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The data analysis of the mode of archeaology resulted in 14 themes which are listed here. Below you can find a summary of the most important findings for these themes.

access

choices

contradications

curriculum

government

management

motivation

purpose

parents

students

teachers

scale

school inspections

structure

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The data analysis of the mode of architecture resulted in 10 different themes which are listed here. Below I have separated out all the different suggestions that were made as this makes it easier to comment.

I would like to invite you to comment on the suggestions that appeal to you. Comments can range from a like, a question, but also a specific suggestion on how to implement this idea, a sharing of a good practice/initiative that you are aware of, ... Feel free to also add other suggestions! This extra input is very valuable as part of the architectural work and will be used in the project as well as included in the publication. So please, feel free to add!

10 themes:

Curriculum development

Government

Focus on humanity

Shift motivation

Involve parents

Reduce school inspections

Shift societal values

Re-structure schooling

Teacher profile

Some of the ideas mentioned below have been/are being put into practice in educational initiatives, some well known, others less so, for example: Summerhill School (UK), Ferrer Schools (Modern Schools), the ideas of Ivan Illich, Colin Ward, but also village-based educational sharing.

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Depending on socio-economic background and the ability to pay fees, students have less or more access to schooling, which leads to inequality with a small privileged group.

Mass compulsory schooling allows for access for all.

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The freedom to choose schools and types of study varies greatly.

In most cases, parents choose for their children.

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Curricula are often disconnected from real life.

Curricula are connected to the purpose of (national) economic growth.

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Governments influence finances and policies in schools.

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The school management is often disconnected from the school community.

The school management often mainly focuses on finances.

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Schooling mostly serves to conform and support governments.

Schooling supports economic growth.

Schooling is wrapped up in global rankings and performance.

The relevance of what is learnt is often small.

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The purpose of schooling is for students to learn to fit in society.

Schools train students to contribute to economic growth.

The current purpose of schooling is still very similar to the purpose during the industrial revolution.

Schooling does not necessarily contribute to preparation for life.

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Parents are often not very involved in school life.

Parents follow societal expectations.

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Teachers want to see change, but they feel inable to create changes themselves.

Teachers often comply and conform.

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The increasingly growing scale of schooling systems has resulted in protocols and bureaucracy.

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School inspections create pressure and stress

School inspections can be a tokenist, check-box exercise.

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School and classroom structures haven't changed much since the industrial revolution.

School structures tend to be restricting, with a focus on discipline and control.

There are significant differences between international and other (national) school systems.

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The data analysis of the mode of ontology resulted in three themes which are listed here. Below you can find a summary of the most important findings for these themes.

contradictions

purpose

societal values

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There are often contradictions between a school system and the philosphy of education of different stakeholders.

There is a tension between what is needed for the current society and for the future.

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Economic growth

Preparation for the future

Obtaining grades and certificates

Individual development

Preparation for society

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Societal values are centred around economic growth.

Grades and certificates are highly valued.

Societies are struggling with polarisation, gender issues, racism, ...

Societies tend to have unsustainable values.

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If you would like to elaborate more on some of the architectural ideas listed and/or added here during one-off online session, please add your name below.

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Involve communities and outsiders in schooling, e.g.: local organisatios, business, citizens, ... with a variety of foci and interests.

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Involve communities and outsiders in schooling, e.g.: local organisatios, business, citizens, ... with a variety of foci and interests.

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The curriculum needs to allow for flexibility and regular revisions.

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The curriculum needs to allow for flexibility and regular revisions.

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The curriculum needs to make connections with the local context and communities (in particular in international schools).

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The curriculum needs to make connections with the local context and communities (in particular in international schools).

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The curriculum needs to include the development of practical life skills and competencies.

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The curriculum needs to include the development of practical life skills and competencies.

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The curriculum benefits from less government interference. 

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The curriculum benefits from less government interference. 

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Schooling needs to focus more on creativity through various disciplines (e.g. arts, music, literacy development, nature engagement, ...).

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Schooling needs to focus more on creativity through various disciplines (e.g. arts, music, literacy development, nature engagement, ...).

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Schooling needs to empower students more.

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Schooling needs to empower students more.

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Schooling needs to focus on human development instead of economic growth. 

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Schooling needs to focus on human development instead of economic growth. 

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Schooling should allow for risk taking and discovery, offering children the opportunity for creative, mental and physical exporation. 

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Schooling should allow for risk taking and discovery, offering children the opportunity for creative, mental and physical exporation. 

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Schooling should help students to learn about and understand their histories and offer different cultural, religious, political, ... perspectives. 

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Schooling should help students to learn about and understand their histories and offer different cultural, religious, political, ... perspectives. 

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Schools should make direct connections with society and communities. 

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Schools should make direct connections with society and communities. 

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Parents need to be more involved in school.

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Parents need to be more involved in school.

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Schools need to develop apprenticeships and value vocational training. 

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Schools need to develop apprenticeships and value vocational training. 

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Schools need to broaden their definition of what is valued and shift away from hyper-individualism and capitalism. 

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Schools need to broaden their definition of what is valued and shift away from hyper-individualism and capitalism. 

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Schools should stop applying systems and practices that do not work or are harmful. 

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Schools should stop applying systems and practices that do not work or are harmful. 

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Schools need to make changed from the bottom up. 

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Schools need to make changed from the bottom up. 

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There is a need to physically reorganise school buildings and classrooms. 

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There is a need to physically reorganise school buildings and classrooms. 

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Timetabling of schools should be flexible and less rigid. 

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Timetabling of schools should be flexible and less rigid. 

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Schools should co-create with students and local communities, thus allowing for ownership and agency. 

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Schools should co-create with students and local communities, thus allowing for ownership and agency. 

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Students need to be allowed to give feedback on their own learning. 

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Students need to be allowed to give feedback on their own learning. 

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Teachers need to be able to work more autonomously and be given responsibility.

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Teachers need to be able to work more autonomously and be given responsibility.

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Teachers need to adapt and be flexible, modeling what they want to see in students. 

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Teachers need to adapt and be flexible, modeling what they want to see in students. 

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Teachers should encourage students to explore and ask questions, rather than instruct. 

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Teachers should encourage students to explore and ask questions, rather than instruct. 

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I read a book recently titled The politics of evidence-based policy making by Cairney (2016). I was a little irritated because the author viewed politicians and those in power as too busy and overwhelmed with work to look closely at the research being done to inform their policy. The onus was put on researchers to learn how to present their data (quantitative data preferred) in an accessible way to policymakers.

Shortly after reading this book, I met a colleague at a BERA event who changed the education policy in Scotland. She took her research (some of which was qualitative), condensed it into a brief and started emailing every politician she could think of. One MP emailed her back requesting a meeting. Through a cold email, someone noticed what research was being done and sought to remedy the issues identified, bringing the research to parliament and ultimately changing policy and law.

With all of this said, I think researchers and educators need to be courageous and ‘loud’ in public spaces. Changes can be made, but not without the voices of practitioners and researchers. Perhaps we need to be more proactive with voicing our conceptualisations of educational utopian ideals and sharing our ideas about paths forward. Often, our ideas are expressed in a vacuum to other professionals and colleagues…where is the public? How can we get citizens and public institutions involved? This is how ‘utopia as method’ can make a real impact.

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My discussions during the project encouraged personal and professional reflection with additions made through further reading on ‘utopia as method’, ‘utopian ideals in education’, etc. The discussions also influenced how I read and conceptualise my social justice in higher education research work. For instance, in one conversation, our group discussed rehumanising education. Upon reading Freire’s Education for critical consciousness, he talks about making the student a subject of education. This was essentially the point being made in our group discussion. Likewise, Deleuze and Guattari discuss the process of ‘becoming’ in A thousand plateaus. Reflecting on our discussions and this book, this idea can be used to facilitate students ‘becoming subject’ in education. The group discussions contributed to the ‘noticings’ of my theoretical and philosophical inquiries.

The project also brought together compulsory school and higher education educators, two groups often considered separately. Discovering that we share similar concerns and constraints within our systems and practice was refreshing. Perhaps we should not consider levels of education separately in social justice discourse, as there is a lot of overlap in goals/utopian ideals and paths to realising those aims.