A Manifesto for Confronting Education - A BQI Update
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BIG Questions Institute UPDATEDecember 4, 02024, No. 177 (Read online) New: A Manifesto for Confronting Education Yes, it has been a minute. Our intent was to put this newsletter on hiatus for the summer and then restart in the fall. But for various reasons, that plan did not end up happening. Apologies! That said, we are now planning to restart our bi-weekly updates after the first of the year. So stay tuned. An Important UpdateBriefly, we did want to get in touch right now, however, to let you know that Will has just released a new essay aimed at starting some deeper conversations about the role of education in challenging times. It's provocatively titled "Confronting Education in a Time of Complexity, Chaos, and Collapse." It's a manifesto of sorts that spells out Will's beliefs about our current predicament and offers some starting points for what to do next. Here's the thesis: “To put it bluntly, the vast majority of school communities around the world have been turning away from, ignoring, and/or actively denying the harsh realities of this moment. They have lacked the courage to fully unpack and interrogate the implications of these new realities on their legacy systems and practices. In doing so, they are leaving our students ill-prepared not just to negotiate what’s coming, but to be equipped to mitigate the impacts. Full stop.” You can download the pdf for free here. We'd love to know how these ideas land for you, so please don't hesitate to get in touch with reflections, questions, or suggestions. Can you help spread the word?We'd love to bring more people into this important conversation, so if you find the manifesto resonates, could you please send the following link to others in your networks and orbits that might need or want to read it: https://futureserious.school/manifestoedu Want to dive in more deeply?Finally, for those who are you ready to face this difficult moment in the world with open eyes and to learn with others on the journey to redefine what an “education” is in a time of great transition, Will will be leading a six-session, fully online workshop starting in February. Here are all the details. Thanks for reading and considering joining in this emerging conversation about how we best prepare our students and ourselves for what looks to be a challenging period ahead. Our best for the holidays, Will and Homa |
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