Manifesto
Taking our cues from constructionist learning and pedagogies, the DIY movement, cultural jamming, and critical media literacy, our manifesto below speaks to our radical agenda to revolutionize educational curriculum.
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Manifesto Audio.mp3We advocate for a pedagogical approach that radically TRANSFORMS standardized education delivery formats. At the outset, we call for a shift in traditional education methods by proposing a constructionist-informed makerspace philosophy to be applied not only to curriculum design but also to the design of physical and digital learning environments. Many makerspaces are created and maintained collectively by users of the space (UBC MET, 2022); we reflect this practice in our approach, where learners are empowered to be active designers and creators of their own learning and learning environments. From this maker-centred perspective, we propose addressing curriculum from a place of learning through creativity, which can be approached at different angles that are cognizant of learner ability and socioeconomic constraints. These angles are LO ϟ FI, MID ϟ FI and HI ϟ FI DIY (do-it-yourself) (Babich, 2017, Kafai and Jayathirtha, 2020).
LO ϟ FI DIY engages with making from a low-or-no-cost and low-or-no-tech perspective;
MID ϟ FI DIY integrates low-to-mid-cost and easily accessible tech; and,
HI ϟ FI DIY connects learners with more advanced technologies and equipment that may have higher cost associations.
In the same way that we are focused on changing the shape and experience of education, we also aspire to modernize curriculum content by borrowing from culture-jamming tactics popularized in the 1990s. We intend to employ a “critical attitude and participatory, creative form of activism” (Jenkins, 2017) to analyze, break apart, and JAM current curriculums with the missing content that we view as essential to modern education. Firstly, the pervasive nature of media dictates how vital it is to incorporate critical media literacy throughout all aspects of education, especially within subjects of NÜ MEDIA. Our pedagogy champions a holistic approach to critical media literacy to provide learners with the critical thinking skills to actively participate in media consumption and production in meaningful, democratic, and mindful ways.
Another CORE ELEMENT of our approach emphasizes inclusivity, which demands that an awareness and empathy of the diverse identities, cultures and abilities of learners is continuously exercised and interwoven throughout the FORMAT, EXPERIENCE, and CONTENT of education. We recognize the URGENCY in which issues of systemic racism and inequalities must be addressed in modern educational curriculum. With this in mind, we apply various EDIDA (Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Decolonization and Anti-racism) (UBC MET, n.d.) frameworks to identify and mitigate systemic oppression and PERSISTENT colonial structures. We aim to challenge, subvert, and modernize curriculum to provoke a much-needed shift in education.
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