Paradigms, Beliefs, Belief Systems and Operating Practices

A paradigm is a structure operating within a culture which is not consciously apparent to most members of that culture yet which supports a consensual reality that channels and polices thought and action. Unquestioned beliefs, belief systems and operational practices typically support and are supported by the dominant paradigms.

Attempts to empower, improve or reform education are highly subject to capture by the dominant paradigms. This capture undermines the success of most well-intentioned programs without the underlying cause of the problem being evident to most observers within the culture.

In this document we briefly survey some of the paradigms and associated beliefs and practices which are especially problematic with respect to education and in some cases present some tentative strategies for how to replace, work with or work around them.

We are not concerned here with an academically correct definition of a paradigm (if such exists) but rather with distinguishing anything which acts like such an entity and impacts education.

Some Problematic Paradigms, Beliefs and Practices

Paradigms occur in the form of beliefs and practices which are rarely seen as part of a system. Consider the following beliefs which are common in traditional systems of education:

• education is fundamentally a top-down process
• the educator should be in an active role
• the student should be in a passive/receptive role
• the student is a blank slate to be written on
• education deals only with the rational mind
• educators should prevent or immediately correct errors
• educators know the truth
• administrators know how educators should operate
• education is the transfer of correct information and practices
• students should be educated in homogeneous cohorts
• education is not intrinsically rewarding for the student
• education must be motivated by extrinsic rewards and exhortations
• students should work as individuals, not collaboratively
• the end result of education is certifications
• most students lack the ability or discipline to learn well
• education is part of an early stage in life
• after college one’s general knowledge should decay

Notice how these various beliefs and practices reinforce one another so that from within the paradigm which they support each belief and practice seems obvious, necessary and even “natural”.