06/28/2022
Do you really want to know why schools are changing? Have you ever wondered like me why can't we just go back to what we used to do because it works? I've been guilty of saying this. But...when you educate yourself, you finally understand why education must change.
Here's why and this may provide some insight as to why we are in such a paradigm shift in education.
Think about the four industrial revolutions: 1) mid-1800s steam and power, 2) late 1800s electricity replaced steam as a primary energy source (both of these transformed us into an urbanized industrial society), 3) circa the second World War information technology and data processing spawned the invention of the electronic computer, and 4) circa 1990 and continued today is the digital age or knowledge economy where machines are at the center of production and human labour component of production is becoming obsolete.
So you are probably wondering what's the so what of all of these industrial revolution periods with education and what does it have to do with your classroom.
The fourth era is divided into two interrelated factors: connectivity and sensor capabilities that allow artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze data sets at real-time speeds. Rather intelligent language here, right?
So this new digital age is a challenge and an opportunity. This digital age has redefined what living means at home, work, and in schools. This age is a challenge for educators like myself that grew up with a logic of what should happen in a classroom, "chalk and talk." It's stagnation in teaching. Note-taking, lectures, teaching not facilitating, and so forth just to say we've covered the material and standards. With technological advancements, neurosciences have spawned. This has all unpacked how the brain works, how each learner learns and unpacks the anatomy of teaching and learning.
The face-to-face classroom environment is not a bad thing still, but with technological advancements, this type of environment and teaching does not cut it in a societal change of technological innovation.
You are probably thinking, she still has not gotten to the so what of what she's rambling on about. Well, think about the cell phones you trade out with your carrier for a faster new version, the medical treatment you get now as compared to what your parents got, and even those diseases that were not treatable back in the day but now are. Think about the cars that have computers in them that can keep you from driving off the road because you have lane assist or even some cars that have the computer that drives you. At the core of all of these things, there are highly educated humans that used their brains to create and develop these things. This cadre of people are depending on teachers to educate and prepare our youth to eventually replace these individuals that brought us into the digital age. Innovation must continue to compete in an advancing world. That's the why of it all. Teachers have to take their complacency out and replace it with the motivation of joining the challenge to educate our youth so they can compete in a globally competing world.
Just think about that and then it will make you feel better about the "why" we are being asked to change how we teach.
Reference
Yeigh, T., Lynch, D., Fradale, P., Lawless, E., Turner, D., & Willis, R. (2021). Improving schools with blended learning: How to make technology work in the modern classroom. Routledge.
