Could do Better - Paul Haywood

Editor's Notes

• #3: Statement of the obvious. Formal learning. Informal learning. Education. Pedagogy. Instruction. Andragogy. Adoption of Experiences. Transfer of Experiences. Where do Universities sit?
• #4: According to the 19th Century poet, statesman and academic historian, Giosue Carducci, The University of Bologna is the oldest continually operating university in the world. Founded in 1088 and having received its charter from the Holy Roman Emperor in 1158, the word ‘universitas’ or community (relating to scholars and teachers) was first conferred on the Alma Mater Studiorum before any other institution that has since continued to operate. This is relevant in so far as the purpose of the charter or the granting of authority and rights from Frederick 1 was to ensure a scholarly tradition in the study of the Digest of Roman Law (the Pandects); a compendium of civil law, the institutions or elements of law and the new constitutions created by the Roman Emperor Justinian 1 in the 6th century. The creation of ‘communities of maters and scholars’ (universitas magistrorum et scholarium), was intended to strengthen principles of civic and institutional law and enshrine medieval christian authority and rule.
• #6: In 2015 in the UK one of the increased risks to exacerbating the problem of social segregation on the basis of class, economic access and educational privilege is as a result of changes to the funding systems for Higher Education (started in 2001 and 2010). Changes affecting student number controls and selective subsidy are anticipated to have a brutal impact on participation rates in higher learning. The UK has shifted away from a publicly funded higher education system. That system is not so very old in the first place having been initially triggered in the decade following the First World War by a University sector bankrupted by a stagnant economy and zero growth rates. This generated a welfare offer that was quickly been adopted as the norm but never succeeded in properly embedding into democratic society; in other words it has failed to deliver mass inclusion and universal benefits. It was publicly funded but never comprehensive. As a culture we generally believe we have a public education system but forget that very few people have directly accessed all of its privileges. The notion that education supports democracy and consequently fairness is well established in our collective memory but it is not an automatic given.
• #13: It is now 50 years since the Highlander Folk School (Tennessee, USA) had its charter revoked for subversive influence and was subsequently closed in 1961. This was in the context of a communist witch hunt and was primarily a back lash against the direct engagement of the School in promoting civil rights and desegregation. What had really disturbed Bruce Bennett, the Attorney General of Arkansas, about the School was its impact on socio-political networks way beyond what might be expected of a single educational institution. Much of his evidence was focussed on individuals who had been educated at Highlander or worked specifically with Myles Horton. Underlying his arguments was his observation that none of the people cited had a significant political history before they met Horton, in other words they were not the sons and daughters of influential families. This is what qualified them as subversives and communists. What disturbed Bennett was the transformational potential of an educational establishment and process.
• #33: The NOISE Creative portfolios identify 6 areas of an individual’s creative balance. A dynamic and interactive CV, that fully supports rich media. Their Online blogs may only display artistry (skills, relevance).They may show elements of expertise, but will often be a list of employers, unlinked to the rest of the blog. NOISE Creative Portfolios, link all six areas to offer a 360° review of an individual based on their self-evaluation and peer/ professional feedback and ratings.