Definition and Core Premise

Learning as Personal and Community Power represents Hargadon's belief that "learning is a form of personal and community power, and that there is a direct connection between independent thinking and the health of a free society." This concept positions learning not merely as individual skill acquisition, but as a fundamental force that empowers both individuals and their communities while directly supporting democratic society's vitality.

Relationship to Agency and Self-Direction

Central to this concept is Hargadon's emphasis on agency

• "the ability to choose and act for oneself"
• which he identifies as "both the bedrock principle and our highest aspiration for how we should treat others in a democratic and free society." He argues that "the ultimate goal of education should therefore be to develop the ability for students to take responsibility for their own lives and become increasingly self-directed and productive, first for their own benefit and then for the benefit of society as a whole."

This framework explicitly rejects "systems of control and forced compliance" as "tempting shortcuts that have unfortunately become the basis of many of our prominent educational philosophies." Instead, Hargadon advocates for modeling learning, rather than compulsion as the primary form of learning influence.

Democratic Foundations and Participation

Hargadon connects learning power directly to democratic principles, asserting that "active individual participation in decisions that affect us is a right, is a fulfillment of our individual capabilities, and is a protection against unjust rule." He draws parallels between governance and education, stating that "our narrative for governance is democratic participation, and describes a process of open and engaged decision-making at every level of society."

He extends this democratic principle to education: "Our narrative for education should be the same: that participation, self-direction, and active engagement are more important than mandated curricula, and they should be taught and nourished. This is true for students, parents, and educators alike."

Power Structures and Educational Control

A key component of learning as personal and community power involves resistance to centralized control. Hargadon argues that "education should not be something that we allow to be owned, controlled, or mandated by any particular group, for as such it becomes a form of power and a means of enforcing compliance and removing agency from others."

Instead, he positions education "like democracy" as something that "should be seen as a process involving the general public at all levels, and not seen as an dictated outcome." This framework explicitly rejects educational policy as top-down decision-making, advocating that "no one owns the decision-making for another individual or group, and that to accept someone else's educational policy decisions for them is an inappropriate abdication of basic human rights."

Learning as Natural Human Capacity

Hargadon's concept rests on the belief that "learning is not an elite endeavor, is natural to being human, and takes place both inside and outside of formal educational institutions." This democratized view of learning capability supports his argument that learning can serve as a source of power for all individuals and communities, not just privileged groups.

He emphasizes making it clear that "learning is not an arbitrary gift bestowed capriciously to a select few but is something anyone can own, and is infinitely better when so discovered." This universal accessibility of learning forms the foundation for its potential as community power.

Connection to Critical Thinking and Social Health

The concept incorporates learning's role in developing critical thinking capabilities. Hargadon describes how "learning and 'learning how to learn' help us to lead better lives, to be better members of our communities, and to build a better world" specifically through "recognizing and by overcoming uninformed biases, overly-simplistic thinking, the entanglements of personal interest, and cognitive traps."

This individual development of thinking skills directly connects to societal benefits, as Hargadon argues that "independent thinking" has a "direct connection" to "the health of a free society." He contrasts this with current "expectations for conformity and compliance" that "ignore the value of diversity and of civil dialog that are reflected in some of our most important institutions--witness the balance of powers in our government and the right to a trial by jury in our legal system."

Implementation Through Cultural Dialog

Rather than policy-driven change, Hargadon advocates for realizing learning as personal and community power through "cultural dialog and individual engagement" conducted "at the most local of levels." He emphasizes the need to "stop discussing educational policy and start discussing learning in a way that recognizes the importance of individuals learning about learning for themselves, not because we tell them to."

This approach reflects his broader framework that views education as "a process of cultural dialog" rather than "a policy decision," emphasizing local engagement over centralized mandate as the pathway to empowering individuals and communities through learning.