Papers by Zachary Reznichek
Academia.edu, 2025
Education is not only about major milestones, like graduations and certifications, but also about... more Education is not only about major milestones, like graduations and certifications, but also about the moments of bold experimentation that shape lasting growth. Learning experiences that have the potential to fall apart but offer high rewards serve as potent reminders that learning and instruction are often shaped by small, incremental improvements that compound over time. Instead of viewing learning as a polished path to success, imagine it as a daring experiment—one where failure and risk fuel deeper understanding and lasting growth.
Academia Letters, 2021
A resposta simples incluiria que uma “educação autêntica” é projetada para orientar os alunos a d... more A resposta simples incluiria que uma “educação autêntica” é projetada para orientar os alunos a desenvolverem seu eu autêntico, e isto incluiria, no mínimo: (a) investigar o currículo que foi projetado para eles, (b) aprender a realizar um número de tarefas (conjuntos de habilidades) igual ao requisito padrão para sobreviver às condições planetárias (sociais, fiscais e ambientais) por conta própria, e (c) receber uma compreensão clara do estado real do planeta que está sendo herdado ao atingir a idade adulta. E essa “esperança” não é ativismo.
¿Qué es “la educación auténtica”? (Spanish translation of "What is 'Authentic Education'?") , 2021
La respuesta simple incluiría que una “educación auténtica” está diseñada para guiar a los estudi... more La respuesta simple incluiría que una “educación auténtica” está diseñada para guiar a los estudiantes a desarrollar su yo auténtico, lo que al menos incluiría: (a) investigar el currículo que fue diseñado para ellos, (b) aprender a realizar una cantidad de hazañas (conjuntos de habilidades) equivalentes a las necesidades promedio para sobrevivir a las condiciones planetarias (sociales, fiscales y ambientales) por sí solo, y (c) recibir una comprensión clara del estado real del planeta que se hereda al llegar a la edad adulta. Y esa “esperanza” no es activismo.
By the end of the 20th century, concerns over students’ dependency, self-doubt, demotivation, and... more By the end of the 20th century, concerns over students’ dependency, self-doubt, demotivation, and shame prompted educators to shift from enforcing external motivations to exploring ways to empower students and enhance their self-determination. This paper delves into Self-Determination Theory (SDT) within education, tracing its origins from the empowerment movement for individuals with disabilities to its broader application in contemporary curricula. It explores best practices for fostering self-determination, emphasizing the importance of need satisfaction, the impact of work-school interference on dropout rates, and the differences between intrinsic and extrinsic goal framing. Empirical evidence suggests that intrinsic objectives are more effective in promoting authentic learning and internal validation, challenging the traditional political frame that propagates external validation. This paper makes a compelling case for reorienting educational practices towards intrinsic motivation and goal content, underscoring the transformative potential of SDT in cultivating educated and self-determined global citizens.
By the end of the 20th century, concerns over students’ dependency, self-doubt, demotivation, and... more By the end of the 20th century, concerns over students’ dependency, self-doubt, demotivation, and shame prompted educators to shift from enforcing external motivations to exploring ways to empower students and enhance their self-determination. This paper delves into Self-Determination Theory (SDT) within education, tracing its origins from the empowerment movement for individuals with disabilities to its broader application in contemporary curricula. It explores best practices for fostering self-determination, emphasizing the importance of need satisfaction, the impact of work-school interference on dropout rates, and the differences between intrinsic and extrinsic goal framing. Empirical evidence suggests that intrinsic objectives are more effective in promoting authentic learning and internal validation, challenging the traditional political frame that propagates external validation. This paper makes a compelling case for reorienting educational practices towards intrinsic motivation and goal content, underscoring the transformative potential of SDT in cultivating educated and self-determined global citizens.
Current education systems were invented over a hundred years ago to meet the needs of the industr... more Current education systems were invented over a hundred years ago to meet the needs of the industrial revolution. We are now entering a new technological revolution, far from the manufactured box schools of the 20th Century. As deforestation, war, pandemics, migration, and displacement redefine borders, genealogy, and sense of home-culture, a new shift in globalisation is occurring. With smart devices, virtual and augmented reality, and AI, in the V.U.C.A. world, we can no longer predict what our children's future will look like; so how do we educate them for it? How radical of an approach is acceptable to reform education when technology is expanding faster than any of us can keep track of?
What is 'Authentic Education'?
Academia Letters
The simple response would include that an ‘authentic education’ is designed to guide students to ... more The simple response would include that an ‘authentic education’ is designed to guide students to unfold their authentic selves, which would at least include: (a) investigating the curriculum that was designed for them, (b) learning how to perform a number of feats (skillsets) equal to the average requirement to survive planetary conditions (social, fiscal, and environmental) on one’s own, and (c) receiving a clear understanding of the actual state of the planet being inherited upon reaching adulthood. And that ‘hope’ is not activism.
Multiverse - Role-Playing Games as an Educational Discipline
Academia Letters
As if authenticity matters : the fall of contemplation and the rise of the social realm
As a corrupted byproduct of socioeconomic politics, curriculum philosophy is unsuitable to solve ... more As a corrupted byproduct of socioeconomic politics, curriculum philosophy is unsuitable to solve its own problems or reform itself Leaving the educational field, I consider the foundation of education through a political philosophy frame. Using Hannah Arendt's The Human Condition to differentiate between active living and merely existing, I explore the pre-Socratic definitions of authenticity, politics, freedom, plurality, public, private, labor, work and action. With this political framework, I investigate the rise of the social realm from the fall of the public and private realms in three key historic periods: Ancient Greece's 4thCentury B.C.E. shift from democracy to empire; the institution of neo-Platonism as Catholicism in the 4th Century A.D. to redeem the Roman empire; and the 19th Century lapse into modem consumerism from Marx's inability to reconcile the economic alienation of the Industrial Revolution. I show that the rise of Western society has galvanized esse...
Academia Letters, 2021
The idea that when you play role-playing games (RPGs): you submerge yourself "in-game" to adventu... more The idea that when you play role-playing games (RPGs): you submerge yourself "in-game" to adventure and then surface to "out-game" to discuss, roll, and reconcile, only to plunge deep in-game again to see what happens next, so that you can reminisce, bemoan, and celebrate out-game (and together!) is testament to the fact that RPGs is a praxis of the oscillating multiverse that surrounds our whole existence as human beings-which includes our pasts and our futures. The multiverse that is-and is not-a can of worms, is now open. The weird quantum worms are crawling all over the table! …No wait, they're in the table. …No wait they're there and then they're not. We can see at one moment that they are there like a snapshot, but if you turn your perspective you can't see them individually, there is only an energetic story-arc: a living memory of them, like a trace of plot-point patterns. The worms' existence is like an analogy of something we've seen before, a seven season TV show, a rock opera, an oeuvre and yet there are some moments that have been captured and made into archetypes like the classic poses of 28mm miniature figurines on a terrain of an epic landscape. Well, instead of worrying that some worms will get away or about the mess I've made, let's have a look at these strange metaphors and at the vehicle. Having had this discussion with many parents and educators, I believe I can shed light on the major worms, the can itself and the "worm holes" that we are all using to advance our dialectics on so many fronts in this accelerated age of converging technologies and cultures. First of all, children are already in their own multiverse playing with imaginary friends and 'living in their own worlds'. Then, they get met halfway exposed to the multiverse without guidance or only discretely.
Qu est ce qu une education authentique (French translation of What is 'Authentic Education"?), 2021
La simple réponse à cette question implique qu'une 'éducation authentique' soit conçue dans le bu... more La simple réponse à cette question implique qu'une 'éducation authentique' soit conçue dans le but de guider chaque étudiant vers la découverte de sa propre authenticité, ce qui veut dire, au minimum : (a) penser un programme qui serait conçu pour lui, (b) comprendre de quelle manière chaque étudiant peut exécuter des prouesses (grâce à l'acquisition d'un certain nombre d'aptitudes) qui reflèteraient les besoin de survie aux conditions planétaires (sociales, fiscales et environnementales) et ce de manière autonome et enfin (c) comprendre clairement dans quel état se trouve la planète dont il héritera à l'âge adulte. Et cet ''espoir'' n'est pas synonyme de militantisme.
Τι είναι η «Αυθεντική Εκπαίδευση (Greek translation of What is 'Authentic Education"?), 2021
Η απλή απάντηση συνίσταται στο ότι μια «αυθεντική εκπαίδευση» σχεδιάζεται ώστε να καθοδηγεί τους ... more Η απλή απάντηση συνίσταται στο ότι μια «αυθεντική εκπαίδευση» σχεδιάζεται ώστε να καθοδηγεί τους μαθητές/τριες στο ξεδίπλωμα του αυθεντικού τους εαυτού που θα περιλαμβάνει τουλάχιστον: (α) διερεύνηση του προγράμματος σπουδών που σχεδιάστηκε για αυτούς, (β) εκμάθηση του πώς να εκτελούν μια σειρά από δράσεις (σειρά δεξιοτήτωνskillsets) που ισοδυναμούν με τις βασικές απαιτήσεις προσωπικής επιβίωσης στις δεδομένες πλανητικές συνθήκες (κοινωνικές, δημοσιονομικές και περιβαλλοντικές), και (γ) τη σαφή κατανόηση της πραγματικής κατάστασης του πλανήτη που θα κληρονομήσουν κατά την ενηλικίωση τους. Και το ότι η «ελπίδα» δεν είναι ακτιβισμός. [Απόδοση στα Ελληνικά: Ioannis Karaliotas]
Academia Letters, 2021
The simple response would include that an ‘authentic education’ is designed to guide students to ... more The simple response would include that an ‘authentic education’ is designed to guide students to unfold their authentic selves, which would at least include: (a) investigating the curriculum that was designed for them, (b) learning how to perform a number of feats (skillsets) equal to the average requirement to survive planetary conditions (social, fiscal, and environmental) on one’s own, and (c) receiving a clear understanding of the actual state of the planet being inherited upon reaching adulthood. And that ‘hope’ is not activism.
As if Authenticity Matters: The Fall of Contemplation and The Rise of The Social Realm (ZReznichek defended education thesis), 2010
ABSTRACT
As if Authenticity Matters:
The Fall of Contemplation and The Rise of The Social Realm
Z... more ABSTRACT
As if Authenticity Matters:
The Fall of Contemplation and The Rise of The Social Realm
Zachary Anton Reznichek
As a corrupted byproduct of socioeconomic politics, curriculum philosophy is unsuitable to solve its own problems or reform itself. Leaving the educational field, I consider the foundation of education through a political philosophy frame. Using Hannah Arendt's The Human Condition to differentiate between active living and merely existing, I explore the pre-Socratic definitions of authenticity, politics, freedom, plurality, public, private, labor, work and action. With this political framework, I investigate the rise of the social realm from the fall of the public and private realms in three key historic periods: Ancient Greece's 4th Century B.C.E. shift from democracy to empire; the institution of neo-Platonism as Catholicism in the 4th Century A.D. to redeem the Roman empire; and the 19th Century lapse into modern consumerism from Marx's inability to reconcile the economic alienation of the Industrial Revolution. I show that the rise of Western society has galvanized essentialism and fostered a disconnect with authenticity and our human senses. I identify the anxiety created by the conditioned feeling that one cannot trust one's own senses is the catalyst of existentialism. I run authenticity through the existential frame of plurality, ambiguity and existential self-validation. It becomes evident that contemplation is the missing element in curriculum philosophy. I review two curriculum initiatives that I believe foster contemplation in students: Transcendental Meditation in schools and Outward Bound educational adventure trips. I make recommendations of how to combine authenticity, Transcendental Meditation, and Outward Bound into practical curriculum philosophy.
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Papers by Zachary Reznichek
As if Authenticity Matters:
The Fall of Contemplation and The Rise of The Social Realm
Zachary Anton Reznichek
As a corrupted byproduct of socioeconomic politics, curriculum philosophy is unsuitable to solve its own problems or reform itself. Leaving the educational field, I consider the foundation of education through a political philosophy frame. Using Hannah Arendt's The Human Condition to differentiate between active living and merely existing, I explore the pre-Socratic definitions of authenticity, politics, freedom, plurality, public, private, labor, work and action. With this political framework, I investigate the rise of the social realm from the fall of the public and private realms in three key historic periods: Ancient Greece's 4th Century B.C.E. shift from democracy to empire; the institution of neo-Platonism as Catholicism in the 4th Century A.D. to redeem the Roman empire; and the 19th Century lapse into modern consumerism from Marx's inability to reconcile the economic alienation of the Industrial Revolution. I show that the rise of Western society has galvanized essentialism and fostered a disconnect with authenticity and our human senses. I identify the anxiety created by the conditioned feeling that one cannot trust one's own senses is the catalyst of existentialism. I run authenticity through the existential frame of plurality, ambiguity and existential self-validation. It becomes evident that contemplation is the missing element in curriculum philosophy. I review two curriculum initiatives that I believe foster contemplation in students: Transcendental Meditation in schools and Outward Bound educational adventure trips. I make recommendations of how to combine authenticity, Transcendental Meditation, and Outward Bound into practical curriculum philosophy.