Michael E Jones - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Michael E Jones

To have an open mind is more important than learning; and we can have an open mind, not by crammi... more To have an open mind is more important than learning; and we can have an open mind, not by cramming it full of information, but by being aware of our own thoughts and feelings, by carefully observing ourselves and the influences about us, by listening to others, by watching the rich and the poor, the powerful and the lowly. Wisdom does not come through fear and oppression, but through the observation and understanding of everyday incidents in human relationship.

Schools have evolved historically as organizations serving two potentially conflicting purposes: ... more Schools have evolved historically as organizations serving two potentially conflicting purposes: to educate citizens and to process them into roles for economic production. To accomplish the first, schools have the role of supplying students with information and with learning skills. The results can be unpredictable because intellects and skills develop in ways that we cannot predetermine. For the second goal, schools process students through stratified steps leading to predictable, marketable credentials for the workplace. The steps, and some of the outcomes, can be managed, controlled. Thus the school is organized to be in conflict with itself. in Andrzejewski & Alessio, 1999.

This Discussion Document on Learning to Live Together-Thailand highlights the importance of how a... more This Discussion Document on Learning to Live Together-Thailand highlights the importance of how a nation needs to make holistic strategy decisions regarding education. The document shows how education interfaces with social, cultural, economic, and political spheres of a nation as an integrated system, and how the lack in one sphere, disrupts the coherence of another sphere. It is critical that Thailand is included in this discussion series, as it has been in the Asian vanguard for the past three decades in terms of economic and social development, humanitarian efforts, and policy development.
Thailand is a natural choice to study education and Learning to Live Together since it has undergone an on-going educational reform process, has participated and cooperated with UNESCO and other major educational organizations in conducting international education initiatives and evaluations, and embraces the concepts embedded in the LTLT philosophy. The nation understands the essential value of education as indicated by its national budget for education - perhaps the highest percentage of its GDP in the world. It has developed a sophisticated educational plan with well-reasoned policies. Its cultural emphasis on King, culture, and Buddhism are naturally inclined to learning, diversity, inclusiveness and peaceful living. With the coming ASEAN integration, it is only natural that Thailand would demonstrate leadership and initiative since Thailand was an original ASEAN member and has been a leader amongst the ASEAN community in its development. It has not only influenced the region, but has made its mark in the larger world.
Included in this discussion document are short summaries of Thailand’s socio-economic and political contexts, the issues that have recently arise or have been long-standing concerns – most of them intertwined with education and the associated objectives linked to LTLT - and they certainly all figure heavily in current economic, political, and educational policies and debates. Issues most pressing are the disparities and inequalities found in the social and economic spheres, but also crossing into the educational sphere.
The past success of family planning has led to a greying society with labor shortages, rural to urban migration, and a glut of college graduates. The large number of refugees and migrant workers, their high fertility, lack of social nets, basic education, and recognition by the state are also assimilating into unintended factors that beg for attention. The sometimes wide chasm between education policy and classroom practice is great and hindered by economic disparity, teacher shortages, preferences for bureaucratic management styles, cultural narrowness, social stratification, urban draw, and political self interest. Overcoming these obstacles does not yet make bridging the idealistic intentions of educational reform with the traditional ways of teaching and learning a particularly graceful process. Yet, with the resilient and tenacious qualities inherent in Thai people, the chances of a better, brighter future are within reach if the nation can extend its philosophical goodness beyond the inconsistent urge to aggrandize the superficial that now handcuffs it.

Global Perspectives on Spiritual Education, Aug 1, 2013

This chapter utilized historical accounts of various cultural, educational, and Buddhist reforms ... more This chapter utilized historical accounts of various cultural, educational, and Buddhist reforms in Thailand and analyzed and interpreted them according to experts in the fields of Thai Buddhism and culture, international comparative education, intercultural communication, learning theory, and political sociology. The analysis suggests that the implanting of a homogenous culture strengthened the nation-state, but weakened a spiritually oriented society. Further, the broken link between spirituality and education has had detrimental effects on Thailand’s educational reform and modernization efforts. The Thai Buddhist heritage of establishing multicultural learning communities of practice has been diminished, becoming an overall Thai cultural deficit that limits its participation in regional and international forums.

This qualitative study looks at what constitutes learning from international graduate students' p... more This qualitative study looks at what constitutes learning from international graduate students' point of view. The qualitative study used focus group and personal interviews to get a comparative look at the meaning of learning from the cross-cultural perspectives of doctoral students from five Asian nations: Thailand, China, Korea, India, and Japan studying at a USA university. In addition to the students' ideas concerning learning, the study also asked of the participants to provide learning-related visual representations/metaphors and interpretations. The study questioned whether there are any universal or cultural aspects related to their ideas of learning and how the cross-cultural experience itself is related to learning. It is intended that this paper will inform teachers and faculty of the need to re-think learning in this age of globalization and take into account the significance of cross-cultural experiences when designing learning objectives. It is also intended to initiate further dialog among comparative educators, intercultural specialists, and policy-makers to re-examine global educational goals, the nature of learning in cross-cultural settings, and the limitations of school as a place of learning in the globalized world.

Jones, M. (2004). Forging an ASEAN Identity: The Challenge to Construct a Shared Destiny In Conte... more Jones, M. (2004). Forging an ASEAN Identity: The Challenge to Construct a Shared Destiny
In Contemporary Southeast Asia, 26(1), pp. 140-154.

ASEAN has formulated a planned integration among its ten member nations and has challenged its citizens to embrace a regional identity. This article raises and attempts to answer the following questions: How might ASEAN develop strategies to enable citizens in transitioning from nation-state mentalities to regional and possible cultural citizenry? How will the regional and national governing bodies facilitate the necessary empowerment of diverse populations to form an ASEAN identity? What sorts of affiliations will engender the necessary social capital to develop civic-minded people with a sense of belonging together? How might education play a role in this process? These questions are raised on the basis of the argument that the call for ASEAN identity delivers a challenge to construct dynamic institutions and foster sufficient amounts of social capital. The underlying assumption is that the creation of a regional identity is of special interest to ASEAN and the intent of the of the 2020 Vision policy document was to reassert the belief in a regional framework designed as an action plan related to human development and civic empowerment. Accordingly, these assumptions will be the basis for recommendations and strategies in developing a participatory regional identity.

Power, Voice, and the Public Good: Schooling and Education in Global Societies

"Throughout the course of its history, Thailand has thrived on international commerce and interac... more "Throughout the course of its history, Thailand has thrived on international commerce and interacting with global forces. During the past two centuries, Thailand has faced a progression of events threatening its self-definition requiring very conscious educational and cultural reform policies to offset the advances of globalized movements. The first series of reforms began to take place in the late 19th century and served as a defensive measure to fend off the onslaught of European colonial activity and to unify a disjointed society. This reform was used to primarily centralize the cultural and religious authority and power of the kingdom, while assimilating the local/regional/rural areas through education. The most recent reform in late 20th century was devised to fend off global market forces and to unify a disjointed society through a strategy of decentralization and educational reform. Both these reforms were countered with strong resistance movements that reflect a resistance heritage that aspires to civil society.

This chapter examines some of the similarities of the past two eras of globalization in Thailand, their reforms, and how assimilation and extensive revisions to the cultural and spiritual elements of Thai society have provoked resistance movements. This chapter also suggests that the current alternative education movement in Thailand belongs to this heritage of resistance to national and international hegemony and envisions an inclusive and moral society that is attempting to prepare its citizens for a future in the globalized world. In that Thailand has invaluable experience dealing with the global and maintaining its independence, its story may be instructive for other developing countries as globalization will surely continue its unfoldment as will humanity’s movement toward a civic world."

There is debate as to whether to pursue international legal measures to extend intellectual prope... more There is debate as to whether to pursue international legal measures to extend intellectual property rights (IPR) to cover indigenous knowledge (IK) or to treat it as a public good. This paper makes the case that investing IK as a public good is an ethical position compatible with the idea that indigenous and traditional knowledge represents community property, is holistic, and is passed on through generations in a cultural context. International property rights (IPR) have proved to be ineffective in protecting indigenous peoples or their knowledge. In effort to reverse this trend, we propose a national education plan in New Zealand to incorporate, not only IK into the curriculum, but also integrating the cultural importance of whanau into school practices. Whanau, the Maori sense of place, is the equivalent of the ultimate Maori public good and represents an enviro-identity more complex than family structure. In order to realize the perspective of place, the school system requires the inclusion of indigenous education, a learning model that seeks to foster the recognition that we are all bound to place and dependent upon local eco-systems.

Key words: Indigenous knowledge (IK), Intellectual property rights (IPR), Indigenous education, Science education, Public good, New Zealand education, Maori culture, Whanau.

A library pathfinder serves to assist researchers on a particular topic - in this case, the topic... more A library pathfinder serves to assist researchers on a particular topic - in this case, the topic is "Democratic Education." This pathfinder will probably be a good primer for doing literature review on this or related topics such as: de-schooling, alternative education, public good, civil society, social capital, the purpose of education, issues related to learning, critical pedagogy, school reform, etc.

The establishment of alternative education, private foundations, and networks linked to sociopoli... more The establishment of alternative education, private foundations, and networks linked to sociopolitical and spiritual advocacies distinguishes the Thai social movement in this research. This research is a qualitative study that has made use of historical accounts to associate with data gathered from extensive interviews and case studies in order to inquire as to whether alternative

Global Perspectives on Spiritual Education, Aug 1, 2013

Power, Voice, and the Public Good: Schooling and Education in Global Societies

Key words: Indigenous knowledge (IK), Intellectual property rights (IPR), Indigenous education, Science education, Public good, New Zealand education, Maori culture, Whanau.