Unlearning Education Erica Mc William Schools Moodle Moot

Unlearning Education Erica Mc. William Schools Moodle Moot, 2012, Brisbane Girls Grammar School, 12 April, 2012

Unlearning “What holds people back from taking risks is often as not …their knowledge, not their ignorance”. Charles Leadbeater

1. The future isn’t what it used to be.

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2. We cannot teach kids what they will need to know.

3. Learning & unlearning matter more than knowing.

Unlearning Innovation Myth Reality Flash of insight Brilliant idea Individualistic New knowledge Invention Originality Look to the future All about learning Internal R & D Product pipeline Comes from immersion Fail often but early Collaborative Admitting ignorance Mostly development Borrowing Look sideways and backwards Unlearning just as vital as learning Networked, open innovation Consumers as innovators (prod-users) Source: Charlie Leadbeater

Unlearning Innovation Myth Reality Flash of insight Brilliant idea Individualistic New knowledge Invention Comes from immersion Fail often but early Collaborative Admitting ignorance Mostly development Originality Look to the future All about learning Internal R & D Product pipeline Borrowing Look sideways and backwards Unlearning just as vital as learning Networked, open innovation Consumers as innovators (prod-users) Source: Charlie Leadbeater

4. The cafe, not the school, is the proper antecedent of lifelong learning.

The Penny Conference 2012 http: //www. skillshare. com/penny#/about In the 18 th century … coffee houses were known as Penny Universities. For a mere penny, people entered a communal space overflowing with ideas, literature, intellectual conversations and inspired debates. Here, men and women came to improve their minds, challenge their mindsets, and build a roadmap for change.

Penny Conference Agenda • Together, we’ll answer one simple question… if we had to re-invent education from the ground-up for the 21 st century, what would it look like and how can we create that future together? • Conversations and debates are highly encouraged. Action is required. Join us to create a roadmap that will change the way our kids’ kids will learn.

5. Self-managers with powerful learning portfolios trump those who rely solely on credentials

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Epistemological agility “The capacity for moving seamlessly across disparate knowledge domains in ways that make for better living, learning and earning” Involves: • The ability to select, re-shuffle, combine, or synthesise already existing facts, ideas, and skills in original ways through skills like pattern recognition, creation of analogies and mental models, the ability to cross domains, the exploration of alternatives, knowledge of schema for problem-solving and fluency of thought • ‘Knowing what to do when you don’t know what to do’ (useful ignorance) • Learning from the instructive complications of error-making • Anticipating the pleasure of the rigour of trans-disciplinary thinking

6. Distractibility is a boon to learning, not a mental illness

7. Effective pedagogy exploits the productive tension between intentionality and distractibility.

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7 Propositions • • The future isn’t what it used to be. We cannot teach kids what they will need to know. Learning & unlearning matter more than knowing. The cafe, not the school, is the proper antecedent of lifelong learning. • Self-managers with powerful learning portfolios trump those who rely solely on credentials. • Distractability is a boon to learning, not a mental illness. • Effective pedagogy exploits the productive tension between intentionality and distractability.

Contact email: e. mcwilliam@qut. edu. au