Education.

During my classroom technology class in the iMac labs, the university security came down to the dungeons in the Education Building. Apparently a bum with big red ear muffs was wandering about and fiddling with door locks. He was around yesterday and security chased him off, but obviously he had some unfinished business.

In other things education related, a values education expert from the UK says the values that Australian kids are going to learn from this year onwards are wanky at best (Core values said to skirt real world, Linda Doherty. Sydney Morning Herald, April 15 2005). He says that Government's proposals "lack almost any rigour ... the content beneath it is remarkably empty". And I see what he means. The values themselves - care and compassion, doing your best, fair go, freedom, honesty and trustworthiness, integrity, respect, responsibility and understanding, knowledge and inclusion - while not disagreeable, are really quite pissweak.

Notice that none of the values relate in any way to critical thought - thats the big important thing that's notably absent. An important part to effective citizenry is to question society's and one's own beliefs, opinions, paradigms and, amongst other things, values. Without it then the population at large becomes a flock of mindless sheep. One starts to think that this is some sort of Orwellian strategy to create a more aquiescent electorate (ha, as if this isn't the first time). A professor from WA said the current list of values "smacks of a desire to domesticate growing learners rather than to liberate them". Sing it again, mate.


Listening to:
Title: No One Takes Your Freedom
Artist: DJ Earworm - Scissor Sisters vs The Beatles vs George Michael vs Aretha Franklin
Album/station: DJ Earworm (2005?)
Length: 8.08