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Stephen Downes

Knowledge, Learning, Community

Like Lindsy Ogawa, I like to see myself as a proponent of learner-centered learning. However, when we talk about 'learner-centered' we have  to be very careful we are not simply substituting one person's set of interests for another's. For example, I don't see this as in any sense entailing the dismantling of the public education system. Far from it. And learner-centered learning is not about (as this document suggests) ensuring children become "constructive members of their communities, productive participants in the economy, and engaged citizens of the (nation) and the world." This is just a way of using children (and their education) to solve other people's problems. And while there's a lot in this Lexicon that I like, I don't see learner-centered learning as some sort of 21st century character education; this is just to substitute one set of imperatives for another.

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Stephen Downes Stephen Downes, Casselman, Canada
stephen@downes.ca

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Last Updated: Dec 22, 2024 10:22 p.m.

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