Radical Constructivism, Pushing the Envelope, Breaking the Calabash

Ta te tamariki tana mahi wawahi tahā.
It is the job of the children to smash the calabash
Theatre director Raymond Hawthorne was brutal. I took every criticism to heart. I offered my resignation. He seemed confused and asked why. I said ‘because you don’t like my work. I don’t want to let you down.’ He remained perplexed. Then he said ‘I pay you the ultimate compliment, I employ you.’ He didn’t have to, I realised, and the pride I felt in that distant 1977 moment lives with me in the respect, admiration, and trust I had, and continue to have, for him, and all those who’ve believed in me.
My mentors motivate me today. I’m sure this is why I have such a passion for making a difference in the lives of others. If I can engender trust, admiration and respect in my students – for themselves and their world – then we can work miracles. I call my students ‘my babies’. It reminds me I have a duty of care for them. They roll their eyes, but I think they like the idea.
The design paper is about creating learning environments that unearth, seed and nurture, both care and trust. The outcome is the birth of a fresh and compassionate inner champion. To achieve this, students need to ‘break the calabash’, to restructure every legacy they might have been left into what truly works for them – in their world, and on this day. Colleagues show considerable interest in the work I do largely by visiting my office which is, thanks to this paper, like a celebratory fairyland of success.
Once the seeds are sown and take root I’m no longer critical to the process because I was only ever a pragmatic guide and adjunct to it. Watzlawick reminds us ‘radical constructivism’ is radical ‘because it breaks with convention and develops a theory of knowledge in which knowledge does not reflect an ‘objective’ ontological reality.’
It’s autotelic.
Csikszentmihalyi describes this process as producing ‘internally driven’ people. Winters says such people ‘don’t know what they’re doing’ and follow ‘a doctrine which leads directly to the plainest kind of determinism.’
In its own way, so does this paper.
Von Glaserfeld goes further. ‘What radical constructivism advocates is this: the art of teaching has little to do with the traffic of knowledge, its fundamental purpose is to foster the art of learning.’
Tautoko that!
Dewey adds ‘the origin of thinking is perplexity, confusion or doubt.’ Ings would agree because, from this incredulity, the human desire to question germinates, and questioning is at the heart of all learning. I encourage colleagues to question – me, themselves and their learners. A surprising number are moved to engage more in this simple practice. Often, they practice on me!
I work with colleagues the same way I work with students but they’re harder nuts to crack, not because they’re beyond influencing but because I seldom have them long enough for them to see that whatever I offer students is available to them too. As Ings says ‘learning isn’t safe’, and for radicals, ‘bother’ is never far away. The idea of change engenders anxiety, what archers call ‘target panic’ and actor’s ‘stage fright’. I work in calm spaces with colleagues, invite them in – to the classroom and to the process. I make this engagement fun. Learning should be fun, and I hammer this message home at every opportunity.
There’s good news though, seeds can germinate even in the coldest of hearts.
I engage with colleagues the same way I work with actors. ‘The answer is always in the text’ and the text is always within you. Once you’ve accepted it. Change is the same, acceptance is the key. Learning is all we ever do. That’s what I preach – think about it deeply, have courage, have fun – just do it.
Influence is difficult to measure but, it’s fair to say, all of our performing arts companies have benefited from Matheson-trained actors, dancers, designers and writers, and school drama programmes continue to have my stamp on them. Two master’s theses have featured my work, the most significant being Robert, Gilbert’s ‘Trans Tasmin’. (1,2)
Why?
Because I step over the portal onto common ground. When we’re equal, then I can influence you, and be influenced, without fear or fear of power. When we can laugh together, we can influence each other’s learning. Courageous conversations and happiness, they’re the keys.
All on our own terms because what other terms are there?
In 2006 I inherited an eight paper diploma and ‘Event Design’, was one of the papers. It was conventional, but thought-provoking enough to provide a doorway to a new paper highlighting innovative practice and inspired resourcefulness. I worried though, that it was a bit ‘down at heel’ as though nobody cared about it.
Move forward thirteen years and view the ‘same’ paper.
Evolving ‘The Event Design Experience’ has been a joy with significant contributions from colleagues Sharon Race – introduced the concept of cartooning to the mix, Tatjana Ratsdorf – challenged our understanding of the value and purpose of colour, Linda Wong – the importance of structure supporting an otherwise joyous abandon, Steve Cox – enriched the ‘who am I’ underpinning of the paper, Welby Ings – the impact of power and fear, and Julian Cook – event manager, wordsmith and designer extraordinaire. I’ve been permitted to cultivate and curate the paper in ground-breaking, sometimes disconcerting, ways and to share what I’ve created with colleagues both formally and informally. We’ve dressed it well, it’s no longer ‘down at heel’, even if it is a little eccentric, but it’s the eccentricities that make it work.
Key innovations evolve from the paper’s radical constructivist foundation and are best illustrated by an emphasis on learning how to learn and on how to effectively communicate complex ideas using non-traditional media. Add the self-assessment tool, richly narrated reflections, 3D modelling of exegesis-informed artefacts chronicled using non-traditional forms, a six week intensive delivery model and in a democratically-managed classroom and the experience becomes unique. With dyslexia and dysgraphia affecting 10% of the population and with up to 20% exhibiting symptoms, this pedagogy consciously supports impaired learners in affirming ways.
The assessment model consists of two group projects, self-assessed, each accompanied by a visual presentation, and two insightful reflections, with all outcomes delivered via a medium learners are drawn to – moving image, music, poetry, posters. We negotiate the criteria for assessment around the proposed learning outcomes and follow these. I want to include a happiness quotient but have yet to work out how this might be done. A work in progress.
Steve Cox and I are often asked to take workshops and seminars featuring the pedagogy and we do so willingly.
Of course.
Links
1. https://www.massey.ac.nz/massey/about-massey/news/article.cfm?mnarticle_uuid=14024D0B-F19D-2B1F-DC05-7021525EF5AF
2. https://www.massey.ac.nz/massey/about-massey/news/article.cfm?mnarticle_uuid=14024D0B-F19D-2B1F-DC05-7021525EF5AF
Dimensions covered