
knight on the white horse occurs primarily in the movies. An old folk saying has
considerable wisdom for leadership: "fools rush in where angels fear to

practical
11. A leader must realize that pleasing all of the people all of the time is not possible.
A leader must be practical in decisions made catering to the
majority, perceptive enough to realize when the majority is right and strong enough to
take action without the support of the majority when the majority is wrong. At the
same time you must be strong enough to stand by your convictions and accept the
criticisms - valid and invalid - which are sure to come.

Again, practical and possible are twins that have considerable interrelationships.
progressive
12. An effective leader will move the group forward. Incorporating new strategies in
leadership and communications is important. Sometimes progress may mean
maintaining the current situation. It depends upon the group's needs and desires

prepared
13. A leader must be knowledgeable about his or her goals, the variety of means for
reaching the goals, the needs necessary to meet the goals and about the people in the
group. An effective leader must be both organized and prepared. Many leaders have
opened their mouths and inserted their foot and suddenly found that they were no
longer regarded as leaders.

A more modern folk saying is that "you should not have your mouth in gear while
your mind is in neutral."

power-building
14. Even the best leaders can not tackle most leadership jobs alone. They need to have
and to motivate followers to become involved in getting the job done. They must trust
other people to get a job done and they must be able to delegate. A similar trait is
the ability to network - to build linkages of friends and acquaintances that may be
able to provide needed assistance at some future time. A classic study by James
Coleman many years ago showed that who you knew was one of the most important
things that influenced life successes.

INITIATIVES /INNOVATIONS

Examples of education/curriculum innovations Type of initiative Rationale for being considered « good
practice » Where Local curriculum (developing new curricula/curriculum innovations) ƒ Local
specificities are taken into account (20% of the curriculum) ƒ Implication of the community in the
development of competencies ƒ Integration of local knowledge, skills and attitudes (Mali and Burkina
Faso: the sinangounya and the djatiguiya; Burundi: the Ubushingantahe) Mozambique, Mali School
projects (involving schools) ƒ Problem solving ƒ Enhanced learning ƒ Integrated learning Congo, Niger,
Angola, Senegal Bilingual/trilingual education (policy and implementation) ƒ Integration of local
languages and cultures ƒ Enhanced learning ƒ Participation of parents in monitoring their children’s
learning Angola, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Mali, Mozambique, Niger Learning communities (curriculum
development and implementation) ƒ School-community partnerships to manage schools/centres of
nonformal education ƒ Enhanced participation of girls in schooling All countries School committees
(COGES) (curriculum development and implementation) ƒ School-community partnerships to manage
schools/centres of nonformal education ƒ Enhanced participation of girls in schooling ƒ Good school
governance Niger, Senegal, Mali, Congo, Burundi Non-formal education centres /education
communautaire de base (ECB) ƒ Schooling of out-ofschool children and dropouts ƒ Pre-vocational
training Burkina Faso, Senegal, Mali, Congo (basic principles and concepts) ƒ Passages to formal
education School cafeteria (Implementation) ƒ Retention of students ƒ Improved health, hygiene and
nutrition All countries Textbooks and school furniture free of charge (policy and implementation) ƒ
Enhanced quality of learning ƒ Improved school attendance ƒ Participation of parents in school life
Congo, Burkina Faso, Niger, Angola Special projects i.e. “Ecole des maîtres du future” (vision and teacher
preparation) « Arbre-ami/l’école agit pour le développement durable » (thematic approaches) ƒ
Improved education in rural areas ƒ Retention of teachers in rural areas ƒ Links between formal and non
formal education in the way teachers are being trained ƒ Environment prevention and preservation ƒ
Sensitizing and mobilizing schools and commnities Angola Congo, Angola, Senegal, Mozambique School
and Radio and education jurnals (implementation) ƒ Teachers are being kept up-to-date ƒ Improved
participation of the community ƒ Dissemination of the curriculum and good practices All countries
Education clubs (education for family life ; HIV/AIDS ; sexual reproduction ; citizenship ; peace ;
environment) Extracurricular activities ƒ Development of liferelevant competencies Congo, Angola,
Mozambique, Senegal, Burundi, Rwanda, Mali, Burkina Faso Alternative rural ƒ Improving access of
Niger schools students to schools in rural nomad areas Integration of gender issues (conceptual
framework for thematic approaches) ƒ Sensitizing teachers and students ƒ Textbooks analysis ƒ Teacher
education and training Senegal, Burundi, Congo, Mali, Burkina Faso Permanent centres for adult literacy
CAF/CAFÉ, C.N.R.E. (vision and implementation) ƒ Life long learning ƒ Adult education Burkina Faso,
Mali, Senegal, Burundi Satellite schools (basic concepts and principles) ƒ School-communityenvironment
links ƒ Usage d local languages ƒ Improving access to schools Burkina Faso Training programmes for
teachers on cross curricular issues (Thematic approaches and implementation) Kenya (Kenya Adult
Education; School of education), Mauritius (MCA) , Namibia (College of Open Learning).