Democratic Education

Throughout my life’s journey, from my childhood to adulthood, I have constantly struggled with undemocratic relationships in Egyptian society. People have power over other people. At home, my father has power over my mother, my sisters, my brother, and me. My brother has power over my sisters, and my older sisters have power over me because I am the youngest one. At my schools, from elementary school to university, teachers had power over me and other students in the class, and the school administration had power over my teachers. Even among students, some students had power over others because of class, gender, or religion. I learned that the world is hierarchical; there is always a group that has power over another group- one group rules, controls and exploits another. I always wondered how to change undemocratic hierarchical culture in my country to a more equitable and just society. Does education have a role in transforming my country to a democratic one? How can education develop people as citizens able to participate and influence democracy? What educational values can develop people as citizens who act democratically?

Coming to the USA as a doctoral student, I searched for answers to my questions. Taking courses in the field of critical pedagogy and reading Ira Shor’s (1992/1996) ideas about empowering democratic education answered many of my questions about how to create a democratic society. I learned that “education is more than facts and skills. It is a socializing experience that helps make the people who make society” (Shor, 1992, p. 15). I realized the important role that higher education can play to develop a democratic culture in society. Students need to practice democratic habits in the classroom, so that democratic habits become a way of living.  Democratic habits cannot be cultivated by listening to lectures about democracy. Rather, democratic habits must purposely be cultivated through democratic educational practices. Creating a learning environment that invites students to actively participate in designing the course curriculum is an example of a democratic educational practice. As a teacher educator in process, I have been inspired by these ideas. I wished to explore educational contexts in which democratic education is encouraged and supported. It is important for me, for Egyptians, and for others to envision a practical example of a kind of democratic education, a new way of being as a teacher, and new patterns of relationships between students and teachers.

Student active participation in learning

Higher education institutions should not be merely training sites that provide students with the technical expertise required to find a place within the workplace. Rather, higher education institutions should also be places where students learn the knowledge and skills necessary to live in a democracy. Higher education institutions should develop active citizens in a democratic society, citizens who can effectively participate and influence a democracy. Developing active citizens who think critically and act democratically cannot be achieved by lecturing about democracy; rather it can be achieved by introducing opportunities for students to practice democracy in their education.

In order to prepare students to be active participants in a democratic society, students should meaningfully participate in their own learning. The critical educator Ira Shor (1992) asserts that only by active participation in their learning can students develop democratic habits rather than becoming passive consumers waiting to be told what things mean and what to do. Students’ active participation in their own learning can change students’ lives and through this transformation they may become active and critical citizens who can change their communities. Encouraging students’ meaningful participation in their own learning can prepare students to be active citizens who can efficiently participate and change their communities. 

Assessment

What is the purpose of the assessment? Based on my experience as a graduate student, the purpose of assessment is to measure how much learning students achieved in the course in order for the instructor to decide if students met the course competencies. So the purpose of the assessment is to “measure” how much learning students achieved from studying in the course. So the purpose of the assessment is only to “measure” learning. How I as a student will benefit from “measuring” the learning I achieved. How knowing that I received A, B, Or C will benefit my learning? If the purpose of education is student learning, then all components of education should be for student learning: the structure of the course should be for student learning, the content should be for student learning, teaching methods should be for student learning, assessment should be for students learning. I want to say that the purpose of the assessment should be to improve student learning, not only for measuring how much learning they achieved from studying in the course. Involving graduate students in the assessment process can improve their learning.

Culture of Sharing:etmooc_Topic 1

I have been raised in educational settings where the teacher expected students to do their work alone, without even consulting others. I never really thought about anyone else's education. If I had a thought or idea, I kept it to myself. I thought if I shared what I knew with others they would get better grades than me. I was learning and that's all that really mattered. I realized now that I was wrong. I never imagined that by keeping what I know and not sharing it, I was denying my classmates an important learning opportunity for me and them.

We need to share what we know and what we create with other because the information changes rabidly and what we know today will be out of date tomorrow. When you share what you know and do with other, you learn much more than just keep it to yourself. When we share what we know or do with other, we build knowledge. We build upon our own knowledge and the knowledge of other through knowledge building community. We learn from each other much more than if we just learn by our self.

It is important as educators to cultivate the culture of sharing between students. If students practice sharing during their formal education, sharing will be a life style, they will practice sharing during their informal settings. So, rather than asking students to submit an assignment for the instructor review, students could be asked to share their product and their resources with students in the class.  

Connected Learning and PLN: ETMOOC 1

The first time I heard about PLN was last year in an educational technology course at New Mexico State University. I learned that PLN is about connecting with others through the web to create a knowledge building community in which we learn from each other and expand learning of each other through sharing the resources and ideas about o topic of interest. 

Twitter is one of my biggest PLN. My first tweet was in 2011. I was in Las Cruces, NM Studying PhD in education when my people, Egyptian people, protested against the regime of President Hosni Mubarak I wished if I am there. But Twitter enabled me to be up to date with what was happening there. The Egyptian protestors were taking live photos and video from the event and upload it to Youtube and tweet it, so the world could see what was happening, which played a great role in succeeding the revolution  

Classroom 2.0 is another important PLN from me. Classroom 2.0 is a social network for those interested in Web 2.0 and social media in education. The first time I heard about ETMOOC was in classroom 2.0.

This is my PLN:
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/mariammatta  
Blog: http://mariam-abdelmalak.blogspot.com
Delicious: http://www.delicious.com/mariammatta  
Freindfeed: http://www.friendfeed.com/mariamabdelmalak
Tumblr:http://mariammatta.tumblr.com
Diigo: http://www.diigo.com/user/mariammatta
Wordpress: http://mariammmatta.wordpress.com/
Posterous: http://mariammatta.posterous.com  
Amplify: http://mariam.amplify.com  
Quora: http://www.quora.com/Mariam-Abdelmalak

Who I am: ETMOOC Introduction

Hi everyone, I am so excited to learn from you all in this new mooc