Posted by caraher on October 26, 2005, at 10:55:44
In reply to Re: Let's face the facts » Declan, posted by alexandra_k on October 25, 2005, at 18:23:38
I saw that "whom should we attack next?" clip - I'd have thought the Australian accent of the interviewer should have tipped off his victims.
> one of my friends is doing a masters thesis on an authentic democracy. from within education. based on the work of some educational theorist whose name i can't spell... the thought is you need to foster a 'community of inquirey' which means the function of education is to get people thinking, knowing how to access relevant information, and thinking critically especially.
And at least here in the US, when you look at the state of education and the kinds of things educational reform movements focus on (boosting standardized test scores), the only conclusion I can draw is that our system of education is most definitely NOT aimed at fostering true democracy.
I'm always horrified when I read about teachers who say their role is to ensure their students are prepared for the workplace. That's certainly *a* desirable outcome of an education, but I'd hope one would set one's sights far higher than that! Little wonder even the "educated" Americans are so uncritical of their governmental, political and economic institutions!
poster:caraher
thread:571624
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/poli/20050924/msgs/572068.html