Freedom to Learn for the 21St Century (Education As If People Mattered)
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FREEDOM TO LEARN FOR THE 21ST CENTURY (EDUCATION AS IF PEOPLE MATTERED) BY BILLY M DASEIN A thesis submitted to the University of Birmingham for the degree of DOCTORATE IN EDUCATION School of Education University of Birmingham May 2018 University of Birmingham Research Archive e-theses repository This unpublished thesis/dissertation is copyright of the author and/or third parties. The intellectual property rights of the author or third parties in respect of this work are as defined by The Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 or as modified by any successor legislation. Any use made of information contained in this thesis/dissertation must be in accordance with that legislation and must be properly acknowledged. Further distribution or reproduction in any format is prohibited without the permission of the copyright holder. Abstract The thesis provides a model for freedom in learning by developing a person-centred approach to education consolidated within a more sociological account of power relations in contemporary Higher Education. The growth and decline of humanistic and person- centred approaches in the face of a globalising and marketized education system are described. A more substantial sociological theory of power and the institutions of power is developed by making connections between the work of Carl Rogers, Martin Heidegger and Paolo Freire. Heidegger's critique of technology is used to reveal deeper structures behind contemporary educational processes which show that education has been increasingly occupied by a technological enframing, by way of assessment and the culture of efficiency, eclipsing models of education which prioritise the person in the process. Heidegger‘s wider philosophy, centred around Dasein, is used to restore person- centred humanism defining the heart of education as human flourishing and liberation. Rogers‘ focus on the person and his individualistic notions of ‗power‘ and ‗power over‘ are contrasted to Freire‘s focus on the community and his Marxian awareness of and resistance to oppressive hierarchy. The theoretical framing for humanistic and empowering learning is supported by virtual, institutional and alternative educational initiatives and a call for a robust and sustainable model of education to empower the person in the process and to let learn. For my dad who has been love Acknowledgements I write in order to change myself and in order not to think the same thing as before (Foucault, in Faubion, 2000: 240) The process of writing this doctoral thesis from the philosophies of Carl Rogers and Martin Heidegger has been creative, transformative and liberating. It has changed my world. But, both men are dead. So here are some of the yet-living I‘d like to thank… Bob Hunter was head of LDU immediately prior to its assimilation into the neoliberal hive collective of the managerial university and he had the generosity and foresight to allow me to proceed onto doctoral study as part of my professional development as an educational technologist. This would be unlikely to happen now. I am grateful to my first supervisor, Rachel Pilkington, who pointed me towards humanistic education after I expressed my frustration about the impersonal approaches I had been exploring. This was the start of a genuine education which led back to myself and then outwards to the world. I am also grateful to Nick Peim, that always-challenging academic Bartleby who troubled both my writing and my existence with the thoughts of Martin Heidegger. Thanks be also to Graeme Martin, whose gentle and assured guidance made me more academically- oriented in my writing - also for books lent and a pint in the Birmingham sunshine. As an academic entity of supervision, Nick and Graeme allowed me significant freedom within which to follow my thoughts and I couldn‘t ask for more. One rather hurried meeting with Graeme and Nick, for example, which I thought was of no particular import, led me to realise that education is mit sein, just a being-with, a sharing of time, of space, of thought, of togetherness, of dreams… I have been fortunate indeed that the standing reserve ordered and sorted me as Nick‘s supervisee. In particular, his style of supervision is Heideggerian to its core in that he lets learn. This freedom to explore, to make mistakes, but to feel confident that I could follow the thesis where it went, has allowed me to develop something deeply of myself, my being-in-the-world. Nick, you gave me space and helped me find my voice. Thank you. And Paul Colley and Ian Townsend and Hal Lyon and David Murphy and Jerold Bozarth and Kathy Moon and Kate Hayes and the free spirit of Kat and all of those contentious and courteous and warm loving voices on the pcintl (person-centred international) discussion email list. In particular, I give thanks for the generous and curatorial Paul for links and resources and loving support – and for the idea of writing directly to people and ask for their paper if I can‘t find it anywhere (in this regard, thanks for your encouragement, Michael Bonnett). My connection with Mike Neary and the pioneers and scholars at Social Science Centre taught me much about having the courage to be in the world in open resistance and feel that I could contribute to a progressive education inside/outside the institution. My friend, historian and educator resisting from within, Dr Marios Hadjianastasis has been a wise, challenging and irreplaceable proof-reader. Thanks to the lovely and talented Bethan Davies for touching my life with her gentle spirit and for being the rock that stayed above the waves that came crashing over my head during a particular foul and pestilential storm. Thanks to Martin Heidegger, my Dasein is more aware of the thrown quality of existence and I have prioritised my life projects in the space now remaining between something and the nothings; this doctorate is complete because it is one of those prioritised projects. And Carl Rogers. Even from beyond the grave. His humanity, his warmth, his fearless, piercing, no-nonsense genius have touched me profoundly, helping me to become more open to experience, more accepting of my self and the selves of others and increasingly genuine in my encounters with others. Carl Rogers made it his life‘s work to promote freedom for persons, including in education, and it is still needed. And I am grateful without end for seeing and being seen in the soft blue light of communion with my best human, Professor Josie-Anne Elizabeth Crescent-Moon: poppet, your limitless humanity both grounds me and makes me soar. Love and peace, Billy M Dasein, 2018 TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ............................................................................. 1 1.1 Motivations for writing the thesis: education as if people mattered ......................... 1 1.2 Research question and focus of the study ................................................................. 7 1.3 Nur ich: research ethics ............................................................................................. 9 1.3.1 Reflexivity ..................................................................................................... 10 1.3.2 Positionality I: education and me .................................................................. 12 1.3.3 Positionality II: inside (outside) research in the academy............................. 15 1.3.4 Positionality III: values and Being-in-the-World .......................................... 18 1.3.5 Methodology ................................................................................................. 20 1.4 Limitations of the thesis .......................................................................................... 25 1.5 Structure of the thesis .............................................................................................. 26 CHAPTER TWO: GLOBALIZING HIGHER EDUCATION .................................. 30 2.1 The Historical University ........................................................................................ 30 2.1.1 The Medieval University (1150-1500) .......................................................... 30 2.1.2 The Early Modern University (1500-1800) .................................................. 32 2.2 The University in the Industrial Age (1800-1945) .................................................. 32 2.2.1 The Humboldtian University (1810) ............................................................. 33 2.2.2 Newman's idea of a University (1852) .......................................................... 34 2.3 The Modern University (1963) ............................................................................... 35 2.3.1 The Robbins report: the age of expansion ..................................................... 36 2.3.2 The Multiversity: the idea of a public university .......................................... 37 2.4 The Liquid Modern University ............................................................................... 38 2.4.1 Metaphors of liquids and solids .................................................................... 40 2.4.2 Solidity and Barriers...................................................................................... 40 2.4.3 Liquidity and Flow ........................................................................................ 41 2.4.4 Heavy and Light ............................................................................................ 41 2.4.5 The university melting .................................................................................