Cycle Three: Schools as “Embryonic Communities”

Welcome to Cycle 3!

In what ways can schools be considered communities? And what do I mean by calling them, “embryonic?”

We have a diverse set of readings this week--readings that cover the ground of professional learning communities for teachers, and small learning communities for students. We consider green schools and Finnish schools. Yet we also come across that most classic of texts by John Dewey, The School and Society. It is from Dewey that I borrow the phrase, “embryonic communities”--it is embedded in the quote that I used to launch the course syllabus and my own blog.

I talked in my last blog post about communities as tools for the management and organization of classroom life, as means through which we learn, and as desirable ends in their own right. This week, I’d like to extend that thinking by hi-liting for you some of the exciting work that is happening across the U.S., and globally, in terms of transforming schools into “embryonic communities.”

When Dewey talks about schools as communities, he is talking about making the school a site of production. Right now, many of our students live a life of consumption: They consume not only the products they are sold through the media, but the knowledge that is handed to them in textbooks and other formal curricular materials.

Consuming is not bad. But even a basic economics course will show you the need to produce as well--goods, service, and knowledge. Consumption without the ability to produce leads to bankruptcy, both financial and spiritual.

Dewey’s insight, developed at the University of Chicago Lab School--which he founded and helped run, with his wife, Alice, as the principal--was that “occupations” are the place where the needs of society and the talents of individuals come together. As such, they are important sites of authentic learning.

Now, Dewey was against the division of technical and liberal learning. He saw the two as intimately related, and best learned in tandem. So I don’t want you to think just about shop or home economics (as valuable as those classes are) or other forms of vocational or life-adjustment education. No, Dewey viewed these courses as sites for the most rigorous liberal education one could acquire.

The insight comes from the realization that all knowledge was once an experience had by someone, somewhere. What inquiry does (both scientific and humanistic) is record the conditions under which the experience was had, in hopes of making it understandable, even replicable. If we view knowledge as potential experiences, ones that are shorn from their context, and given a logical organization, then it becomes our jobs as teachers to re-integrate that knowledge back into the everyday contexts of the world. Children can come to see the roots of knowledge in the everyday world.

Now good teachers have always done this. But Dewey tried to take this to a wholly other level. Look at this picture. Even today, this looks quite radical to me. I encourage you to read up on the Dewey Lab School at some point, or even just to search for pictures of the classroom on the web.

Dewey thought about the school as a site of production. Students learned French in the kitchen, biology in the garden, and mathematics in the shop. They learned history as they attempted to shear sheep and use the wool to weave clothing (history, for Dewey, was the study of how people supported themselves and their communities).

This is a quick sketch, and, of course, not completely accurate. The students in Dewey’s school spent time on subjects in isolation, and with a practice or drill approach. But the point was always, as much as possible, to return knowledge to its life roots, and to put it into an authentic context. It was to have students engage in the activities of the community, (re)solve the problems that the community faced--but all in simplified conditions, under the direction of adults. It was this simplification and guidance that led Dewey to call the school “embryonic.”

There is much exciting work today that draws upon this heritage. Indeed, the projects of Emily Pilloton, discussed in cycle 2, fit this mold well. Additionally, I would like to call attention to the work of garden educators all over the world, but in particular, to the amazing work of Alice Waters and the Edible Schoolyard project--where students grow and prepare food for the Berkeley School District. To my mind, this is a model of what the future of schooling can and should look like. Such projects enrich the child, the teacher, the school district, and the Earth. In this time of rising concern about childhood obesity and food safety, we could not ask for more.

Another project I’d like to hi-lite, and there are many exciting ones I could point you to, is Youthville Detroit. Unfortunately, this is not a public school, but is rather a space viewed as “enrichment.” Perhaps this type of learning space is too radical for some?

In any case, the idea is simple. Bring talented adults from the community together with kids, and let them work on socially-valuable projects in a safe and caring space. Consider this partial list of projects for the kids:

Robotics & Engineering
Introduces students to real-world engineering challenges by building and programming robots.

Peace Project
Leadership group that engages youth in anti-violence initiatives, community service projects, media projects and events that promote peace and community building.

Broadcast and print journalism
Members learn to write and produce stories that are aired on local TV, radio and YouTube.

Computer technology (graphics, animation, cartooning, game strategy and website design)

Working independently and in small groups, youth develop skills in graphic design, create web sites and personal web pages using Macromedia Dreamweaver and learn how to modify computer games using strategies, game development, and computer gaming skills.  In addition, participants learn how to draw anime\manga using Wacom tablets to develop their own comic book series and short animated film for play on DVD and CD-ROM formats. 

Digital photography
Participants learn to use Adobe® Photoshop® Elements software for Windows® and Mac to edit, enhance, organize, and share photographic images. 

Entertainment production (Video and TV)
Members work in a state-of-the-art production studio learning about writing, producing, interviewing, on-camera talent development, directing, lighting, studio and field camera use, video editing, audio production and more using the same equipment as industry professionals.

Music technology
Youth learn to create music using professional software programs.

Ceramics
Hands-on instruction in a ceramics lab learning ceramic techniques and creating various projects.

Fashion Design and Runway Modeling
Aspiring fashion designers and models explore their talents and creativity, learn about trends in the fashion industry and are introduced to careers in fashion, entrepreneurship, and retail marketing.

Mosaic First Stage Acting
Young artists are introduced to Mosaic Youth Theatre's brand of high-energy, high-standards, empowering and inspiring acting training.

Spoken Word Performance
An in house collective of aspiring poets, storytellers, and song writers.

Archery
Instruction on shooting techniques, safety, points of archery, and information about the history of archery and how to compete in tournament play. Youth have the opportunity to compete on a Junior Olympic Archery Team.

Our schools do already provide many of these same opportunities. So the point is not that most elementary or high schools are doing a bad job. No!! My point is simply that we have the means within our grasp to make schools into spaces that more resemble true communities, if one or two teachers can come together, with an inspiring principal, and a few community members. That’s all it took to start the Edible Garden!

So I hope, when you return to school in the fall, you will devote some time to thinking about how you can mine your community as a site for the learning of your students.