Memetics, Schools, and Education
Here's the article I wrote for the Education Revolution Magazine
Memetics, Schools, and Education - by Kelly Taylor
We educational revolutionaries are interested in challenging the status quo of one-size-fits-all education. We want to create a paradigm shift. In order to do so, we have to understand what we're up against, be aware of how current paradigms are upheld by “memes,” how the memes we use are perceived, and how we can use memes more effectively. A meme ("meem") is any piece of culturally transmitted information, large or small. They are the building blocks of human social existence.
Much has been written on the topic of memetics, but Richard Dawkins, who coined the term "meme" in his 1976 book, The Selfish Gene, provides the best definition:
Examples of memes are tunes, ideas, catch-phrases, clothes fashions, ways of making pots or of building arches. Just as genes propagate themselves in the gene pool by leaping from body to body via sperms or eggs, so memes propagate themselves in the meme pool by leaping from brain to brain via a process which, in the broad sense, can be called imitation.
- http://www.rubinghscience.org/memetics/dawkinsmemes.html
It is essential that we as educational revolutionaries learn to perceive and understand memes and memetics, how they function, and their relevance to education so that we can effect change and create the world we want to see.
Like a gene in genetics, a meme's purpose in the realm of memetics is to replicate itself, to move from one host to another; however memes are created by people, often intentionally, to propagate specific ideas and paradigms. Obviously some memes carry large pieces of our cultural makeup, and are made up of lots of smaller memes in what's called a meme-complex. As we encounter various memes, we evaluate them and either accept them and then pass them on to others, or reject them and we don't pass them on.
How exactly can memes be used in this way? Some memes evolve over time, but many are consciously created to support or counter pre-existing memes, and the field of education is a teeming, writhing mass of contradictory memes, each of which is seen as positive by its "host," to use a biological analogy. These hosts are clamoring for "change," "a return to older values," "back to basics," "diversity," "new math," "traditional subjects," "hand-on, interactive," "reform," "integrated learning," "increased success," "better grades," "lower drop-out rates," "higher test scores," and the like. Each of these is a meme complex with layers of smaller memes developed and working together as co-memes.
If we are to truly revolutionize education, we need to be able to take these apart, understand them, and put them back together or destroy them as we see fit for our individual school's needs. We can choose to encourage some memes, such as "consensus-based decision making," "small mixed-age class sizes," or "non-compulsory classes" to mold the future into something that we think will be more positive for everyone.
As a way of looking at education-related memes, let's take apart "school" as a meme complex by creating a short list of memes associated with traditional school: principal, teacher, pupils, building, grades, friends, clothes, classes, subjects, academics, specials, grade-levels, tests, supplies, pencils, chalkboards, books, papers, uniforms, halls, lockers, sports, discipline, control. Note that many of these sub-memes form common phrases or compound words with "school," such as "schoolbooks" and "schoolteacher." Of course each of those sub-memes can be analyzed further, breaking down each idea into many component parts, and doing so may be useful to us, depending on what we are trying to accomplish.
The questions of which memes and how to break them down can and should only be answered on an individual or organizational level (what's right for you or your school in Manhattan may be very different for folks in the mountains of West Virginia), and an exciting component of answering them is recognizing, creating, supporting and propagating counter-memes. They are popping up in the mainstream, from the New York Times running a favorable article on unschooling to films like "Accepted" and "Mean Girls." Dissatisfaction with the existing school system is rampant, and this is an excellent time to work towards creating new memes that promote the idea that we don't just have to take whatever "they" dish out, that we can create our own realities and paradigms.
The best way to start this process is by looking at an issue that is near to us. There have been some hot debates recently as to the best definitions and applications of the word "democracy," specifically in relationship to schools, education and so-called alternative education. People are beginning to really unpack a particularly powerful meme which is undergoing a very sudden and very public paradigm shift. What does it mean that a word that was once positive - "people power" - is now associated with war, bombings, fascism, torture and rigged elections? What does this mean for "democratic" education? All of a sudden the definition of the word has become critical before even contemplating the practicalities or impracticalities of applying and employing a particular decision-making model in their schools.
This is more than an argument about semantics, as if words are interchangeable and should mean the same things to everyone. It's important to recognize what words that are significant to a range of different groups and life conditions in order to choose the appropriate language in the expression of our new and radical ideas. Do we want to push out into the farthest boundaries of alternative education, attracting other radicals and early adopters? Do we want to use more inclusive language to try to bring alternative education to those who would otherwise never consider it? When we create and use memes with careful intent, we can be more secure in our communication, and have confidence in our message.
Project Idea
Make an "idea map" with school in the middle and start making first-level sub-memes. Then list as many memes as you can think of that comprise those sub-memes, as with "schools." It can be an eye-opening experiment in breaking down assumptions. Now do the same for your school or educational program or project. What are the sub-memes of a freeschool? An unschoolers collective? A Friends' school? What sort of "meme-trees" would your students create?
Memetics, Schools, and Education - by Kelly Taylor
We educational revolutionaries are interested in challenging the status quo of one-size-fits-all education. We want to create a paradigm shift. In order to do so, we have to understand what we're up against, be aware of how current paradigms are upheld by “memes,” how the memes we use are perceived, and how we can use memes more effectively. A meme ("meem") is any piece of culturally transmitted information, large or small. They are the building blocks of human social existence.
Much has been written on the topic of memetics, but Richard Dawkins, who coined the term "meme" in his 1976 book, The Selfish Gene, provides the best definition:
Examples of memes are tunes, ideas, catch-phrases, clothes fashions, ways of making pots or of building arches. Just as genes propagate themselves in the gene pool by leaping from body to body via sperms or eggs, so memes propagate themselves in the meme pool by leaping from brain to brain via a process which, in the broad sense, can be called imitation.
- http://www.rubinghscience.org/memetics/dawkinsmemes.html
It is essential that we as educational revolutionaries learn to perceive and understand memes and memetics, how they function, and their relevance to education so that we can effect change and create the world we want to see.
Like a gene in genetics, a meme's purpose in the realm of memetics is to replicate itself, to move from one host to another; however memes are created by people, often intentionally, to propagate specific ideas and paradigms. Obviously some memes carry large pieces of our cultural makeup, and are made up of lots of smaller memes in what's called a meme-complex. As we encounter various memes, we evaluate them and either accept them and then pass them on to others, or reject them and we don't pass them on.
How exactly can memes be used in this way? Some memes evolve over time, but many are consciously created to support or counter pre-existing memes, and the field of education is a teeming, writhing mass of contradictory memes, each of which is seen as positive by its "host," to use a biological analogy. These hosts are clamoring for "change," "a return to older values," "back to basics," "diversity," "new math," "traditional subjects," "hand-on, interactive," "reform," "integrated learning," "increased success," "better grades," "lower drop-out rates," "higher test scores," and the like. Each of these is a meme complex with layers of smaller memes developed and working together as co-memes.
If we are to truly revolutionize education, we need to be able to take these apart, understand them, and put them back together or destroy them as we see fit for our individual school's needs. We can choose to encourage some memes, such as "consensus-based decision making," "small mixed-age class sizes," or "non-compulsory classes" to mold the future into something that we think will be more positive for everyone.
As a way of looking at education-related memes, let's take apart "school" as a meme complex by creating a short list of memes associated with traditional school: principal, teacher, pupils, building, grades, friends, clothes, classes, subjects, academics, specials, grade-levels, tests, supplies, pencils, chalkboards, books, papers, uniforms, halls, lockers, sports, discipline, control. Note that many of these sub-memes form common phrases or compound words with "school," such as "schoolbooks" and "schoolteacher." Of course each of those sub-memes can be analyzed further, breaking down each idea into many component parts, and doing so may be useful to us, depending on what we are trying to accomplish.
The questions of which memes and how to break them down can and should only be answered on an individual or organizational level (what's right for you or your school in Manhattan may be very different for folks in the mountains of West Virginia), and an exciting component of answering them is recognizing, creating, supporting and propagating counter-memes. They are popping up in the mainstream, from the New York Times running a favorable article on unschooling to films like "Accepted" and "Mean Girls." Dissatisfaction with the existing school system is rampant, and this is an excellent time to work towards creating new memes that promote the idea that we don't just have to take whatever "they" dish out, that we can create our own realities and paradigms.
The best way to start this process is by looking at an issue that is near to us. There have been some hot debates recently as to the best definitions and applications of the word "democracy," specifically in relationship to schools, education and so-called alternative education. People are beginning to really unpack a particularly powerful meme which is undergoing a very sudden and very public paradigm shift. What does it mean that a word that was once positive - "people power" - is now associated with war, bombings, fascism, torture and rigged elections? What does this mean for "democratic" education? All of a sudden the definition of the word has become critical before even contemplating the practicalities or impracticalities of applying and employing a particular decision-making model in their schools.
This is more than an argument about semantics, as if words are interchangeable and should mean the same things to everyone. It's important to recognize what words that are significant to a range of different groups and life conditions in order to choose the appropriate language in the expression of our new and radical ideas. Do we want to push out into the farthest boundaries of alternative education, attracting other radicals and early adopters? Do we want to use more inclusive language to try to bring alternative education to those who would otherwise never consider it? When we create and use memes with careful intent, we can be more secure in our communication, and have confidence in our message.
Project Idea
Make an "idea map" with school in the middle and start making first-level sub-memes. Then list as many memes as you can think of that comprise those sub-memes, as with "schools." It can be an eye-opening experiment in breaking down assumptions. Now do the same for your school or educational program or project. What are the sub-memes of a freeschool? An unschoolers collective? A Friends' school? What sort of "meme-trees" would your students create?