Thursday, August 17, 2006
The Wheel: Spinners and Observers
Inside and outside knowledge. Traditional. Traditions. History. What has traditionally stood as inside knowledge in education? Im not sure if a have a firm grasp on the context of the question, but i will answer as best i can. Inside knowledge is convention. The values and traditions that have underpinned education since its modern conception. Imagine what you assumed we would be teaching when we started this course. I guess in this sense inside knowledge was relevant to the world when its seeds were planted, today, one can even argue that inside knowledge is completely contextless, that outside the classroom it has no place.Outside knowledge, is the knowledge that isnt taught in a classroom (traditionally). Its the knowledge one acquires from simply existing and interacting with others, be that their peer group, or parents and teachers. Outside knowledge, traditionally, has had no place in the classroom. The teacher doesnt care if you can answer every question ever asked about Def Jux Record Label. I believe the conflict between inside and outside knowledges have been at the heart of a lot of disengagement issues. I dont doubt that every teacher dreams of intergrating student interest and passion into their classroom, but the problem lies in the execution.
It is up to the teacher to bridge the gap between the traditional concept of inside knowledge and the students real interest in outside knowledge. Lets face it, these students have found their own meaning in these pursuits, be that music, graf, myspace, or drugs, who can blame them for resisting an older person feeding them nonsensical rubbish that they percieve as having no weight in their real world. Not that inside knowledge isnt valuble, however, as teachers we must realise that many of the elements that we have learnt by pursuing inside knowledge exist in beautiful and colourful forms in outside knowledge. The challenge lies in bridging the gap.
# posted by ant @ 10:47 AM 
