First, how to understand "communication"
Then the author pays attention to the general understanding of "communication" and points out that we generally understand "communication" as "information transmission from one person to another, or more abstractly, information transmission from one direction to another" (40). This kind of understanding is problematic, because the communication between people is not only the transmission of information, but also a process of meaning and explanation. Therefore, this is an extremely open and uncertain process, so it is also fragile and risky "(40).
When it comes to "communication", we have to mention Dewey, so the author borrows Dewey's philosophy of communication action to analyze the universal significance of "communication" in education.
Dewey "proposed that communication is a practical, open, productive and creative process" (40). Therefore, Dewey treats "communication" in different ways, which is no longer understood as the process of information transmission, but "a process of meaning guidance and meaning generation" (43); In this process, it is not simply from one party to the other, but a two-way and cooperative behavior.
Second, the core mechanism of communication-participation
As communication, the core mechanism of education is "participation". The "participation" here is also different from what we usually understand.
The author particularly emphasizes that "participation is neither a physical method nor a situation in which everyone works towards a common goal" (45), but "in a common activity, one person really shares and participates in it, and is as interested in the result of the activity as others" (46).
Therefore, participation is also divided into formal participation and substantive participation. The difference lies in whether an individual has real concern and interest in it, and whether a person's thoughts and emotions have changed.
In other words, mutual understanding can only be achieved through joint participation, and some common things can be achieved. This is "the result of successful cooperation in action" (46).
Three. Communication, participation and education
Therefore, the author establishes the relationship among education, communication and participation, and the construction of the relationship among them is the core of Dewey's real education theory.
Because "developing the educational process into a process of communication-a process of participating in common activities-is the central idea of Dewey's educational theory. Therefore, Dewey's educational philosophy is neither child-centered nor curriculum-centered, but a path centered entirely on communication. " (49-50)
This is different from Dewey's educational philosophy that we usually understand.
In other words, meaning is produced in the process of communication, and meaning is not the premise of communication, but the result of communication. In communication, it is not that one party is more important than the other, and there is no center, but that it is possible to stimulate meaning by participating together.
So Dewey completed the transformation from "essential metaphysics" to "existential metaphysics". "Communication occurs because of the encounter between subjects, not the communication between objects-therefore, it is followed by risks and uncertainties, which play a role in success or failure in this encounter." (53)
Therefore, Dewey provided us with a weak understanding of "communication".
Fourth, deconstructing "communication" can complete "communication"
After expounding the significance of communication in education with Dewey's communication philosophy, the author further puts forward a question, that is, the philosophical problem existing in Dewey's communication philosophy, that is, the problem of "metaphysics on the spot": "replace another philosophical starting point-consciousness with communication" (54).
Faced with this problem, the author turned to Derrida's "deconstruction" philosophy.
From the actual observation, we can find a basic reason, "the presence always needs the help of things that are not present (that is, things that are not present)" (56). This logic is what Derrida called "deconstruction".
Deconstruction is very important because "it is an affirmation of what is excluded and forgotten;" Affirmation of others. "(58) This is an opening and an opening." It reveals unexpected things from the perspective of the system itself, just making the system possible "(58).
Therefore, "deconstruction is the opening and opening of the unpredictable coming of the other" (58).
Derrida's "deconstruction" can solve the problems existing in Dewey's communicative philosophy.
In other words, the two sides of communication are a process of constant deconstruction, a process of opening to others, and a process full of uncertainty and risks; At the same time, communication itself is also a process of deconstruction, that is, when "communication" meets a non-communication concept, it is possible to change theoretically.
Therefore, "the only possibility of communication lies in its own deconstruction-that is, to realize that communication is a weak, open and risky process, and this process is possible because it takes all communication completely open and unpredictable seriously" (62).
Fifth, communication before education is risky.
Therefore, taking "communication" as the original form of education, then education is full of uncertainty and risk in communication, and it is in this uncertainty and risk that education participants act together to create meaning, in this sense, education can happen.