Rethinking Education
Key Ideas
The importance of rethinking education is undeniable. Here are some key points I consider to be take into consideration:
- the idea of “essential content” (Print, 1993): while selecting academic course content it’s essential to observe the following considerations:
Significance. The criterion of significance applies where content is considered in terms of how fundamental it is to the theme under study. Where the content is contemplated as valuable to the subject, it is deemed significant, thus recommended for inclusion in a curriculum.
2. Relevance. This criterion is anchored on the reality that content should be related to the perspectives of the community values, aspirations, principles, and problems that would help learners become effective citizens.
3. Utility. Curricularists should consider two usefulness of the content: current and future. There is some content that learners need to learn to apply in the immediate present and other content to prepare them to deal with the future.
2. the idea of blended learning that has already become the “new normal” (Nornberg, 2011):
“Moreover, blended learning is coincidentally known as the “new normal” (Norberg et al., 2011) in the realm of educational technology. Though there are obscurities in its definition, blended learning can be commonly described as an instructional approach that integrates traditional classroom methods and online digital methods (Graham 2013). It necessitates the physical presence of both teacher and learner, with features of learner control over time, setting, or pace (Huang et al., 2009). Given these features of blended learning, it provides auspicious prospects for use in education come new normal times.”
3. the idea of integration models: fragmented, connected, nested, sequenced, shared, webbed, threaded, integrated, immersed, and networked (most of which I should definitely investigate further).
4. the idea of rethinking learner and teacher roles. I like the idea of incorporating student voice and agency into teaching practice; teaching philosophy being centred around listening to learners (Kidd, 2012) which will help learners to conceptualize better and avoid fearing teacher resentment. Therefore, it will increase student-teacher partnership and contribute to mutual understanding and progression.