Questioning Assumptions
In 1982, one student wrote a senior thesis describing many aspects of Friends World in the context of a cycle of Illusion, Disillusion, and Reconstruction. This is really another sort of Learning Cycle (see EXPERIENTIAL EDUCATION/LEARNING CYCLE (C.1)), one that heavily emphasizes the Reflection/Conceptualization part of the process. Every Plan you make involves assumptions and illusions about the work you will do; in the process of doing that work (experiencing that experience), you will have to confront the fact that not everything is exactly as you thought it would be; "reconstruction" involves reevaluating and adjusting your perceptions, plans, ideas, and actions accordingly. (One faculty member has even been quoted as saying that one of the basic processes in the reflective segment of a Friends World education is "to make the strange familiar, and the familiar strange.") This process of evaluation and reconstruction is not only part of the learning process, but is an integral part of many human thought mechanisms. Questioning assumptions and reconstructing goals is one of the main reasons why the Learning Plan is designed to evolve to a certain extent over the course of the semester, and why Friends World emphasizes interactive, dialogic learning.
In addition, these patterns are also applicable to Friends World as a whole, in the evaluative processes of the World Conference and the Community Meeting. They are the paradigm we use in examining the most urgent human and environmental issues in our world and in dealing with them. They are also the patterns of the process of culture shock. Every time you question yourself, evaluate anything, or revise or edit any part of your Portfolio, you are deconstructing your initial assumptions and rebuilding them into something new.
One important thing to remember is that even though certain disillusionments (as with a culture, or with Friends World itself) make everything seem suddenly meaningless, the thing that has changed the most is your point of view. Focus on that, and you might find the pieces fitting together in a new way.
Workshop Discussion Sparks
- What are your assumptions about Friends World?
- What are your assumptions about Experiential Education?
- What are your assumptions about your role in the world?
Inspired and Creative
- The more assumptions/illusions you tackle and reconstruct, the more you grow. The same goes for Friends World as an institution. Tackle and reconstruct your illusions as you discover them.
Rigorous Training
- Get really specific. Take something like your first day at college, a food you were surprised to find that you like, or something else that involves a small perspective shift not involving lots of complicated emotions to distract you. Look at that perspective shift, and then you can apply the patterns to other situations.
AAAAAGGGHHHH!
- The world hasn't fallen apart, only your perception of it. The way human minds work guarantees that you will come to a new conclusion about things eventually
- You should be patient with yourself.
See Also
Contribute to the Portfolio Resource Guide!!!
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