Content-type: text/html Downes.ca ~ Stephen's Web ~ How to Support Social-Emotional Learning Through Choice

Stephen Downes

Knowledge, Learning, Community

There's a lot to be said for the argument being made here, but I think that the word 'choice' is exactly the wrong word, especially given the 'Choice Spectrum' illustrated in this article. What word would be better? Freedom. Choice isn't freedom; it's still a type of constraint (and in many ways, it's worse than full constraint because it gives you an illusion of freedom). Things like 'learner-led' and 'learner-directed' aren't types of choice, they're types of freedom (that, as an aside, is why education can't be push-button: it's dehumanizing not because it's technological but because it replaces freedom with a small set of options. So anyhow, to get to the main point of this article, I would say that it's freedom that supports social-emotional learning (SEL), not choice. After all, freedom means living with consequences, and that's a far better teacher every time.

Today: 1 Total: 1751 [Direct link] [Share]


Stephen Downes Stephen Downes, Casselman, Canada
stephen@downes.ca

Copyright 2024
Last Updated: Oct 31, 2024 7:55 p.m.

Canadian Flag Creative Commons License.

Force:yes