Depowering education
Brian McGrail,
Teaching Matters,
Nov 26, 2024
I'll give Brian McGrail credit for trying. His critique of the concept of 'empowerment' raises a salient point: "who is it that does the giving and the making (of) the authority or power to do something and/or make (someone) stronger and more confident?" (Lightly edited to remove unneeded quotation marks). But that's as far as it goes. McGrail doesn't consider that 'empowerment' doesn't mean 'to give power' but instead to 'let go' or 'stop oppressing'. And he's really off the mark when he quotes Tom Markus to define power as "control of one person by another." No. What we're after is 'control of oneself by oneself'. A 'school without power' of the sort he describes. It's like a classroom without a seating arrangement. There will be one - but who sits where? 'Empowerment as agency' is a valid concept, and one that doesn't need permission from the powers that be to engage.
Today: 220 Total: 220 [Direct link] [Share]
