Around the corner from my home in Melbourne is a primary school which has been there for over 60 years. On the cyclone wire fence surrounding the building there is a sign which reads “Warning – Trespasses Prosecuted. These school premises are under electronic surveillance…….” Signed: School Principal and Council.
For some time this has struck me as the antithesis of the concept of schools as the centre of community, let alone the active promotion of any relationship between school and the community. It is not hard to realize why this sign is there – vandalism and ‘stranger danger’ being two reasons which come immediately to mind. But the message is not good. It challenges the frequently espoused slogan that our schools are the centre of community and, by implication, are welcoming places.
I don’t believe there is much evidence that our schools are indeed the centres of our communities. Certainly in pre-industrial times, in Western countries, when districts were being settled and towns and villages established, schools were often one of the first community facilities to be built. Usually these schools were small and were defining buildings in the community. As transport and communication linkages were sparse, towns and villages were defined by their physical buildings such as post offices, hospitals, banks, churches, court houses, hotels and schools. These structures created social centres which gave a strong sense of place.
During and after the industrial revolution, larger schools were established. This shift in size, together with the introduction of the graded classroom and subject disciplines, transformed schools into institutions supported by government bureaucracies. In the cities, they became formidable buildings, in the suburbs, paradoxically, they were often isolated and away from the perceived centres of community although, at the same time, being in the heart of the residential areas. For many of the suburbs, the centres of community were elsewhere and defined by shopping precincts and transport nodes.
In the past 50 years, there has been a transformation of many of the geographic centres of community. A number of the defining community buildings have either disappeared or lost significance. For example banks, retail strip centres and churches no longer have the influence they once had. Economic rationalisation, transport improvements and the development of information and communication technology have all taken their toll on the traditional community centres.
Independent schools were never a part of the governmental planning process as were state schools. The location of the older independent schools was more determined by transport routes and access to church property. The newer independent schools have been strategically located in population hubs but again not always at the perceived centres of community.
Does all this matter and what is the significance of the relationship between schools and community in the knowledge age?
There is much written and spoken today about the ‘re-integration of school and community.’ This reflects an attitude that the isolationist, institutional school is not the most appropriate model for our times. The analogy of our students crossing the drawbridge each day to the island school where they supposedly learn the skills to operate on the mainland of life to which they return each night strikes many as a fallacy.
There are now a myriad of ‘out of school’ excursions, camps and ‘time in the country’ programmes to ‘take students away.’ There are also work experience programmes and (in Victoria) the initiatives of VET and VCAL curricula, many subjects being available in the workplace. These programmes have developed from an underlying belief in the value of authentic, constructivist learning – whereby students learn by inquiry and doing rather than by passive listening and reading. The end result is a strengthening of the presence of the school in the community.
At the same time there is a reverse trend for communities to be more involved with schools – to take part in the governance of schools and to utilize the often under utilized school facilities. This is easiest with sporting and performing arts facilities. It is a greater challenge to extend this sharing to the more traditional learning spaces. But if we are to progress with ‘life long learning’ for all, then schools (particularly secondary schools and tertiary colleges) are a natural venue for this activity. In many ways this boils down to an organizational issue, the answer to which may simply be the employment of additional facilities staff.
Peter Senge also talks about the learning community within the school. This, too, is a very current topic in educational literature. The school community is defined as the teachers, students, parents working toward the enrichment of school life - indeed, working together, learning together, as opposed to a hierarchy of teachers and learners. Independent schools have always placed great value on the ‘family of the school’ and benefit from the stronger ties ex-students have with their ‘old school.’
Well designed places and spaces within schools and in the community can assist greatly with all of these concepts. People will always gravitate to places where it simply ‘feels good to be there’. Side walk cafes, intimate spaces, cosy courtyards, places with a view of colour and movement are all enjoyable. Vast open spaces, sterile classrooms do not enhance the learning attitude.
In the end, our communities are defined by our physical capital, our human capital and also by our social capital – the ‘glue’ that holds us together. Whilst the physical place was vital for this to function in the past (pre transport and communication technology), these days, we can communicate and function at the social level with greater ease and over greater distances. Nevertheless, place is still important. We need to know who we are and understand where we came from. It is good to return there occasionally. We also need to connect physically with other people – especially in the formative years. It shows when we don’t ! But in the knowledge age, we have greater flexibility to learn and connect without being confined to place. In this way, our sense of community is different and easier to maintain.
