I think this issue is very tightly connected to the excellent points
that Naoki has been making. Here's how: One time a long time ago
Vasilii Davydov gave a talk in the course of which he said, "You
will never see educational activity in the school."
Why? Because formal schooling presents prepared goals (thinking of
this as pre-pared helps one get the sense of loss). And he laughed
uproariously.
Several years later I sent him a telegram that said, "Vasya, come
visit, I will show you educational activity occurring in a school."
I was, of course, playing on words." It was true that I could show
him educational activity in a school, but it was during the afterschool
hours when the kids came voluntarily. Sad to say, Professor Davydov
has not visited UCSD since that time.
We compel students to go to school in order to "educe" "the best that
is in them. It is not an aucpicious set of circumstances for such
educing. Yes we must attend the larger social order of which formal
schooling is a part (Eugene's insistance on the importance of values)
and within that effort, we must take our changes and try, according
to our best lights, to create alternative practices as existence proofs
others can build on, if they will.
I think it would be really interesting to ask what kind of organization
of schooling would be as participatory as the design process with
adults in the workplace. It would also be good to get Yrjo to expand
on his distinction between "School going activity" and "educational
activity."
I hope are also having a nice weekend.
mike