Images of Alternative Learning in Films and Television Programs
Pages: 1-17
Abstract
This study examines how homeschooling, unschooling and alternative learners have been portrayed in five recent films and television programs. It also investigates whether the media are grounding their representations of these students and their parents in reality, or if it is disseminating harmful stereotypes that may have detrimental effects for those who choose to learn in this manner in real life.
David Cameron Hauseman
Weapons of Mass Distortion
Pages : 18-28
Abstract
In this personal narrative I contend that the traditional conventions of schooling can distort and mislead us in mainstream schools and universities. The long-term consequences of these practices have paved the way for the corporate curriculum’s privatization agenda for what Illich (1971) hailed as the ‘hidden curriculum’ of our consumer-based society.
Jonathan Pitt
The Need for Grades in Terminal Degree Programs
Pages: 29-37
Abstract
This paper examines the issue of grading in terminal degree programs as well as exploring the history and utility of grading. Through personal reflection, the author reveals how grading is a coercive management tool which conditions people to act, speak, and participate in ways which they would not otherwise if grading were not present. Finally, the author urges for reform in grading practices whereby educational settings deemphasized grading althogether – creating fruitful learning experiences that encourage learners to take risks, talk freely, and explore topics and readings beyond the course expectations.
Stephen Tedesco
Education as a Ubiquitous Learning Web, Immersed in Living
Pages : 38-56
Abstract
This essay describes the personal philosophy of education I have developed through my formal and informal education in both South Korea and the United States. While much of the world considers institutionalized school education to be the essential and only way to be educated, I suggest, instead, relational, communicative, and informal ways of learning, which occur in a ubiquitous learning web, immersed in living. To open the discussion, I describe how my early experiences as a public school student in my home county of South Korea, shaped my developing perspective on educational systems. I then integrate published theories to articulate my view of an ideal educational system, which values personal interest, community-based learning, and informal education.
Yuha Jung