ERIC Number: EJ1427722
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024-Jul
Pages: 20
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: EISSN-1474-9041
Available Date: N/A
Potentialising the Potential: Dream of Everything You Can Become, and Become Everything You Dream of
Niels Åkerstrøm Andersen; Hanne Knudsen; Jette Sandager
European Educational Research Journal, v23 n4 p578-597 2024
In education, the child is often observed as a potential to be shaped and realised. In this article, we analyse the educational program, First Lego League. Surprisingly, its aim is not simply to realise a potential, but to potentialise the child to become unlimited potential. Children should become 'a force for change', and they are told that 'you can be anything, just do it!'. To implement this program, First Lego League develops a transition medium that consists of non-representative, presentational symbols such as play, fun, innovation, dance and discovery. Such a program does not come without costs. Our analysis reveals how negativity is negated, knowledge is devalued and the children's self-narratives are decoupled. This could result in children being confronted with paradoxical demands, which are difficult to navigate. Analytically, the article draws on Niklas Luhmann's systems theory and in particular his concepts of form and medium.
Descriptors: Secondary School Students, Academic Aptitude, Student Educational Objectives, Aspiration, Student Motivation, Play, Dance, Discovery Processes, Discovery Learning, Creative Thinking
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
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