At the beginning of November I will be attending the USMC conference Pedagogy for the Long War: Teaching Irregular Warfare where I will be giving this paper: A Real Revolution in Military Affairs: On-Line Continuous Learning for the Operational War-Fighter
It’s a bit of a departure for me actually. I’m more used to talking about irregular warfare than talking about the teaching of it. Pedagogy for pedagogy’s sake is not very interesting to me. I suppose I feel like a blacksmith more interested in swords than in the mechanics of the employment of fire, hammer and tongs. I’m an output kind of guy. But, I am a teacher and I did find it useful to think systematically through the process of how and what I do.
So what do I do? My day job is running this on-line Masters degree of the Department of War Studies: MA War in the Modern World. About half of the students on the programme now are serving military officers, mostly British Army. Which is why I have something to say about the tricky thing of providing a challenging part-time graduate degree to a bunch of men and women while they are either actually fighting the ‘Long War’ somewhere, or preparing to fight, or recovering from having been in one. It should go without saying how privileged I am in this. Good teachers are good learners, my mentor told me; I reckon I learn as much or more from them as they do from me. What sometimes surprises me is not really how extraordinary our students are, it is that they are able to do it at all. As one puts it:
You can take it [the course] with you. I am tapping this questionnaire out in Baghdad having started the course in London and I hope to finish this when I’ll be in Company Command (wherever).
And here’s a shot of another working on his dissertation in a place far from any oak-panelled, softly-lit and comfy-seated library.
Well, I’m proud to be a part. And to those students who filled in the questionnaire a particular thanks.
Anyway, in the spirit of building the ‘Learning Community’ that is Kings of War’s corner of the Blogosphere I post my paper for any who may find it interesting. Comments and suggestions welcome.
Friday, 12, October, 2007 at 6:24 pm |
Well, I certainly hope the marines get you up earlier than the shameful 0830 of Theo’s group!
Saturday, 13, October, 2007 at 5:02 am |
Linked to from the SWJ – best to you at the conference.
Sunday, 14, October, 2007 at 9:19 pm |
David – blinkin’ marvelous mate. Really fascinating to see some reflection on our programme and the broader context of the future of mil education. It’ll come as little surprise to you that I agree w/ about everything you write. Also terribly envious of your turn of phrase: who’s your ghost writter? Anyways, nuff back-slapping, here are some points for you to consider:
* RMA as knowledge = power. Nicely put. However, arguably, this perspective is reinforced in current campaigns. Ask planners or operations what is the most important thing in COIN and you’ll find general agreement on one thing: info ops. This includes things like persistent ISTAR and other tech stuff. But also things that reinforce your general line of argument, such as, cultural awareness.
* really like your argument about the hazards of building online progs on distant learning foundations: “junk DNA” indeed!
* like your discussion on the foundations of WiMW prog. Perhaps it is worth mentioning the invaluable role of our e-technicians and editors – no simply in producing professional quality material. More specifically, in the pull and push betw academics and e-technicians which has shaped module content and prog format.
* you do an effective hachett job on the old lecture. In elaborating the virtues of online multi-media materials as the alternative – you cd also point out the learning is deeper and knowledge is better retained when delivered in a multi-media format.
* love the idea that faculty must be seen to be wrong, cranks even, to reveal the human face of online learning environments. Of course, goes w/out saying that I am the exception here: wrong? never! crank? humbug!
* is it really true that “we spare no expense” to “equip our forces” to “prevail on the battlefield”? I think many Brit troops in AFG wd disagree w/ this statement.
* finally, to read your paper you’d think that there were no other e-learning progs in security studies. Of course, all the rest are rubbish. Oh dear, did I type that out loud? But they are out there. Maybe a nod in their direction would be polite.
Do hope you plan to publish this paper: I’m sure it wd attract much interest in the United States as well as here, where mil education is crucial to personel retention as well as development.
Thursday, 1, November, 2007 at 6:17 pm |
[...] The War Tapes: Narratives of the Strategic Corporals Over the last few days I have been attending a Marine Corps conference on Pedagogy for the Long War: Teaching Irregular Warfare [...]
Friday, 8, May, 2009 at 2:50 am |
just browsed in….
Wasn’t what I was looking for, but good website. Thanks….