Humanities Update – New ways of understanding learning

At the start of this month, world renowned Chilean biologist, Humberto Maturana, died at the age of 92. Maturana contributed not just to the field of Biology, but also to Philosophy and Education, suggesting new ways of understanding learning. Fundamentally, he saw education as being part of a ‘relational dynamic of the biology of knowing’. In particular, Maturana believed that students learn in relationship to the adults who are teaching them, obviously including parents and teachers, but also adults outside of their direct school community.

In terms of classes, this relational learning involves students learning how to ‘think’. This ‘thinking’ is not derived from the texts or activities alone, but by experiencing the way of thinking in a specific subject as ‘lived’ by their teacher. Learning how to think ‘historically’ or ‘politically’ comes from interacting with how the teacher also lives and teaches ‘historically’ or ‘legally’ or ‘economically’. This is not to say that students obediently adopt the thoughts and ideas of their teachers. Thinking in a Humanities subject involves challenging ideas and thinking with evidence and argument, but also respecting the ideas and thinking of others and expanding students’ understanding of themselves, as well as the world.

In the past weeks, many of our VCE Humanities students have had the opportunity to visit places, hear from people and engage in conversations outside of their classrooms. Their ability to process these opportunities were formed at home in conversations with parents before and after, but importantly also in their classrooms with their teachers.

The student accounts of recent these experiences are strong illustrations of Maturana’s educational ideas.

Ms Ingrid Hildebrand organised for students in her VCE Twentieth Century History Class to visit the Holocaust Museum to observe artefacts and documents and be in conversation with survivors of one of the world’s worst crimes against humanity. What the students learned from these witnesses to history also shapes how they will develop their future selves and understand the world. As Agnes (Year 10) noted: “(the survivor) demonstrated the significance of respecting all and how we are not born with hate in our heart, stating that such hate as exhibited in the Holocaust eventually corrupts.” Additionally, Val (Year 11) reflected that: “(the visit) made me think about the detrimental and cruel consequences of discrimination and oppression, which the Nazis promoted, and which resulted in the murder of millions of Jewish people. It also made me think about how important it is to remember the people whose lives were lost due to the Holocaust and to educate others on what happened.” Emilia (Year 11) and India (Year 11) believed that the messages of survivors of the Holocaust continue to educate everyone today that: “determination and perseverance are some of the many reasons why our world is able to prosper and perceive the importance of individuality, freedom and empathy.”

In a different experience, much more in the present, but also about the future, students, along with Year 12 Economics teacher, Mr Tim Olsen, attended a post-Federal Budget briefing with the Treasurer, with one student, Selina (Year 12) noting how “witnessing the address by Australia’s Treasurer, the extensive interaction with the audience, and the prior knowledge I have obtained in my studies of Economics, I was better able to comprehend the ways the government influences our society’s spending” and Maddie (Year 12) saw that “what we learn in class is translated into the real world, stimulating my Year 12 studies with a different perspective.”

In another forum, students from the VCE Politics and VCE Legal Studies classes spent an afternoon in engaged conversation with local Federal Member for Higgins, Dr Katie Allen MP and Senator the Honourable Jane Hume, Minister for Superannuation, Financial Services and the Digital Economy and Minister for Women’s Economic Security. These members of the Australian Parliament talked to the students about women in politics, their own achievements in shaping government policy, as well as representing people and values. When Dr Allen asked the students what they thought about the issue of so few young women appearing to be interested in politics, Haneen (Year 11) responded by observing how for many young people, politics “sounds too far from a person that is not worth considering it and “that it’s probably easier to be convinced that you could do Medicine or Arts rather than actually being in politics.”  These observations, combined with Senator Hume and Dr Allen explaining that they entered politics after extensive experience in other fields of enterprise and research, broadened students’ ideas about pathways into politics.

Reflecting and learning to ‘think’ for themselves is important for children to become responsible adults, although Maturana noted that the future of the world lies not with children, but with the adults who model critical and democratic thinking in their interactions with children. These recent experiences are illustrative of the importance of students having opportunities to question and observe the thinking of adults as a way of influencing their own capacity to understand the world.

Mr Paul Gilby, Head of Humanities