Reflection 2

At the start of Unit 1: Week 1, I went to my book case to pull Freire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed, but I also pulled another relevant reading from my past studies, Field Day by Matt Hern. I warmed up my critical mind by revisiting Hern's words on education, exploring history and pedagogy. In the opening lines, Hern makes a statement that resonates with me, "It is an equation that I want to challenge in its entirety" (2003, p. 3). The equation Hern is referring to, is that schooling equals education... and yet we know learning happens in a variety of contexts. Hern questions, "why do we call reading a book and retaining the information 'teaching yourself,' but hearing someone else convey the same information as 'being taught'?" (2003, p. 70). I find this particularly relevant in our "digital" age.

Furthermore, time and time again, experiences (education) gained through informal learning is disregarded as not equal to that of formal learning, i.e. diplomas and certificates, and creates confusion among other aspects of society. "The pupil is thereby 'schooled' to confuse teaching with learning, grade advancement with education, a diploma with competence, and fluency with the ability to say something new... medical treatment is mistaken for healthcare" and the list continues (Illich, 1970).

In my undergrad I took interest in the history of education. This is where Hern enters the discussion in Field Day. The narrative begins to break down the "business" of schooling - corporations and governments - and they both circle around power. Oh so many problems stem from these institutions of power and have influenced the equation Hern seeks to challenge...  systems designed to self-perpetuate. A few pages in, Hern makes a great point relating to pedagogy, "contemporary theories of teaching have largely developed around the functional necessities of mass schooling" (2003, p. 8). This point is carried forward throughout the book.

For myself, I can reflect on entering education to create positive change for the students involved, largely in part because my past educational experience held many negatives. I have met others who entered the profession for similar reasons, falling inline with the idea of challenging the system from within. Hern expresses a similar thought, "I have some genuine sympathy for the work-with-what-we-have point; at the same time, it is indicative of the ass-backwards way we tend to think of learning" (2003, p. 55). I can't help but find a semblance of agreement as Hern explains how educators adapt to the system, or as Freire puts it, "changing the consciousness of the oppressed, not the situation which oppresses them; for the more the oppressed can be led to adapt to the situation, the more easily they can be dominated" (2003, p. 74).

Resources

• Hern, M. (2003). Field Day. New Star Books, LTD.
• Illich, I. (1970). Deschooling Society. New York: Harrow. Quoted in Field Day, p. 30.
• Freire, P. (2003). Pedagogy of the Oppressed. New York: Continuum.