November 2 Post

 On 11/2, Pete Allison will be joining us for 30-45 minutes. Pete is a close friend and a faculty member in Recreation, Park, and Tourism Management at Penn State University and the founder of the Kurt Hahn Consortium there - kind of a Kurt Hahn think tank. He formerly worked at the University of Edinburgh and has been involved with Hahn legacy organizations for many years.

This week I'd like for your questions to drive the conversation. On your blogs, please try and capture your evolving thinking about Hahn, and identify 1-2 questions flowing from Veevers & Allison (2011) regarding Hahn's use of the outdoors.

Our aim on Monday will be to try and get a clearer understanding of how Hahn saw outdoor adventure working to achieve his educational (and arguably political) purposes - i.e., in Kliebard's terms, how his educational doctrine supported his vision for social change.

Kendra’s Notes: Chapters 1-3

Within this work, Veevers and Allison focus more on the sociohistorical happenings during Hahn's lifetime and discuss how they likely affected his motivations. As we have all moved through the last few weeks, it has been interesting how we each seek out what will confirm our beliefs. Firstly, it was shared how previous German schooling was often very cold and strict. Following the instability and tragedy of war, it is stated that "education was seen as a way of 'healing' the German nation." It was stated that "the German people had been let down by politicians were were 'wise' but did not 'possess toughness in pursuit.'" (p. 6) In order for this "not to happen again in the future, for the sake of the nation, education should include development of character." This reasoning as to why Hahn worked together with Prince Max and opened Salem is that which resounds most deeply with me. I am becoming a bit defensive again when I note that this isn't the reasoning of authors but quoted directly from Hahn as to why character education was so important (p. 7).

One of the ways in which I view World Colleges so unique is in their intentional recruiting of students from a variety of SES backgrounds. Prince Max stated he wanted to "...make the school independent from wealth by grading the fees according to the income of the parents." (p. 8) To me, this policy-driven equalizing is the difference between talking and action. If we really want to make a difference in our society, we need to overcome the wealth gap that divides us. This is also seen in the Confederation of Old Salemers where Hahn stated the following engagement for his students: "Practical social work... such as shal bring them into immediate contact with the working classes and facilitate an understanding of the social situation." (p. 13). Education is the place where this is possible, and Prince Max and Hahn were a part of these efforts.

The activities and focus on humility that Hahn's schools employed is another area that stands out to me. The holistic focus on ensuring that youth didn't become arrogant seems to be the antidote (as stated by Schmidle, p. 9) to so many of society's harms. I love the story of how expeditions came to be seen as important, and in my own life the expeditions that I have accomplished provide me with an incredible sense of humility (and strength), as well as wonder, awe and connection with the world at large. Another note that I greatly appreciate is that at Spetzgart, girls went sailing just as the boys did (p. 12).

Matteo’s notes ch6-9

Voyage of the Prince Louis 1941 "Sea School"

Lawrence Holt

-A shipping magnate Hahn recurited to fund the sea school

Hogan

-tapped by Hahn to start the new training center

-pitched Holt based on the deaths of merchant seaman durring the battle of the atlantic, and country badge training scheme

-Outward bound was the product of this pitch Aberdovey oct 4. 1941

OBS structure

-instructors selected from gordonstoun w. experience in athletics

-by 1942 ernrollment = 100 boys, 11 courses, 28day expo/yr

-diverse class and vocational profile of students (Hahns vission)

-County badge sylabus

-Project element = Sailing and Seamanship, Serivice= rescue, Physical training= athletics and hiking, Active Citizent ship requeired (Hahns vision)

-training conditions (no smoking or drinking, Hahns vision)

-Morning run, prayers (Hahns VIsion)

-instructors left boats asap to let students learn from own mistakes (Independence, nattycons Hahns vision)

-Discover hidden reserves, interest in clumsy rather than gifted

-athletics = allroundedness

-overcome innate weakness 

-the training of the body not an end in itself, over come adversity

-DEVELOPMENTAL AIM OF THE PROGRAM

-Overcoming weakness

-badges hanycapped to accomade variance in capability, participation badge

CONNECTED IN FOUNDER PHILOSOPY AND SYLAOBOUS and PERSONEL W> GTOUN + COUNTY BADGE

Training through the sea

Holt interested by vocation

Hahn politcally in democracy  "you can only compel by example" "A training through the sea to benefit all walks of life"

Holts dual interest=

-personell dev. & young of the country(Pol.)

Holt gtoun sponser, parent

-ob founded for war time training or?...character building... to demonstrate the badge scheme in short-term communities to change or influence current ed. system 

"boys and girls Purchasing knowlege at the price of power"

Zimmerman

-Hogans 2nd in command

Norwood Report and the edu. act of 1944

-norwood report permiated by charcter 

building

-Holt gave evidence, along w other hahn cronies

-hahn targeted the committee (pol.)

-county badge-hitler youth (militarization)

-pol. astute fro hahn to distance himself pblically from the norwood comittee

-Norwood report influenced dev. of future outdoor activities

-Veevers ect. dont make claims but imply hahns influence on the report, the report substanciates in vaguaries which all but confirm. 

-other simmilar orgs overlap to make exact extent of influence impossible to discern.

- differenct organizations w. similar themes successfully brought outdoors to ed. est.

EDU ACT 1944

-pys ed compulsory & facilities & teachers

-some legislators influenced the act to improve preservice training of recruits to AF

-framework for dev of outdoor ed could dev. in state schools

THEMES THROUGHT HAHNS EDU. ENDEAVOURS

1) Inclusion and Expansion

2)'your disability is your opportunity'

Inclusion and expansion

- schollarship 75% @ salem

- Gtound progressive fees

- Salem 1 school to 5 schools in 3yr

- expansion to non-school programs and alumni orgs. -big plans

-3x badge schemes moray founded w/intent to expand

-training centres should be used as a delivery method for badge schemes

-scottish, welsh and ob centers

-"What we should have done in peace time as an act of social justice, we have to perform today as a military necessity" -Hahn

-centres= demonstrations 

-appeal to private trusts

-hahn attempted to insert badge scheme into state edu

-Gtoun "core of a health-giving movement" Hahn

-Tried to influence the state system towards holistic

Your disability is your op.

- overcoming weakenss for holistic well-roundedness

-Make the children meet with trimuph and defeat 2nd law of salem

-"defeat defeatism"

-Encourage strengths and overcome weakenesses

-expo rewarded different personalities from athletics

-expo trained the power to overcome

-hahn felt youth had desire to test selves, which if gratified would dull the romace of war

-hahn wanted to expand beyond seamanship to other crafts ie horses, bees, mines, forestry. overcoming disability more important than venue

Conclusions

-influence of new ed movement

-influence of ww1 and Max caused founding of salem, formed idea of character dev. in ed.

-holistic ed. & com. service & moral consistency, certitude, in the face of adversity

-Activities were the method to develop parts of the indevidual that accademics could not reach for holistic dev.

-Hahns place in the liberal inteligencia vital to his success

-expansion should be seen in the context of health and fitness prep for war

-Hahn recieved help from a "movemnt" of cronies

-Hahn propogated sail training 

-OB officially started in 41 but the curriculum, methods, and aims existed well before in other forms

-Authors argue that Hahn should be known not just for outdoor activities, but for experiential education

-implications for practice include re-emphasis on badge schemes in the USA rather than just ob centres

-the interplay of philosophies, structures and assocites are the three primary terms hahn's development can be understood through

Matteo’s Blog blurb:

Hahn seems like a political opportunist. He seems to have very specific ideas about what is good for youth based on his personal, somewhat eccentric value system, but what makes him an opportunist is his ability to latch on to powerful figures and interpret his vision to appeal to their priorities. He did this with Holt, Prince Max, numerous figures in english education and politics, the Norwood commission etc. I don’t think all of Hahn’s ideas are necessarily invalidated by his propensity to manifest his personal insecurities in his institutions. I’m not ready to throw the baby out with the bathwater yet. I am eager to begin the process of sifting through Hahns legacy and deciding what is worth keeping, what needs reform, and what elements are so problematic that they must be eliminated. Like many of the old, dead, white men that shaped our culture, Hahn has propagated some useful ideas and some toxic ones, but which, if any, are worth keeping?