'Free to learn'

Posted on: 10/03/2023


'Free to learn' started as a side thought in 2021 when contemplating Neurodivergent learner autonomy - the learners learning space - the atmosphere they are asked to inhabit.  Rolling around initially as a statement and then a query.  Are Neurodivergents free to learn?

Many already know they are not. They get lost under terms like 'resilience', the unneccasary 'struggle'. And 'overcome'. I cringe at the latter one badly and worry about the recent march of the former.  Their peripersonnel zone, the enviroment, the epigentic, the atmosphere they learn in - anxiety inducing layering. Tension isn't the same as others assume for other, others. 

I contemplated the past and present learning autonomy spaces for us - the detractors- the learners self-space expanders., education systems, educators mood and approach. The processing of external information (phonic/ visual/ felt/ smelt/ processing time). The soldify of information-the sedimaentry pushiment micro agressions that sink in to nervous systems- the 'WORDS', /,SᗡꓤOϺ, .........And sometimes, moments of glee at the ridiculousness of the vacifouros, lets say 'enforcement',  an example being 'word enforcement' and this is where the Lexic comes in useful.  The relisation that words aren't solid- words were drawings, signs, smugged lines, indented scratches, hieroglyphs and more at various time and are still symbols  - malignate at times toxicify at other times. But symbols are subject to change. Brazialian Artist Mira Schendel understood this well and played with words as imagery and imagery as words - placing letter/ words/ broken phrases/ different languages in space and had them dance. This is what the Lexic mind can do. I brought my love of Wabi Sabi in to play this a long time past though to allow letters to dance as needed after vacifourousness and with out corrective vacifoursness. ) 

Then expanding outward,  a flood of visualisations torrets in ' - U.K learning provision, (something I have been contemplating in varying degrees over the last 15 years and more)  then nordic learning provision, then others? Further a field ... so now I translate (the translations aren't always perfect) the term 'Free to learn?' once a week or once a month, depending, in to another language and contemplate how Neurodivergent learners autonomy is treated within their systems.  

'Gratis at lære?' - Danish for 'Free to learn?'	'Libre para aprender?' - Spanish for 'Free to learn' ?

'Kostenlos Lernen?' German for ' Free to learn?'	' Vapaasti Oppia?' Finnish for 'Free to learn?'

This project may be without end in these times. Our governments (both right and left) have long used learning differences provision as something that can be given or taken away. The provisions and therefore the understanding retracting but I am gladdened by advances in understanding from and initiated by community and our allies with hope that these understanding continue to move outwards and the work activisits and organisations  have doing been doing for sometime. 

So for now I translate 'Free to learn? ' one at a time .....each translation takes on a different context......wondering where it will go and whether those learners have the self-space to learn as they need too unhindered. 

Pernille Fraser, Feb 2023 

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