I like 'discontinuity' in this context, too, since it captures how the reality of living has shifted faster than our own being has been able to match. In such times, the work to be done is on our own growth to match this shift and not to force the world back to what it once was.
That said, I'd like to provide a counterpoint to "the chief enemy of learning is disruption". At a basic level, disruptions to learning flow are absolutely detrimental. But I'd offer a different word that captures this--distraction. Distractions pull us off-course for no benefit. Disruption, on the other hand, can break us free of our mechanical loops where we continue to do things the same way because that's the way we've always done them. Disruptions pull us off-course so that we might reflect and pursue a new path. (Or re-dedicate ourselves to the current path, but this time consciously.) Yes, this might be pedantic linguistic hair-splitting, but I have found that using the same word to describe two radically different effects inhibits discernment of what's really going on.
I'm actually big into disrupting systems that aren't serving our values, so I see the distinction you're making, but I'm not sure distraction satisfies the conditions I'm trying to describe as well. Perhaps it's a micro/macro thing. Day-to-day a sense of constancy and predictability helps with learning, IMO. You establish an atmosphere where focus is on the learning. A distraction seems potentially small and limited, where what's happening is something bigger.
Problems of pedagogy and logistics are problems of political struggle. For instance ungrading is not going to be adopted en masse in a capitalist educational system. That system would have to be overthrown.
Thanks, John for bringing this term into education. I saw the pandemic as an inflection point (as I wrote about in a series of essays early on in the pandemic: https://entelechy.substack.com/p/breaking-loops?r=17gex3&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web.
I like 'discontinuity' in this context, too, since it captures how the reality of living has shifted faster than our own being has been able to match. In such times, the work to be done is on our own growth to match this shift and not to force the world back to what it once was.
That said, I'd like to provide a counterpoint to "the chief enemy of learning is disruption". At a basic level, disruptions to learning flow are absolutely detrimental. But I'd offer a different word that captures this--distraction. Distractions pull us off-course for no benefit. Disruption, on the other hand, can break us free of our mechanical loops where we continue to do things the same way because that's the way we've always done them. Disruptions pull us off-course so that we might reflect and pursue a new path. (Or re-dedicate ourselves to the current path, but this time consciously.) Yes, this might be pedantic linguistic hair-splitting, but I have found that using the same word to describe two radically different effects inhibits discernment of what's really going on.
That's interesting. When I write about disruptions to learning in this context it's disruptions to a continuity of instruction. I should've linked to a piece I published at Inside Higher Ed that fleshes it out in more detail: https://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/just-visiting/disruption-enemy-learning
I'm actually big into disrupting systems that aren't serving our values, so I see the distinction you're making, but I'm not sure distraction satisfies the conditions I'm trying to describe as well. Perhaps it's a micro/macro thing. Day-to-day a sense of constancy and predictability helps with learning, IMO. You establish an atmosphere where focus is on the learning. A distraction seems potentially small and limited, where what's happening is something bigger.
You've given me some stuff to chew on.
Awesome. Looking forward to what you come up with.
Problems of pedagogy and logistics are problems of political struggle. For instance ungrading is not going to be adopted en masse in a capitalist educational system. That system would have to be overthrown.