The role of “craft language” in learning “Waza”

The role of craft language in the process of teaching (learning) Waza (skill) will be discussed from the perspective of human intelligence.It may be said that the ultimate goal of learning Waza in any Japanese traditional performance is not the perfect reproduction of the teaching (learning) process of Waza. In fact, a special metaphorical language (craft language) is used, which has the effect of encouraging the learner to activate his creative imagination. It is through this activity that the he learns his own habitus (Kata).It is suggested that, in considering the difference of function between natural human intelligence and artificial intelligence, attention should be paid to the imaginative activity of the learner as being an essential factor for mastering Kata.This article is a modified English version of Chapter 5 of my bookWaza kara shiru (Learning from Skill), Tokyo University Press, 1987, pp. 93–105.     

Selective Memories, Sanitised Futures: Constructing Visions of Future Place in Sydney

The contemporary remaking of inner city Pyrmont-Ultimo in Sydney is analysed in terms of the visions of planners, developers, politicians and residents. Developers and government agencies selectively remembered the blue-collar history of this place in their place marketing efforts. These 'memories' were sanitised to make them more appealing to contemporary lifestyle-oriented residential markets. The need to sanitise and repackage particular urban places can be regarded, following Bourdieu, as a strategy of the field of planners and developers, as they struggle to gain ascendency in the game of land and property development. Their 'feel for the game', it is argued, is reflective of a 'planning habitus '.     

“梦露”之后MAD的高层建筑实验

作为MAD崛起的标志性项目,梦露大厦不仅仅是摩天楼建筑形态上的突破,它更向外界传达了瓦解现代主义方盒子,让高层建筑回归人性的建筑理念.从设计到建成的6年时间里,逐步完成了它的历史使命,而在这过程中,MAD不断尝试着新的建筑实验,并将其中的一部分变成了现实.     

A knowledge-practice perspective on technology-mediated learning

The purpose of the present paper is to examine the relations between Carl Bereiter’s and Marlene Scardamalia’s knowledge-building approach and social practices. It is argued that technology enhances learning through transformed social practices. In order to truly contribute to educational transformation, pedagogical approaches have to be embedded in locally cultivated “knowledge practices” that channel the participants’ intellectual efforts in a way that elicits collective advancement of knowledge. Consequently, knowledge advancement is not just about putting students’ ideas into the centre but depends on corresponding transformation of social practices of working with knowledge. Creation of cultures which advance knowledge presupposes sustained efforts of teacher-practitioners, collaborating with students and researchers, aimed at iteratively transforming prevailing knowledge practices toward more innovative ones.