You, Your Child, and School

Sir Ken Robinson is a world wide recognized educator. Whenever Robinson speaks or writes something new the education community listens. This is the case of his latest book, You, Your Child and School. This time Robinson is speaking to the parents. Helping a generation of highly involved parents deal with the anxiety that educating their children in an increasing uncertain world.

Robinson's ideas are always stimulating and challenging, and hopefully this book will expand the discussion about the need for a radical change in Education.

However Robinson seems to still hope for the impossible, to change a government run education system. The coexistence of opposing models is a conundrum that has wasted millions of dollars while destroying the hope of families.

As a kind of social justice warrior Robinson sees an active role of public education as a menas to equality. His low trust in the profit motive probably biased by the current state of cronyism within the mainstream system blinds him to the efforts of thousands of edupreneurs who are trying to make a change. As Michael Strong points out here we need a free market of education for ideas to spur innovation. For many educators it is sinful to consider education for profit but as Kerry McDonald point it out here it seems to be a major reason why so many efforts have failed.

Aside from the political contradictions, Sir Ken Robinson delivers sound advice for parents who have understood that the current system of Education needs a turnover. 

It is satisfying that Robinson devoted some pages to the importance of play. 

"Perhaps the simplest advice I can offer parents concerned about preparing their children for the world is this: let them play more. I don't mean they should spend more time with the Little League or the school basketball club, as valuable as that can be. I'm talking about inventing games on the spot, with their friends, turning a pile of twigs into a faerie wood, or hiking along a stream to explore the wildlife there. Play is the work of a child, and children must have time, space, and permission to engage in variety of play in order to maximize the developmental benefits that play offers"

Then follows to elaborate on the definition of play by the "Dirt is Good - DIG" movement.

· Play is intrinsically motivated
· Play is a state of mind
· Play is pleasurable
· Play is nonliteral
· Play is actively engaging
· Play has no external rules

Another important advice from Robinson is how to judge a good school? He offers a template to make the call.

"As a parent you can use the four purposes and eight competencies as a template for judging whether your child's school - or your homeschooling program - is providing the kind of education they really need and press for improvements where necessary." 

The four purposes:
· economic development
· social development
· cultural development
· personal development

Learning to live (ways to know):
· know that
· know how
· know this

The eight competencies:
· curiosity
· creativity
· criticism
· communication
· collaboration
· compassion
· composure
· citizenship

Overall is a good book for parents, not so a contribution to the cause of an overhaul in Education.

Rating. 3 of 5 stars.

La llamada de la tribu

"La llamada de la tribu" es el más reciente trabajo de Mario Vargas Llosa nos trae su biografía intelectual. Un recorrido por los principales pensadores que influyeron en su pensamiento liberal.

Adam Smith
José Ortega y Gasset
Friedrich August Von Hayek
Sir Karl Popper
Raymond Aron
Sir Isaiah Berlin
Jean-Francois Revel
(creo que Vargas Llosa debió agregar a Jean-Paul Sartre. Si bien es cierto que no fue un pensador Liberal, su presencia y desilusión son una constante)

Siendo Vargas Llosa un consagrado novelista, premio Cervantes (1994) y Nobel de Literatura (2010) entre muchos era de esperar un texto rico, entretenido y variado. "La llamada de la Tribu" es hasta cierto punto la continuación de "Contra Viento y Marea" (Entre Sartre y Camus, 1983) donde desarrolló su recorrido ideológico del socialismo al liberalismo. 

En esta oportunidad Vargas Llosa hace una reseña biográfica e intelectual de los autores liberales que más influyeron en su pensamiento. Por un lado nos cuenta detalles de sus vidas llegando a niveles de intimidad que acercan el personaje al lector. Detalles que no solo refieren sus virtudes sino sus defectos, haciendo de cada uno de los elegidos seres cercanos al lector. Ejemplos de estos sucesos están la disputa entre Karl Popper y Wittgenstein, o las infidelidades de Isaiah Berlin. Por otro lado, como buen escritor, no deja de hacer una crítica a la calidad literaria de sus héroes. Excelentes los textos de Ortega y Gasset y de Jean-Francois Revel, no así el inglés de Hayek. Pero la narración no es únicamente biográfica sino también intelectual. Vargas Llosa destaca los aprendizajes que tuvo de cada uno de los autores, pero también comparte lo que considera errores y contradicciones. 

Si bien es cierto que para alguien como Vargas Llosa escribir este libro es un lujo que se puede dar queda claro que todos podríamos emular la selección de nuestro "Dream Team" intelectual. Una selección que en forma indirecta esboza un perfil intelectual.

La riqueza del libro tiene un valor adicional al simple conocer mejor al Nobel, es un texto que puede bien servir de introducción al Liberalismo. Una narración donde resaltan algunos de sus principales exponentes y sus ideas sin llegar a ser un tratado académico pero si para sembrar en el lector dudas e interés por sus contribuciones individuales.

Rating 5 estrellas.