Seize the opportunity to think differently! A Deleuzian approach to unleashing becomings in education

Abstract

If the purpose of philosophy is creating concepts that make it possible to think differently, education surely needs philosophical assistance. Sketching a Deleuzian approach to education, this article explores a practice of thinking about and performing ‘school,’ ‘teacher,’ and ‘learning’ differently. A complex social situation such as a school needs routines and clear role expectations, to ensure efficient action. How do we resist, nonetheless, that concepts aimed at thinking education just redouble an already existing practice by submitting to explain everyday and policy-induced practice. Suggesting an understanding of theory and the construction of concepts as a much wider endeavor, the article introduces concepts such as strata, Bodies without Organs, order machines, and desire. With reference to education, it hints at a creative endeavor to explore potential lines of flight, and exploit cracks and inconsistencies in current school regimes, when they no longer appear appropriate. In this spirit, the ‘competence nomad’ is proposed as a conceptual persona that may help thought to connect and plug into new becomings, by means of alternative tactics in current learning environments that are already heavily traversed by existing schooling order machines.

Keywords:

• Deleuze
• disciplinary school machine
• post-disciplinary school machine
• competence nomad
• art of caution