The Glass Bead Game imagines a futuristic society that is somehow governed by a game whose instructions are never made explicit. However, the basic premise of the game is made clear. Connections are drawn between various themes. They are conducted and organized by the Magister Ludi. They are the innate fabric that contends to hold the society together.

On the other hand, in today’s less than futuristic society, we are a specialized people. I studied English therefore I did not study biology (unless I double-majored, but I definitely did not study Architecture). You studied Political Science therefore you did not study Film Criticism. We’re not programmed to connect themes across the varied fields of academia. And where does that place the role of the educator: I teach English therefore I will not teach (or know) the other fields (unless there is social studies teacher that is willing to team teach).

“Beyond Pedagogy” is a prototyped attempt at donning the role of Magister Ludi – to borrow the title from Hermann Hesse’s novel The Glass Bead Game – and draw the needed connections amongst myriad fields of study to broaden the scope of education dialogue. It is an extensive and unrelenting look at “why” with unwavering to return more than statistics as formulated response.

Beyond Pedagogy Meeting Dates
3/20 – Spell of the Sensuous by David Abram
4/17 – Blank Slate by Steven Pinker
5/8 – Inventing Kindergarten by Norman Brosterman
6/5 – Thought Reform and the Psychology of Totalism by Jay Lifton
6/19 – Operating Manual For Spaceship Earth by Buckminster Fuller
7/?? – Dialectics of Seeing by Susan Buck-Morse

The meetings are all scheduled to run from 5-7 p.m. at the Mentor LA Offices located at 1035 S. Grand Ave., 2nd Floor Los Angeles, CA 90015. Please park in the lot on the corner of Grand and 11th.

All are welcome!

Alternate explanation found here.