global generation 5: education messaging underpinnings

So.

Under the whole “objectives, strategies and tactics” mumbo jumbo I would imagine this post falls under the Project Global Generation objective silo.

Therefore message underpinnings (and by message underpinnings I mean “how do we choose what to have as content on the web educational platform?”) would have an objective to:

–          Fight ignorance.

–          Or call it an anti ignorance initiative.

–          Maybe suggest fight intolerance through education.

What I do know for sure is that I hesitate to call it a human rights objective but in my infamous “stimulus – response” thinking I would imagine a response from this program would be enhanced human rights (but that isn’t a direct objective).

The intent of the education platform is rather than having countries, or culture, impose a belief system on children permit children to understand the belief system choices and decisions … and empower them with enough basic knowledge and critical thinking knowledge so they can move forward in life and ‘make choices’ in a civilized moral fashion.

 

My thought always seems to center on cultivating behavior and belief systems.

So.

Whatever you want to refer to educating a global generation program go ahead and call it what you want (although I attack this issue again in a later post).

This post is on messaging.

Global generation 6 will be the tactical plan of action.

But this one may be the trickiest. choices happend to be jung

Okay.

It is the trickiest.

 

But ultimately this education platform is to develop a healthy respect for “understanding of choices” (note: not freedom of choice but understanding of choices).

It has to be cross cultural. It has to be unbiased. It has to cross government ideology. Education shouldn’t be dictating style of culture and government (or ‘Bill of rights’) it should inform people to be able to make choices and understand choices. Sure. It may ultimately affect culture & government & law and things like that but it shouldn’t dictate it.

So. Let me tell you what I think. Objectives include:

–          remove cultural filters

–          abandon destructive behaviors

–          stimulate individual creativity and ingenuity.

In the book 2048 they outline a human rights bill with basic freedoms – religion, from fear, from several other things.

And I would imagine on that bookend (I describe my bookend thought in Global Generation 4) in the legal world those types of freedoms need to be identified (so they can be implemented with boundaries).

 

Within this particular “education bookend” it is all about informed choices. Maybe thinking about it as limitless boundaries.

 

Understanding choices within each cultural or government construct as well as crossing cultural/government lines. Maybe this is all about fighting intolerance? I don’t know. I do know that there are some cornerstones of a generational education plan of action that create a foundation for smarter choices by individuals leading to more enlightened decisions. I strongly believe that if we want a less conflict driven society we have to work for it and the best place to start is by teaching our children that:

 

–          “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood”.

And I believe you can only do this through teaching and not ‘telling.’

I truly believe while intervention initiatives like Amnesty International and Human Rights Action and etc. are important it is only through teaching our children critical thinking (how to think) in combination with mutual respect for all people that we can ever hope to obtain a more peaceable, or an enlightened conflict, world. Because an education program builds behavior rather than managing behavior (like the other programs I mentioned).

 

So.

Me being me and liking contradictions. I see this as having two messaging platforms that intersect in a crossover of “positive friction” decreasing ignorance and enhancing a sense of “competitive camaraderie.”

GG platform benefits

 

So. On one side it is “thinking stuff:”

–          History. Learn from others. Respect for other cultures through historical learning.

–          Thinking/problem solving (or call it Critical thinking fundamentals).

–          Religious belief underpinnings.

–          Education fundamentals (abc’s – multilingual – basic arithmetic, writing).

Note: This isn’t a college preparation platform but rather a life preparation platform. Basic educations skills prepare a generation to be successful (if not more competitive) in life.

Ok. Before I move to the other side of the platform let me take on a couple of these thoughts.

Critical thinking methodology for kids? Yup. Albert Einstein, icon of intellect and insight, said “We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.” the rising generations of kids are going to be solving problems we cannot even envision at the moment. In addition many of those problems are ones we created (and haven’t solved). We need to make sure this generation can think.

Why do I feel so strongly about this? Well. I wrote not long ago about “unlearning.” We begin far too early in the education to encourage “memorization to learn” versus “understanding to learn.” My friends at Flying Rhinoceros have developed a wide variety of web based game that encourages critical thinking ‘brain muscles.’ It can be done.

Next. The elephant in the room. Religion. Those who insist that all ethical teaching must be religious in origin are talking nonsense. Some of it may be but much of it isn’t. The truth is ethical guidance is something we have never actually been short of. All I really believe at this stage (young children) is setting up the foundation for choices – cross culturally and cross religion. If you talk to any true evangelist in ANY religion they would tell you that if someone truly has all the knowledge the choice is obvious. True evangelists don’t seek to ‘convert’ they seek to educate. And that is all about overcoming ignorance.

And specific content? Some people (Facebook’s new peace initiative and an organization called 2048 and even Google) have danced with the idea of digitizing all books for the betterment of everyone but most of the existing programs are focused on changing belief systems rather than cultivating a belief system. This content would most likely be some digitized book, some already developed education material, some existing online education content and some newly developed information. Maybe call it an “infopedia” for children.

On the other side is “how to act” (or behavioral) stuff:

–          How to win and how to lose

–          Respect

–          Value of human life

–          Understanding failure and success

–          Valuing the environment

global respectThese are “big topic” type items and unlike the other side of the chart these are not simple logical educational “factoid” driven topics. These are situational behavioral type learning things. Does this mean they have their own “education sections”? Probably not. They get incorporated into the content and the interaction style of the games and learning techniques.

But. Notice I am hesitating to use words like values or ethics because I don’t believe we humans, and kids in particular, lacks those things. As discussed in Global Generation 3, I, and Nietzsche apparently, believe these things are inherent in human psyche.

Yes. There will always be the few who will want to test the boundaries seeking individual benefit.

But a Global Generation attitude won’t solve “the few” it will only empower the “many” to stop the few before they can do too much damage. A great, or strong, attitudinal generation values base will curb (or possibly not eliminate but diminish the extremes) range of conflict within a value/ethic boundary.

So under the behavioral aspects there are a couple of personality characteristics which would be helpful to encourage within the educational construct. These are things I am not sure you can “teach” but rather keep in mind as characteristics you would like to encourage or foster as you develop an educational initiative. What I mean is that there is no sense in teaching people ‘things’ if behaviorally they aren’t strong enough to step up and take action in some way with the knowledge.

Ultimately I would imagine we are seeking to help raise a courageous generation. A generation with respect (for human and global life). And ultimately a wiser more knowledgeable generation.

As for generational characteristics? Probably three main underlying traits I would build into the message underpinnings within the program are:

  1. 1. Modesty.

Modesty is important because it is the basis for learning. It is the acceptance that it is impossible to know everything. A humbleness to seek ‘more.’ Modesty in a person, and groups of people, means among other things the fitting of form to the meaning, and not mistaking style for substance. A modest generation, for instance, would have to think for a moment to remember whether their choice was the right, or best, one as well as probably less likely to encourage a “gossip driven media” society. Acquiring modesty in our public life would be a big step towards developing a realistic sense of an individual’s (or country’s) size and position in the world.

  1. 2. Intellectual curiosity.

This follows upon the heels of modesty. It is the component of modesty that insures enlightened conflict and ongoing learning. A wakefulness of mind might be another term for it. A generation conscious of itself and of its history, and of every thread that made up the tapestry of its culture. It would believe that the highest knowledge of itself had been expressed by its artists, its writers and poets, and it would teach its children how to know and how to love their work, believing that this activity would give them, the children, an important part to play in the self-knowledge and memory of the nation. Leading to countries where this virtue was strong would be active and enquiring of mind, quick to perceive and compare and consider. Such a nation would know at once when a government (or an individual leader) tried to interfere with its freedoms. It would remember how all those freedoms had been gained and an attack on any of them would feel like a personal affront.

  1. 3. Courage.

Maybe this is courage to make mistakes (or is it courage to make decisions and handle the repercussions?). We cannot start this belief too early in someone’s life.

Courage is foundational.  It has so many dynamics integral to a successful enlightened generation I am not sure I could list them all. Suffice it to say it’s what we need so as to be able to ‘do the right thing’ even when we’re afraid, in order to exercise good and steady judgment even in the midst of confusion and panic and to accommodate long-term necessity thinking even when short-term expediency would be easier. A courageous generation would continue to do what was right even when loud voices of leaders were urging it to do wrong. And when it came to the threat of external danger, a courageous generation, or enlightened groups with countries, would take a clear look at the danger and take realistic steps to avert it.

So. That describes what I would consider the message platform for the Global Education program initiative. Global Generation 6 will discuss the tactics. And some costs.

Bottom line. I don’t believe we are developing a global education program asking the globe to be people united as one. I don’t believe it is possible and probably more importantly I don’t believe it is a good thing to do. I believe some positive friction throughout the world has some massive positive benefits. Therefore the message underpinnings of education or created with some type of conflict in mind.

Simplistically. We are all unique in our own body, we are different in gender, language, race, nationality, childhood, location, cultures and environment.  But we share a globe. That’s it.
Philosophically I get excited every time I discuss the idea with anyone because in the end with this program we all need to remember that the same spirit resides in all children (and probably all of us in some form or fashion).  A spirit of goodness. It is only as they shift into adulthood and experience things that goodness gets challenged.

The same spirit that recognizes ethical, or value based, motives and can speak cross culturally with respect in mind. With the advent of the web globally we have a ‘one time’ opportunity to do something good. And create a Global Generation with attitudinal behavior aspects to manage a conflicted world.

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Written by Bruce