>snip> things are different where you are. Here, our education
>system is in a state of deterioration because of its increasingly
>corporate-values orientation and corporate-oriented curricula.
>Other Aussies on the list might well disagree with me. If so, I'd love to
>hear about positive developments to the contrary anywhere else in our fine
>country.
Can't speak for Aussies; but there is a definite swing to corporate
sponsorship in higher education, and even in primary & secondary, where
Pepsi & Coke, e.g., are vying for control of supply to the students.
In Ontario, business ed students now need to come up with a corporate
sponsor who will put up to $35000 for the M.A. degree...
there must be a way to "capitalize" on the corporate participation?
(1) it brings MORE money that gov't subsidies ever could
(2) it allows more diversity of practice to become a part of the univ
curriculum - more examples of "real world" involvement, not only in
business ed; but also , say, in architecture, law, medicine, social work,
psychotherapy & counselling psych,
chemistry and other hard sciences -
the problem obviously is that the money will first go to sponsor whatever
profits the corporation. But there are newer corporations taking on ethical
creeds of practice which could be foregrounded.
Me, I often thought it would be good to start up a Travelling Teachers'
Show, where top-notch educators travel to different universities, and for a
fee, teach their speciality to the interested students; and at the same
time, model effective teaching.
In the meantime, I think the key strategy today is to figure out to get a
jump on corporate sponsorship, and seek out corporations with ethical
standards to
participate in cultivating less distance between the university and the
world-that-lurks-beyond-our-screens.
my $0.02 CDN (approx - $0.0023 USF)
diane
"Every tool is a weapon if you hold it right." Ani Difranco
*********************************************
diane celia hodges
faculty of education, centre for the study of curriculum and
instruction,
university of british columbia
vancouver, bc canada
snailmail: 3519 Hull Street
Vancouver, BC, Canada V5N 4R8