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13.
DD in Education In education today most students cannot influence how and what they are taught. This produces boredom, frustration and learning by rote. Teaching ought to inspire curiosity and creativity. Cramming data into memory is unnecessary when one can consult the Internet at any moment. Education today conditions students to accept what they are taught instead of stimulating their criticism and creativity. Direct Democracy in education is based on joint meetings of teachers and students to decide what and how to teach. When such meetings decide teaching issues, education will change dramatically for the better. Students will be able to raise their problems and discuss how to overcome them. Teachers will hear criticism and proposals as to how their teaching may be improved. The entire teacher-student relationship will be transformed. What is known as Education today is a one-way flow of information from teacher to student. This must be replaced by a dialogue where both sides learn from each other. Today teachers teach accumulated knowledge but in a society based on constant innovation they can learn a lot that is new from their students. Today, much accumulated information and experience quickly becomes obsolete. Many children today teach their parents how to use the Internet or a mobile phone. This situation has never existed in the past. The Internet enables anyone to consult libraries, museum, or data banks anywhere at any time. Using computers as a teaching aid can save teachers much drudgery. The face to face teacher-student relationship acquires a new importance today. A teacher need not do what a computer can do - transmit accumulated knowledge. Instead, teachers can assist students to think critically and creatively. There must be a profound democratization of teacher-student relations. Teachers monologues must be replaced by teacher-student dialogues. Education of the very young does require guidance by educators. In DD such guidance aims to cultivate the child’s autonomy, curiosity, creativity, and respect for the autonomy of others, rather than its obedience and docility. It is up to teachers and students everywhere to introduce DD in education. As with Direct Democracy in the work-place, procedures for DD in Education must not be decided from outside but by joint meetings of students and staff. If DD in education produces undesirable results they can always be changed. This is part of the learning process. |
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