Education
What are the implications of Jewish education's obsession with programmes? Why do we have a proclivity to deploy programmes? In this episode, which is based on personal experience rather than objective findings, I explore this issue and the potential for a different approach. The key theoretical claim I make is to view programmes as a positioning act rather than a well-grounded educational decision. The position taken depends on the context but has some general characteristics, for example, that the position dichotomizes and paints the Other with one brush. It is therefore difficult to question the educational power of an established programme because to do so involves opposition to the taken position. You want to ask questions about the educational value, but the programme represents, by its very nature, a position taken (often implicitly ideological) that resists any attempt at questioning. For those interested, I borrowed the concept of "position-taking" from Rob Moore and Johan Muller in 'Voice Discourse' and the Problem of Knowledge and Identity. Although I don't state it in the episode, alternatives solutions to deploying programmes would involve addressing systemic goals and developing talent within that framework. Rather than creating further fragmentation through additional sub-systems, you would look to address goals through a holistic lens and problem solve in a whole system manner where implications of proposed solutions apply to all aspects of the system. I think this idea really plays out in the online situation forced by the worldwide shutdown of schools. The resources that are thrown around as solutions represent programmes that are deployed in a school system. I understand the value in these resources as a short term solution. But as a permanent or long-term approach, I really wonder whether schools relatively indiscriminate adoption of resources is wise?