Page 11 - Management 17 (2)
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r Rižnar | Higher Education Mix (Four Bs of Higher Education Institutions)
a real bulldozer, hence they are often promoted education systems than liars. Listening is not
to the policy-maker or headmaster status. Bull- their speciality, nonsensical speech their piece
dozers come in several types: teacher-bulldozers of cake. They are Deepak Chopras of many edu-
usually stick to one and only one method of teach- cational systems. Empty discourse pretending to
ing (say, project-based learning). Lately, many of bear meaning is all they are capable of – to the
them have become keen proponents of e-Learn- detriment of all others involved.
ing/e-Teaching, often mistakenly believing that
quaranteaching and zooming equals online learn- Fourth B
ing/teaching. Bulldozers in the policy-maker sec- Barbarians. This is a miscellaneous group of teach-
tor of the education industry would, among many ers, ranging from cool teachers (in the eye of
other things, force others to believe that test- the short-sighted student) to clueless teachers
ing is good for students even in situations where and many types in between (lazy, on the verge
there has been little or no feedback given. Bull- of retiring, utterly strict, too friendly, sick and
dozers are often too powerful and use their brute tired of the job, text-book dependent, early ca-
power to force their opinion on bees and stu- reer teacher, etc.). Their common denominator is
dents. Sometimes their speciality is reaching false that they are unable to play this important role in
consensus on the premise of false conclusions be- the society, because they do not fit in the society
ing previously made. of learners. Teachers in this subset, miseducate
students, seeing teaching as passive awareness of
Third B some dead facts. Oversimplification, on the other
Bullshitters. We live in the world in which, it hand, is the speciality of policy makers belonging
seems at least occasionally, bullshit reigns su- to this group.
preme. ‘One of the most salient features of our
culture,’ writes Harry. G. Frankfurt (2009), ‘is that Bulldozers, bullshitters, and barbarians be-
there is so much bullshit.’ We are all aware of it long to traditional education: they teach by the
and we all contribute our share to it, but because book, and they teach to the test. They are focused
we take the situation for granted, very little work on propositional knowledge, not on skills and
has been done on the subject. According to Frank- understanding. They encourage sadistic teaching
furt speech emptied of all informative content methods by sticking to the principle of assembly
‘is unavoidable whenever circumstances require line in the presentation of topics that – as a rule
someone to talk without knowing what they are – overlook the needs and interests of students,
talking about.’ hinder their creativity and inhibit any change.
Frankfurt determines that bullshit is speech Conclusion
intended to persuade without regard for truth. I was probably wrong in 2017 (Rižnar 2017) when
I wrote that this was a make-or-break-it moment
It is difficult to say with any certainty sup- for higher education institutions. At that time, I
ported by sound statistical data that the num- did not know that covid-19 crisis would bring
ber of bullshitters increases exponentially with about so much nonsense claims into the edu-
the level and field of education. Some may be- cation system that Dunning and Kruger would
lieve that these numbers are considerably higher be turning in their graves had they not been
in social sciences and higher levels of education. alive. Yet I was probably not wrong that we need
Geographically speaking, Finland may lag behind a creative destruction in education at all levels
in this respect, which, of course, is good for all and that we should embrace learning (and not
stakeholders and the society at large. Unfortu- pseudo-research and publishing) in education as
nately, there are many countries where a person a fundamental mission of universities. By follow-
who is not good at anything is more than wel- ing Kahneman (2013) we need to focus more on
come to become a teacher. The discussion about teaching disciplined thinking, decision-making
the consequences of this fatal mistake is beyond skills, principles of probability, choice theory and
the scope of this article. statistics and learn how to approach problems
methodically and avoid jumping to conclusions.
Bullshitters like to listen to their own voice
and are unable to answer the question: ‘What Learning is the most effective cognitive en-
do you mean by this?’ This group of teachers is hancer, which increases our mental flexibility and
unable to learn, lacks intellectual humility, their provides strategies for problem solving and ab-
expertise is worthless, are overconfident, and stract thinking. Using big words (learning out-
represent a bigger threat to the development of
management 17 (2022) številka 2 49
a real bulldozer, hence they are often promoted education systems than liars. Listening is not
to the policy-maker or headmaster status. Bull- their speciality, nonsensical speech their piece
dozers come in several types: teacher-bulldozers of cake. They are Deepak Chopras of many edu-
usually stick to one and only one method of teach- cational systems. Empty discourse pretending to
ing (say, project-based learning). Lately, many of bear meaning is all they are capable of – to the
them have become keen proponents of e-Learn- detriment of all others involved.
ing/e-Teaching, often mistakenly believing that
quaranteaching and zooming equals online learn- Fourth B
ing/teaching. Bulldozers in the policy-maker sec- Barbarians. This is a miscellaneous group of teach-
tor of the education industry would, among many ers, ranging from cool teachers (in the eye of
other things, force others to believe that test- the short-sighted student) to clueless teachers
ing is good for students even in situations where and many types in between (lazy, on the verge
there has been little or no feedback given. Bull- of retiring, utterly strict, too friendly, sick and
dozers are often too powerful and use their brute tired of the job, text-book dependent, early ca-
power to force their opinion on bees and stu- reer teacher, etc.). Their common denominator is
dents. Sometimes their speciality is reaching false that they are unable to play this important role in
consensus on the premise of false conclusions be- the society, because they do not fit in the society
ing previously made. of learners. Teachers in this subset, miseducate
students, seeing teaching as passive awareness of
Third B some dead facts. Oversimplification, on the other
Bullshitters. We live in the world in which, it hand, is the speciality of policy makers belonging
seems at least occasionally, bullshit reigns su- to this group.
preme. ‘One of the most salient features of our
culture,’ writes Harry. G. Frankfurt (2009), ‘is that Bulldozers, bullshitters, and barbarians be-
there is so much bullshit.’ We are all aware of it long to traditional education: they teach by the
and we all contribute our share to it, but because book, and they teach to the test. They are focused
we take the situation for granted, very little work on propositional knowledge, not on skills and
has been done on the subject. According to Frank- understanding. They encourage sadistic teaching
furt speech emptied of all informative content methods by sticking to the principle of assembly
‘is unavoidable whenever circumstances require line in the presentation of topics that – as a rule
someone to talk without knowing what they are – overlook the needs and interests of students,
talking about.’ hinder their creativity and inhibit any change.
Frankfurt determines that bullshit is speech Conclusion
intended to persuade without regard for truth. I was probably wrong in 2017 (Rižnar 2017) when
I wrote that this was a make-or-break-it moment
It is difficult to say with any certainty sup- for higher education institutions. At that time, I
ported by sound statistical data that the num- did not know that covid-19 crisis would bring
ber of bullshitters increases exponentially with about so much nonsense claims into the edu-
the level and field of education. Some may be- cation system that Dunning and Kruger would
lieve that these numbers are considerably higher be turning in their graves had they not been
in social sciences and higher levels of education. alive. Yet I was probably not wrong that we need
Geographically speaking, Finland may lag behind a creative destruction in education at all levels
in this respect, which, of course, is good for all and that we should embrace learning (and not
stakeholders and the society at large. Unfortu- pseudo-research and publishing) in education as
nately, there are many countries where a person a fundamental mission of universities. By follow-
who is not good at anything is more than wel- ing Kahneman (2013) we need to focus more on
come to become a teacher. The discussion about teaching disciplined thinking, decision-making
the consequences of this fatal mistake is beyond skills, principles of probability, choice theory and
the scope of this article. statistics and learn how to approach problems
methodically and avoid jumping to conclusions.
Bullshitters like to listen to their own voice
and are unable to answer the question: ‘What Learning is the most effective cognitive en-
do you mean by this?’ This group of teachers is hancer, which increases our mental flexibility and
unable to learn, lacks intellectual humility, their provides strategies for problem solving and ab-
expertise is worthless, are overconfident, and stract thinking. Using big words (learning out-
represent a bigger threat to the development of
management 17 (2022) številka 2 49
