It reminds me why Illich is so important, still. We (meaning teachers) get so caught up in the technology of teaching (meaning not equipment, but learning outcomes, clear syllabuses, marking criteria and the rest of the techniques which we are told will make or teaching better - or at least better fitted to the educational system of which we are a part).
[to Del.icio.us]
I find it a little troubling. Aren't there places in the world where the teaching example is important for the inspiration of a few individual who will in this way realize a potential they might otherwise have missed? I am thinking too of the schools for girls in Afghanistan which the insurgency does not want - or your school in 'far away places' that you taught in. The interaction with one teacher - it is personal - will encourage as much as 'amo amas amat' and other tabular forms of rote learning might discourage.
BTW - I have had some real success with one 11-year-old over the past 10 months. He is inspired by the 5 minutes a week on a single Hebrew word or letter and has started with his Mum some weekly 1 hour lessons in reading Hebrew - his speed is marvelous and his daily practice makes him his mother's teacher already - after just two lessons! I will close my eyes and pray the little scholar can find his feet and keep enjoying learning.
By 
Bob MacDonald, at
March 12, 2009 10:41 AM
Hi Tim,
I had some thoughts on this video at http://learnonline.wordpress.com/2009/03/06/illich-makes-a-come-back-at-last/, where I first saw it. Illich's work is very useful however in some ways we might compare him with Marx's work on capitalism - a very good critique, but not much in the way of a viable and sustainable alternative. Learning from Illich is not the same thing as doing things his way, something I am very grateful for.
By Nichthus, at
March 12, 2009 11:06 AM
The comment Mark (Nichthus) mentions is here It is (as you'd expect, sensible and worth reading!
Bob: personally I read Illych as a critic. I don't take everything as a program to follow. I would not have spent more than 25 years teaching if I thought teaching was worthless. But I do believe that too often teaching and learning get caught up in educational systems which prioritise mass production of "knowledge" at the expense of either developing real skills or the wisdom to use them (knowledge and skills) well.
Mark: I wish we listened more and more effectively to Illych's critique. I love your Marx parallel. In both cases I would not want to become an "ist" (Marxist, or Illychist) but I find both have a lot to say about what is wrong with the world ;)
By Tim, at
March 14, 2009 7:20 PM
