School in the digital era.

A Change of Paradigm
By Thomas Pedroli
Above the door through which school children pass every day it says in big letters: YOU
MUST, YOU MUST, YOU MUST. In school there are many things we must do. We must go
to school, we must learn, we must pay attention, we must be quiet, we must get on, we must
do our homework, we must listen.
Meanwhile we know that learning processes dont work like that; learning is not something
we must do, we can only learn on a voluntary basis. Insights and knowledge result from
astonishment; astonish is not something we can do with intent. The best environment for
learning processes is an environment in which I feel safe; feeling safe is not something we can
decide to do. Many studies in neurophysiology and psychology in the last decade have shown
this. And still our school system is ignorantly infused with things we must do. Many
principles date back to times past and are no longer relevant.
1. Fear
The first principle still effective in school today dates back to the Roman-Catholic monastery
of the Middle Ages. The dogma of original sin formed the entire culture of Central Europe:
Man (and woman) is born with sin and therefore evil, only through hard work and by the
grace of God is it possible to be saved.
This idea of fear is deep rooted in western culture: I am not good enough! The consequence
of which is You must work hard, maybe its enough sometime! Since the Reformation this
principle has been applied on nearly all educational levels and is still effective today.
In school this fear is ever present. We continuously judge what is good and bad, right and
wrong. We distinguish between different classes and school systems, an education in a
grammar school is worth more than in a secondary school, there are good and bad grades,
good and bad behavior, even good and bad pupils. If everything turns out well, I will be
successful, I may get a title like Dr., Prof., B.A., M.A. And I will get a higher salary. If
things do not turn out so well, I may be characterized earlier by ADHD, Asperger, dyslexic. I
may be referred to a special needs programme, I may get a support plan and later in life a
lower salary.
However, the fear of not being good enough is still alive in most people today, independent of
their social position. And this fear pushes them on and on, to strive for higher and higher
goals, and prevents them from being content with themselves and their lives in the present
situation. Contentment is then postponed to sometime in the future.
Do we really have to wait until later to be satisfied or even happy with our situation? In
school as well as in other fields of life we are often told to wait for the future, i.e. to achieve
some imaginary next level. When you have finished school After your graduation Once
you have a good job When you have reached retirement age with a good pension...
2. Obedience
The second, no longer appropriate principle in school derives from military barracks. It may
not be a pleasant thought, but schools hierarchic structure is taken directly from the military
of the 19th century. A large group of pupils are instructed by one teacher. The teachers in a
school get instructions from the headmaster. The headmaster receives his/her instructions
from the ministry. This hierarchy is lives on a culture of obedience. Obedience is the most
important duty. Otherwise soldiers wouldnt kill or expose themselves to the danger of death.
Which healthy human being would voluntarily kill other human beings? What would school
be like without obedience?
Obedience is linked with punishment. If someone does not obey the rules, he is punished. And
if punishment does not work, he is expelled from school. And even though it has been known
for a long time that punishment has a negative effect on learning processes, it is still widely
being used. Of course punishment today is often imposed in much more subtle ways than in
earlier centuries when physical punishment was still allowed. Physical punishment in school
was not abolished in Germany until 1973, the right to a non-violent upbringing in the family
was only put into law as late as 2000. That means a lot of todays teachers were educated
while physical punishment was still in use.
There are not many schools in which punishment of any kind is not a part of everyday life.
Indeed, isnt marking in school often used as a reward or punishment? Obedience is a basic
principle in school, and the mental program which is installed via obedience reads as follows:
I am powerless and the survival strategy says: Do as the authority (teacher, doctor,
minister) tells you! You cannot decide for yourself. MUST we be obedient in order to
develop and learn in a human way?
3. Enforced conformity
The third principle goes back to the age of Industrialization. When the first factories were
founded there was a great demand for workers who could adapt to unnatural working
conditions. Those who adapted to them got work and survived. Those who did not adapt were
threatened by poverty. Workers could easily be replaced. This caused a great fear: I am
replaceable. I dont count! I feel alone. The mental program installed here works according
to the principle: You are exactly like everyone else! And the survival strategy is to do, think,
feel and live like everyone else. Conform to the norm!
Our entire school system is full of norms and standards. These norms and standards are
related to economic interests. To begin with these were regional norms, then nationwide
norms were established and today schools are run according to European norms. If a pupil
does not fit the norm, he is compared to others and often enough the future prospect of such
non-conforming pupils are viewed with concern. The fact that every child is unique may
indeed be written in the pedagogical curriculum and educational course books in everyday
life, however, it is often annoying when a child does not learn in standardized ways or does
not behave in normal ways.
Many educators report that more than half the children they work with dont behave in
normal ways. If this was the case, a minority would define the concept of normality. So
far the majority has always been the measure for what was considered to be normal. MUST
we conform in order to survive?
Things are changing
The industrial era is over and the paradigm of that era is no longer valid.
There are doubts about many principles which used to be incontestable e.g. the thought
that economic growth leads to riches has been proved wrong by consequences for the
environment, the unequal distribution of wealth, the financial crisis and global warming.
The Arab spring has shown that essential social changes can originate from the bottom
rather than the top of society or government. In Egypt it was the young unorganized
generation which toppled the government. How was that possible? The young people
were connected through digital media, mobile phones and via internet. We rightly call
our era the digital era.. The young generation since around 1985 has got absorbed in it by
making full use of net-working, multi-tasking and global communication. The internet has
a non-hierarchic, chaotic structure consisting of many details, which enables people to
exchange data and stay in touch worldwide. The older generation has problems
understanding the young. In the past power was left to the church, the state and the
economy. Nowadays each person creates his own reality: we need not wait until the state
reforms schools. State attempts are usually belated. We reform our schools and ourselves,
our work profile, our training.
When our own fear is involved
Many pupils respond to old-fashioned teaching methods in a way that we become aware
that something is wrong. In some cases we may already have felt this. But as soon as we
as parents or teachers are cornered by the unusual behavior of a pupil or a whole class,
we suddenly say or do things we thought we would never do or say sentences like if you
go on like this, you will fail, a low mark shows you that you are worthless, if I do not
punish you now, everything will get worse I only mean well, you do not know yet
what is good for you. Simply do as I tell you, your future employer will not let you do
everything you want, without finishing school properly you will not get on in life, one
day you will be grateful for my advice, work first, pleasure later...
Speaking like that indicates that we are afraid, helpless, lonely, sad, that fear overwhelms
us and we are no longer in proper control of the situation. Only when we listen to this
fear and not revert to old strategies, can we find security and are we able to help our
pupils. This new attitude requires a different job profile, a different training. What pupils
need are teachers who practice handling their own feelings i.e. in staff meetings. Pupils
need teachers who are able to communicate efficiently with themselves and others.
Pupils need teachers who train their intuition, teachers who use meditation on a daily
basis, who are able to leave thinking and judging aside, in brief: teachers whose
vocabulary does not contain the word MUST.
The new Pradigm
The new paradigm creates security in schools, and security facilitates growth and
learning. This security is an attitude where fears of worthlessness, powerlessness and
loneliness are replaced by new certainties:
I am precious because I am before I do something, while I am doing something, and
after I have done something independent of the result.
I shape my own life . I am the creator of my own reality.
I am autonomous. Being autonomous I am connected with everybody and feel
responsibility.
The old virtues of ambition, obedience and conformance are replaced by self-esteem,
creativity and autonomy.
Above the entrance of the school you do not read
YOU MUST
anymore but
THIS IS WHERE WE MEET.

Author: Thomas Pedroli, born in 1957 in the Netherlands. Since 1981 working in
Germany and the Netherlands (social therapy, curative education, music, Waldorf
pedagogy), teacher at the Windrather Talschule in Velbert-Langenberg, lecturer at the
School of Intuitive Pedagogy. Coach.