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Pluralistic Learning as the Core of
Democratic Education
by Yaacov Hecht
Director, Institute for Democratic
Education and
Founder, Hadera Democratic School, Israel
I was five years old when I started to think
about democratic education. The kindergarten
teacher would lock me up in the store-room as a
punishment for the “bad” things I did, and as I
was sitting there I had a lot of time to think.
I remember thinking that something was
completely wrong about the way she behaved. I
left high school when I was 16 and it was then
that I really entered the world of education
because every other person would ask me why I
wasn’t going to school. To be able to answer
this question I had to start reading books, and
I came across the ideas of Rousseau, Pestalozzi,
Tolstoy, Dewey, Neill, Korczak, Rogers and
others, who have all influenced my present
outlook.
There are many democratic schools all over the
world and each of them is different. But what
they have in common is the goal of respecting
human rights in school using the following
tools:
1. A democratic community that has a parliament,
judicial committees, executive committees, etc.
2. Pluralistic learning that allows students to
have control over their learning, and offers
self-study programs, etc.
3. A dialogical relationship based on models of
strong inter-relationship between adults and
children.
It is very difficult to point at the most
important factor in democratic education because
every piece in this mosaic is important for the
complete picture. Yet I believe that pluralistic
learning is the core of democratic education for
two main reasons:
First, when I ask students in Israel and abroad
what they see as the most important part in
their democratic school they usually come up
with a clear answer: it is the freedom to choose
what, how and when to learn.
The second reason I chose this subject is that
we, at the Institute for Democratic Education,
initiate democratization processes in many
schools and actually connect the ideas of
democratic education with regular schools. Those
schools find it quite easy to accept the idea of
the parliament or the committees, for example,
but the main difficulty is integrating the idea
of freedom with the curriculum. This is why it
was our top priority to deepen our understanding
of the learning process that takes place in
democratic schools, and I will now present some
of our conclusions and ideas.
What is Pluralistic Learning? It is an approach
towards learning that acknowledges the
uniqueness of the student and is based on the
equal right of every person to express this
uniqueness.
Every individual on this planet has a unique
learning profile. Human diversity is one of the
most beautiful things in our world. It is the
fuel that runs our world. An education system
that does not acknowledge my uniqueness will not
acknowledge me. It might acknowledge those like
me but it is not interested in getting to know
me. It might acknowledge people my age, people
who live in my area, people who buy in the same
supermarket. But I am not a copy or a reflection
of the sum of qualities that resemble me. As a
person I am made of a multi - cellular genetic
code that has no human equivalent. Every person
is an individual whose contribution to the world
is unique.
Before looking further into Pluralistic Learning
I would like to clarify some relevant terms:
The World and the
“Square” -
This shape represents the
world of knowledge:
“The Square” represents the
knowledge, which is learnt in schools.
This square contains some knowledge of science,
for example, yet, most scientific knowledge can
be found beyond the limits of the “square.” And
so is the case with literature, art and all
other school subjects. Entire worlds are missing
in the square. Those who believe in the square
see it as a magic entity, the starting point for
everything in this world. But what is even more
dangerous is the fact that they define the
square as the only space where a person’s time
is “well spent.” When a student is busy in
“square” activities he is making the most of his
time, but when he is acting outside the square
he is actually “wasting his time.”
The crowded space inside the square leads to
disaster: here too, like in most other crowded
places, people cannot see themselves or anyone
else. Inside the “square” we continually try to
measure everyone with respect to the ideal
concept of the square. What we get is a Bell
Curve. A student is excellent, mediocre, or weak
according to his or her proximity to the square.
Most people are defined as mediocre, a few have
been excellent and a few others,” like myself,
have been tagged “weak.” Unfortunately, because
the “square” is considered “an essential
preparation for life” most of its graduates
start to see their tag as real.
Time “well spent”
Time “wasted”
This is where, I believe, the great
“success” of the educational system lies. It has
turned us into “squaracists,” into people who
are categorized according to the degree of their
success within the world of the square.
Let’s consider the difference between the two
kinds of learning: Learning in the square is
“well spent” and which I call “linear learning,”
while learning outside the square where time is
“wasted,” I call “pluralistic learning.” Linear
learning in the square is based on acquisition
of absolute processed and edited knowledge. The
journey in the conventional world of linear
learning is one leading from ignorance to
enlightenment; a journey from not knowing to
knowing.
On the journey that takes place within the
square students learn that:
1. There is “correct” knowledge that is in
the hands of the authorities.
2. Their personal quest is of no
significance because it is not relevant to
learning.
3. Their personal stand is not relevant and
the correct knowledge that was discovered by
unique individuals lies in the hands of the
right people.
4. Any discovery that does not reconcile
with “correct knowledge” is a mistake.
5. One is expected to avoid making
mistakes. Making mistakes takes off points from
the learner’s final score.
6. It is highly important to prove that one
has the right answer.
But when learners hear other answers that
contradict their linear knowledge, the “wrong
answer” light is turned on in their mind and
they may even conclude that not only is the
person’s answer not relevant but so is the
person himself.
Life, to most people in western society,
resembles walking on a rope stretched over an
abyss. Being able to walk the rope from
beginning to end means great success, and so
people focus mainly on the danger of falling
into the abyss.
The rope of our culture begins on the day of our
birth and some say even earlier, and this rope
has many stations along the way. Reading and
writing in first grade, for example,
matriculation exams between the ages of 16-18,
university when you are about 20, marriage,
children, professional success, family and so
on. I do not underestimate those stations. I’ve
visited some in the past, I am staying in some
at present, and I intend to visit others in the
future. But I call upon people to open their
eyes and see that there is no abyss under the
rope, and that in fact there actually is no
rope!
For those who do wish to walk the imaginary rope
I have some important information.
First, some technical details:
1. Because it is very crowded on the rope,
many unnecessary falling disasters happen.
2. The stations of the rope are designed in
a way that will not allow everyone to pass
through. These traffic jams lead to the fall of
almost everyone at one stage or another.
3. Professional frighteners are spread
along the rope and remind everyone of the danger
of falling into the abyss.
And here are some reminders and recommendations
for you:
1. There is plenty of space for everyone
outside the rope.
2. We can always find or create interesting
stations that will allow us to experience
fulfillment and success.
3. To reach those stations we need the
courage to search beyond the rope.
What is the aim of pluralistic learning?
First and foremost it is the empowerment of the
individual-the student can study any subject.
The more people are busy in subjects that
interest them the greater their belief in
themselves. Second, the growing capacity to
respect oneself, others, and humanity as a
whole, and to see different opinions as
opportunities for growth.
We must ask ourselves, how we know that
pluralistic learning is indeed successful?
Looking at students and teachers in the
Democratic School of Hadera, one notices that a
lot of group activities are organized in a
spontaneous way for different purposes. A team
of the video magazine, for example, the
production of a play, organizing a summer camp
and so on.
When we have spontaneous teamwork we know that
pluralistic learning has succeeded. Why? When a
person discovers his uniqueness it is actually
only half of the way. Gradually he or she
realizes that they live in a community of unique
people. Because most of the challenges we are
faced with are multi-dimensional it is easier to
find people who will complement the missing
parts and so create the “winning team” to
accomplish whatever mission. Many students have
pointed out that the most special thing about
democratic schools is the rare collection of
exceptional people who are talented in different
areas. I believe the same is true for students
who spend their time in conventional schools,
only in those places they can not see each other
due to the crowdedness of the square, and the
intensive occupation in square activity.
But do we want to keep it that way? Do we want
only a small minority to enjoy the benefits of
democratic education? Do we want this gap to
grow even further?
Ecologists use the term sustainability to relate
to the influence of our actions today on the
future of this planet. I believe that in the
field of education, pluralistic learning
complements the idea of sustainability. I’m sure
we are all familiar with groups of people
fighting for the protection of species of
animals and plants that are about to disappear
from the face of this planet thinking that these
may hold the future solution to various
problems. On the other hand, many people are
killed every day while trying to resolve human
conflicts by force.
Pluralistic learning is a vaccine that can stop
this destruction. A person who is raised on the
concepts of pluralistic learning truly
understands he is a unique human being who has a
special contribution to make. He understands
that like those rare species we are struggling
to protect, every person around him is as unique
as himself even if their hidden potential has
not yet manifested itself.
I believe that every person on the face of the
earth is here for a reason, that we’re all
pieces of one gigantic puzzle of the secret of
life. Losing one-piece distances us away from
the understanding of this secret. Seeing
different people, different societies, and
different points of view as a source of growth
will serve to guarantee the future of mankind.
Just imagine what will happen if only 1 percent
of the people in this world consider this
approach. Think about the transformation that
will take place.
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