And There We Have It...

By Stephen Downes - Stephen's Web. And There We Have It...
This gets to the heart of the dispute between traditional educationalists and those of us advocating for change. In the Britannica blog, Michael Gorman writes, "Learning and education are enterprises in which the academically gifted prosper and are justified in prospering." John Connell responds, and I agree, "I prefer to see education and learning as processes by which everyone prospers relative to their starting position." The differences in 'academic gift' are greatly exaggerated, and are almost the sole result of nutrition, upbringing, and opportunity. The ascription to some of some sort of special academic gift is a prejudice born out of privilege, a bigotry of the worst sort. More...