PBL Symposium (Part 3): "‘Learning about Learning’ – a Conundrum and a Possible Resolution"

[From Part 2]

Day-2, 11 Jun 09.

Prof Ronald Barnett, Institute of Education, University of London, UK: ‘Learning about Learning’ – a Conundrum and a Possible Resolution.

"It's not clear what Learning is leading to (in today's world)".



Brief notes (italics are mine):

Suggests learning has gone through four stages:

• Metaphysical (meta-reality/ describe the real world?)
• Empirical (move away from subjectivity to organised scientific knowledge)
• Learning from Experience (learn to keep up with the world; search for 'transferable skills'; new terms: workplace learning, action learning, learning on the job)
• Learning-amid-contestation (a world of supercomplexity; competing frameworks; learning seems to be a case of unlearning).

Common across all stages is the question "what counts as effective learning?"

Looking ahead, he suggests: a will to learn, a will to encounter strangeness, a will to engage, preparedness to change.

Suggests learning may lead to inaction.

Forms of learning should inspire students with new energies to keep going, come what may.

As "active and radical doubt", Learning has to doubt itself but should find within itself yet new resources for continuing forward.


My Tweets:

Q&A: participant queries Barnett why he'd suggested learning may lead to paralysis

Barnett qualifies his point was metaphorical; that educators should inspire and give students the confidence to go fwd

Barnett: the role of Higher Education is to equip students with personal skills to effect positive changes to problems

question to Barnett: what do u mean "the more we learn the less we know". Barnett clarifies he's differentiating Learning Vs Knowing

(Twitter hashtag #pbl09w)

[Next: Part 4]