Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Learners and Outcomes: Where did all the children go?

2004; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.18296/set.0641

2253-2145

Keith Ballard,

Indigenous and Place-Based Education

Ideas about the nature and purpose of education shape the language that is used to talk about teaching. This influences teaching practice. Research on education policy shows a significant move in New Zealand toward the idea that education is a commodity to be traded in the market place. In this context a language of learners and of outcomes emphasises a production output role for teachers over wider concerns for children and their wellbeing. This paper considers the origins of market ideas and suggests that commercialising education has implications for how teachers relate to children. There was a time, not so long ago, when talking or reading about teaching and learning in schools meant that we spoke or read about children. Then the language of discussion and documents changed. Schools were suddenly full of 'learners'. This seemed very odd to me. Our cat is a learner. Interesting as he is in his own whiskery way, I would not equate him with the invaluable complexity, wonder and joy that is a child. If people decided to refer to cats in a new way - 'companion animal' is one such terminology - I would probably regret the loss of an essential 'catness' in the language, but not take it too seriously. But I think it is a very serious matter when we stop talking about 'children' in our