Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of Contributors
- Foreword
- Preface
- I Introduction
- II Youth-Constructed Socialization
- III Personal Agency Through Collective Activity
- IV Learning in Practice and Discourse
- 11 From Learning Lessons to Living Knowledge: Instructional Discourse and Life Experiences of Youth in Complex Society
- 12 Practice and Discourse as the Intersection of Individual and Social in Human Development
- 13 Talking Matters: Studying the Use of Interdependencies of Individual and Collective Action in Youthful Learning
- 14 Young People's Use of Information and Communication Technologies: The Role of Sociocultural Abilities
- V Intergenerational Sites for Thinking
- VI Pathways to Adulthood in National Context
- Index
- References
11 - From Learning Lessons to Living Knowledge: Instructional Discourse and Life Experiences of Youth in Complex Society
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 08 January 2010
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of Contributors
- Foreword
- Preface
- I Introduction
- II Youth-Constructed Socialization
- III Personal Agency Through Collective Activity
- IV Learning in Practice and Discourse
- 11 From Learning Lessons to Living Knowledge: Instructional Discourse and Life Experiences of Youth in Complex Society
- 12 Practice and Discourse as the Intersection of Individual and Social in Human Development
- 13 Talking Matters: Studying the Use of Interdependencies of Individual and Collective Action in Youthful Learning
- 14 Young People's Use of Information and Communication Technologies: The Role of Sociocultural Abilities
- V Intergenerational Sites for Thinking
- VI Pathways to Adulthood in National Context
- Index
- References
Summary
In public debates today, it is easy to agree that knowledge is one of the most important assets of a society and its population in a global economy. Belief in education as a tool for the advancement of life conditions and for economic prosperity has never been stronger than it is now. The knowledge economy seems to require an endless influx of well-educated people who can contribute to further development by using their skills to expand dynamic sectors of society. The official policies of most countries reflect these assumptions. This means so far, so good for formal education. But in the midst of this emphasis on knowledge and skill, educational systems are also suffering what seems to be a crisis caused by an increasing lack of confidence. Young people in many countries appear far less enthusiastic about what education has to offer than is reflected in official policies. They seem less committed than previous generations to accept the challenges of schooling as central to their own concerns and aspirations. The manner in which formal schooling is organized does not connect to the life experiences of young people, and many explore other contexts for investing their energy, as exemplified in this volume.
The traditional functions of schools – providing information, knowledge, and skills – are being challenged by other actors. Schools have lost their position as the dominant source of information.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Joining SocietySocial Interaction and Learning in Adolescence and Youth, pp. 177 - 191Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2003