All good things come in threes

In one of those probability-defying moments of synchronicity that the blogosphere affords, three of my favourite education thinkers have been thinking the same thought.

Always delightfully thought-provoking, Artichoke borrows from Augusto Boal to describe intimidation of the spectator learning in which pre-scripted learning activities, "…for elimination of the 'bad'", offer learners little or no choice in their learning.

Artichoke is highlighting the same sort of classroom violence that Aaron Campbell has blogged to wide comment and which Chris Bigum calls repeated "organised child abuse" where "It is more important to be concerned about spelling skills of the young but less about how the system treats them and what the social consequences are."

If we are to overcome this Freirean institutional violence and encourage learners to engage in the process of inquiry then we must be prepared to give up control to allow the sort of environments that promote what Artichoke calls virtuous learning experiences, environments in which we acknowledge that sometimes the learner knows best.