Module 5 - A metaphor for learning

I subscribe to an idea inspired by Keegan (1995). On page 272, he says that as we become adults, we leave the “mental homes we have furnished and made familiar.” Learning is a home both in function and metaphor. Our homes are individual; even tract homes over time acquire individuation. They contain furnishings of our own choosing and design, for even lack of choice still garners a discernable manifestation. There is a connectedness in every room, as it all serves a unified purpose. Each artifice therein bears relationships to every other thing, no matter how indirect.

Some homes may be lavishly decorated, some drab. Some are utilitarian and others airy and expansive. Craftsmanship plays a significant role in the long-term durability. Let us also not forget that routine maintenance is required lest the facilities deteriorate. However, the essential structure of the house, once erected, remains more or less intact even should the home become unoccupied for a time.

The last great similarity between these two practically dissimilar concepts is that the construction of either a quality home or education requires a great deal of resources and effort on the part of the owner.