Costa de traduir, ja ho he dit altres vegades, el mot anglès “scholar”. Per això m’ha costat posar títol a aquesta entrada. M’ha agradat “Scholar as public intellectual” de l’Inside Higher Education d’avui. La veirtat és que, malgrat ser escrita per a la unvierstitat americana, és perfectament aplicable al nostre entorn.
Aquí hi ha algunes idees clau d’aquest post. Per començar. no n’hi ha prou en tenir idees o avançar en el coneixement… cal fer-ho saber:
Ideas no longer score points,’’ says one university professor. ‘‘Their impact must be amplified to be noticed in an increasingly complicated world.’’
I per a cada cosa important hi cal un mini pla de comunicació:
Many scholars and researchers do not have a plan for communicating their ideas and findings. They assume or hope their published works will rise to the top of conversation among their peers and the public. They rest in the belief that their reports, scholarly papers, or books, often filled with jargon, will find their way to key audiences, be read with anticipation, and enter the realm of professional and public discourse. They are often disappointed
Scholars and researchers increasingly are being asked by funders to develop communication plans for programs receiving support. These organizations and institutions recognize that the value of a scholar’s work lies not only in the new findings but also in communicating their implications to key audiences and the public. Without good communication, many important works do not achieve the desired effects of advancing knowledge and creating new dialogue
A partir d’una enquesta feta a universitats americanes, s’hi troba que els professors-investigadors comuniquen sobre tot per tres raons: per millorar la comprensió del públic, per incrementar la reputació de les seves institucions, i senzillament perquè és agradable:
To improve public understanding of their areas of expertise.
To enhance the reputation of their institutions.
To enjoy talking with people who have an interest in their work.
Finalment, algunes recomanacions, i fonamentalment la de mantenir la passió per a l’aprenentatge i la descoberta, igual que la té tothom.
Share your good work. Academics, scholars, and researchers have a passion for learning and discovery. So does the public. You can advance dialogue, understanding, and meaningful change by sharing what you know with those outside your discipline, classroom, lab, or institution. This can contribute to individuals, communities, businesses, and governments making better choices that are based on facts. It also can add to your institution’s or organization’s name recognition and reputation.
En defintiiva, es tracta d’una reflexió interessant sobre el paper del professor-investigador en la societat, el seu paper més enllà de motor (actor, director) del procés d’aprenentatge d’un estudiant, més enllà de creador de coneixement: el paper d’intel.lectual públic.
Els comentaris, com sempre, són igual o millors que no pas la pròpia entrada. Els seguiré.
Imatge: una Intellectual Magnetic Ball de Neocube