RADICAL EDUCATION WORK- BOOK CONTENTS Introduction1Self-Organisation TheMakingoftheWorkbook 2 FreeUniversityofLiverpool 19 HowtoUsetheWorkbook? 2 WorkerEducation 20 WhoMadetheWorkbook? 2 Self-Reliance:DiscussionontheUniversityofIslam 21 OpenArchive:56AInfoshop 22 ChallengingImposedCurricula Funding 23 Anti-ImperialEducation 4 X-Talk 24 SexandRelationshipsEducation 5 CitizenshipEducation 6 UsingthePedagogiesoftheOppressed L’EcoleModerne 8 PopularEducationandGuerillaWar(ElSalvador) 26 TheImage 27 Collectivity Power/Occupation 28 CircleTime 11 AFreirianPedagogyfortheEsolClassroom 30 EducationAgainstEmpire 12 BodyPedagogy 32 Collectivity 14 DoubtinGroups 15 ReadingList 33 DemocracyinSchools 16 2 Introduction Asacollectiveofstudentsandeducatorsworking Thisabsenceofcriticalapproachestocurriculum The‘Radical’inRadicalEducation inadiversityofsettings,fromprimaryschools alsoexistswithinsocialmovementsthemselves. Ouruseofthetermradicalisnotmeanttomake touniversities,socialcentrestoswimmingpools, Wheremanyradicalbookshopshaveextensive grandclaimsofpoliticalpurity,nortobeoff- andstraddlingthisworkwithourinvolvement sectionsofpoliticalanalysistheyrarelyhave puttingforthosewhodon’tthinkofthemselves instrugglesontheEducationfront,wefound sectionsoncommunityorganising,popular as‘radicals’.Itisusedprovisionallytomark ourselvespoorlyeducatedinthehistoriesof education,radicalresearchortheirhistories. outaterrainofpracticethatincludespopular radicaleducationthathavecirculatedintheUK Manymovementorganisersarenotawareofthese educationandresearch,militantorco-research, andelsewhere.This,weunderstand,isnotbyany practices,usedinrevolutionaryandeveryday collectivepractice,populartheatre,critical particularmistakeorignorancebutbecauseofthe strugglesforsocialjusticearoundtheworldand literacy,participatoryactionresearch,socialjustice systematicerasureofquestionsofradicalpedagogy focusmoreonreadingsofkeytheoreticaltexts. educationandmanyothers.Wefeltitimportant fromcurriculumand,toacertainextent,from Forothers,thesehistoriesofradicaleducationare toencompassthesepracticeswithamorejarring socialmovementsthemselves. implicitinpractice,butarerarelyvalourisedas andquestionabletermtocountertheverynice bodiesofknowledgetobeunderstoodalongside Inthemakingofthisworkbookwehave languagethatcanbeusedwhenspeakingabout keyanalyticdebates.Foranewgenerationof recountedourownexperiencesofteacher educationandtosuggestthatafocusonsocial activistsenteringintostrugglesforanon-coercive, TheNeedforRadicalEducationToday training-increasinglyfocusedonbehaviour justiceismostdefinitelyatradicaloddswiththe anti-authoritarianandanti-capitalisteducation, managementandtestscoreachievement.Where formsofEducationweareforcedtoworkintoday. Theproductionofthisworkbookbeganattheonset thereisoftenafeelingthatoneisbeginning radicaleducationhasbeenintroduced,itisoften ofthemovementagainsttheausterityprogramme fromscratch. marginalisedtothetheorysectionofourcourses, thathadbeenlaidoutbytheCoalitionGovernment divorcedfromourexperiences,removedfromthe Initiatedin2010,theRadicalEducationWorkbook inBritainin2010.Inthismoment,andinthe practicalaspectoftheteachingthatconstitutesthe hasbeenanattempttorectifythesedifferent yearsandmonthssince,students,teachers,nurses, majorityofourtimeaseducators.Thestaffroom, absences.Itwascreatedthroughcollective doctors,migrantpeople,firefightersandmany theonlyplaceforteachercongregation–whereit readingsandworkshopsexploringpracticed othershavebeguntoinventandre-engagewith hasnotbeenremovedfollowingcurrentmanagerial concepts.Thesespaceshaveprovidedmomentsof practicesoforganisation:questioningmeasuresof trends,providesneitherthephysicalspacenorthe solidaritybetweenstudentsandeducatorsacross austerity,andmorefundamentally,theprocessof timetoallowfordiscussionofcriticalapproaches manypractices,andsupportforthosebearingthe neo-liberalisationthatprecededthem. tocurriculum.Thisleavesteachersandteachersof physicalandemotionalstressoftheEducation ThisUKdimensionofaglobalmovement, teachersattemptingtomakeevenminorchanges systemasitcurrentlystands.Increatingthese includingoccupations,streetprotests,strikes, withinthecurrentsystemstigmatizedifthey spaces,wehavebeencarefulnottore-asserta people’srebellionsandanti-capitalistco- proposecriticalorradicalstrategies. newprofessionalized‘radicaleducation’sector operatisationhasconsistentlystruggledwiththe orsubjectivity,butproceededwiththeideathat needtomovebeyondspontaneousactions.Ithas Education(andradicaleducationinparticular)is attemptedtomoveawayfrombigspeechesandAto notonlythedomainofteachersandstudents–itis Bmarches,towardsbroaderconsciousness-raising fundamentaltotheproductionoflife,asopposed initiatives,communityandgrassrootsorganising toproductionofworkersand‘good’citizens.In practices,considerationforthepoliticsofspeaking this,practicesofeducationarecentraltosocialand andlistening,andattentiontothedynamicsof politicalorganisation. teachingandlearningwithinourmovements. TheMakingoftheWorkbook Manypracticesandhistoriesintheworkbook WhoMadetheWorkbook? TheRadicalEducationForumisagroupofpeople resonatewithcurrenttensionsinthediscursivefield workinginawiderangeofeducationalsettingsinthe Wehavemovedslowlyinmakingthisfirstversion TheWorkbookwasinitiatedbytheRadical ofeducation:betweenconservativeeducatorsonone UK.Wemeetmonthlytodiscussradicalpedagogical oftheRadicalEducationWorkbook.Itwasnot EducationForumwithmembersofthesoundart sideandwellintentionedbutseldomemancipatory theoriesandtechniques,andcontemporary assembledbypeoplesittingatdesksaloneand andpoliticalcollectiveUltra-red.Itreceivedasmall reformistsontheother;betweendogmatic,top-down issuesofinteresttothoseinvolvedorinterested imaginingwhattheeducationofthemassescouldbe, amountoffundingforprintingfromtheDrawing leftistpartyeducatorsanduniversalhumanists; ineducation.Weexploreandenacthowthese northroughacalltoaselectgroupoffriendstowrite Roomaspartoftheexhibition,BestLaidPlans betweenneo-liberalcharitiesandde-colonising theoriesandquestionscaninformourpractice. entriesandgainmarksforinstitutionalvalidation, curatedbyCylenaSimondsin2010.Itwasdesignedby formsofeducationproducedinandfromvarious TheForumsupportssocialjusticeineducation, butratherthroughgroupencounters,readings, JacksonLamandprintedatHatoPress.Contributors globalsitesofstruggle.Itiswiththelatterofthese linkingpractitionerswithinmainstreameducational meetingsandevents.Theearliestofthesetookplace tothebookinclude: thatweideallyalignourselves,knowingthatweare institutions,communityeducationinitiatives,social inthestudentoccupationsattheonsetoftheanti- sometimesforcedtoborrowfromtheothers. 56aInfoshop,AliceRobson,AnnaWolmuth,Ashley movements,artsorganisationsandself-organised austeritymovements.There,differentgenerations L.Whitfield,ChrisJones,ColinWaugh,DontRhine, groups.MeetingsareheldonthefirstMondayof ofstudentsandteacherssharedtools,historiesand FeministFightback,FreeUniversityofLiverpool, everymonthfrom7–9pmandareopentoallat strategieswithoneanother.Wehavesincemetin GreggoryVass,JannaGraham,JorgeGoia,Laura FreedomBooks(throughsidedoorratherthanmain ananarchistbookshop,squattedsocialcentres,art Rogers,LondonCoalitionAgainstPoverty,Michael shopentrance,meetingroomon2ndfloor),Angel galleriesandinlocallyfocusedcommunitycentres. Harding,NellyAlfandari,Onni,ValArcher,Victoria Alley,84bWhitechapelHighStreet,London,E1 TakingPauloFreire’ssuggestionof‘readingthe Harris,Ultra-Red,theX-Talkproject,andallthose (nearesttubeAldgateEast). wordandtheworldtogether’,eachsession–and involvedintheRadicalEducationForum. radicaleducationforum.tumblr.com subsequentlyeachworkbookentry–isdividedinto threeparts. Howtousetheworkbook? *KeyConceptswithinradicaleducationandtheir ThisfirstversionoftheWorkbookincludes Ultra-redareasound-basedartandpolitical histories contributionsfromdiverseeducatorsandsocial collectivefoundedin1994bytwoAIDSactivists. movements.Someentriesarederivedfrom OriginallybasedinLosAngeles,thecollective *Practicesassociatedwiththeconceptinclassrooms workshops,othersarebasedonmorehistorical hasexpandedovertheyearswithmembersacross andotherlessconventionaleducationalsettings researchandsomearefoundational,articulatingnew NorthAmericanandEurope.MembersinUltra-red *Reflectionabouttherelevanceoftheconceptto vocationsandpossibilities. rangefromartists,researchersandorganizersfrom ourstrugglestoday. differentsocialmovementsincludingthestruggles Theyareorganizedintofoursections: ofmigration,anti-racism,participatorycommunity Thisthree-foldapproachwastoensurethatconcepts ChallengingImposedCurricula development,andthepoliticsofHIV/AIDS.In2008 werenotdissociatedfrompracticeandthat theybeganworkingexplicitlywithpracticesof practiceswerenotdissociatedfromtheircontexts Collectivity populareducation,settinguplearningexperiments andcommitments,ashasbeenthecasewithmany Self-Organisation forstudents,artistsandcommunityorganisersunder radicaleducationalmethodsenablingthemtobe thenametheSchoolofEchoes. turnedintotoolsofneo-liberalmanagers.Ourfocus UsingthePedagogiesoftheOppressed onthecontemporaryrelevanceofconceptswasto www.ultrared.org Giventhatwhatoftendistinguishescriticalorradical ensurethatwedidnotsettleintonostalgicandoverly educationfrommainstreamapproachesisthatitis idealizedconversationsaboutpastmovements,but basedoncommitmentstosocialjusticeratherthan ignitedourpresentwithwhathascomebeforewhile Noonereceivedremuneration–apartfromsome strictdisciplines,inmanywayseachentrytouches acknowledgingthecomplexitiesintowhichthey freefood–inthemakingoftheguide. onallofthesethemes.Wehavenonethelessdivided mustentertoday. themtoprovidepossibleentrypointsandcategories