BRIGHT EYES, ACTIVE MINDS




You ask what's my vision for K-12 Education in year 2020?
 

I envision a borderless classroom where all students freely communicate with friends from different parts of the world. There will be no distinction between the haves and have-nots. Every child has ready access to computers and the web. With better communication modes, there will be greater understanding of the diversity in world cultures. There will be greater opportunities for students to participate in international collaborative school projects via the web. Distance will no longer be a problem. Students will be transported virtually to different corners of the earth as young explorers guided by experienced scientists. The world will be their classroom.
 

This is not a dream. I have seen signs of the vision … each year, American students across the US,  journey north to study animal migratory patterns and Singapore students are communicating with friends from Chile to understand each other cultures.  Across the world, students are working collaboratively to analyse world environmental issues in the Global Environmental Project. Several students have even ventured into Iceland and Meditteranean Sea in the Jason Project  or explored lost civilisations in Maya Quest . But not every child has the opportunity now.
 

I envision learning taking place anytime, anywhere. Notebooks will be as common as notepads. From their personal desktops, students access the rich web resources, check on their assignments, or if they wish to, join discussion forums to reflect on their learning in class. Out on the field, students actively use probes to conduct scientific investigations or use the computer to draw field sketches to document their finds.
 

Have you heard that students in a particular Seattle school, have their learning tool, the notebook, with them everywhere they go? Have you heard that scientific probes and GIS are slowly creeping into science teaching ?
 

I envision schools as communities of learners. School is more than just a physical entity. School is about the social interactions between the teacher and student, between one student and another and amongst teachers. Technology can facilitate these interactions. For instance, teachers will have a greater support network. More and more teachers will become members of virtual learning communities actively sharing teaching ideas, resources and visions. We will redefine what it means to be an educated person - he or she "will be somebody who has learned how to learn, and who continues learning … throughout his or her lifetime" (Drucker 1995, The Age of Social Transformation). The teacher will be an exemplar of what it means to be a life-long learner.
 

Are you part of an online community of teachers , have you TAPPED IN? You can have your own virtual meeting place with fellow teachers. You can learn from one another any time and share teaching resources and ideas.
 

I envision all learning to be engaged and active. The teaching focus will not be on content but skills. The ability to think critically, to communicate clearly and to process information competently will become more important. The multimedia and interactive capabilities of instructional technology will be harnessed to its fullest to transfer these skills. Teachers will provide the scalffolding for students to participate actively in problem solving and decision making. Students will be guided in their inquiry to search for information from CD-Roms, internet and the numerous online databases. They formulate, test and evaluate their hypothesis. Learning is active. Students will be reflective learners. The emphasis will not be on "computer literacy" but "computer fluency" ( a term coined by Seymour Papert) - it is not about knowing the technology but knowing how to apply and use the technology appropriately.
 

There is a need for a paradigm shift in teaching and learning.
 

The year 2020 is not too far  in the distant future. Emerging signs of some of the scenarios I painted are present but not prevalent. I do not expect major revolutionary changes in teaching and learning.

Technology is but a tool. Of course, it is a very powerful tool and will play a vital role in shaping pedagogy in the information age. What is important is how we educators harness its potential and capabilities. Ultimately, it depends on how we perceive the purpose of education. I share Dewey's views (1938, Experience and Education):

"We always live at the time we live and not at some other time, and only by extracting at each present time the full meaning of each present experience are we prepared for doing the same thing in the future. This is the only preparation which in the long run amounts to anything … seeing education in terms of life experiences …" To provide an education to a child is about providing quality experiences which engage the inquisitive mind. Technology can enhance the learning experience if we use it wisely. It has the potential to expand the classroom by linking it to the real world. It can be motivating with its multi-media capabilites. It can offer a very rich teaching and learning resource environment for both teachers and students.

In my vision, teachers and students are learning partners. Together, they will tap the vast potential of technology. Together, they will create meaningful learning experiences. Bright eyes, active minds will be the motto of the day.