Content-type: text/html Downes.ca ~ Stephen's Web ~ Engagement v. Empowerment -- Some Early Thoughts...

Stephen Downes

Knowledge, Learning, Community
Chris Lehmann is quite right: engagement is insufficient; we should be thinking of empowerment. But how many people employed in the role of teacher will be comfortable with the idea of empowering their students? Engagement is safe, docile, controlled. Empowerment suggests that students might take matters into their own hands. "It also allows us to do away with the notion that the classroom is always fun. It's not. Let's look at coaching for a moment... a coach who is worried about engagement as the goal lets the kids scrimmage most practices because it is engaging and fun. But an empowering coach puts the kids through smart drills that allows them to play their best basketball during the games."

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Stephen Downes Stephen Downes, Casselman, Canada
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Last Updated: Dec 23, 2024 06:42 a.m.

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