During a meeting at work, where we discussed digital teaching tools, somebody mentioned that they were using our coursebooks in an online distance teaching model. "That is interesting, but surely not how most teachers teach," said someone in the room.
That was a month ago.
I’m writing this short article as the world around me changes every minute of every day, because of COVID-19. In my industry – education – it is still too early to predict what will change. Still, when this is over, I think that post-Corona learners will have some questions about the way education works. Here are three which I would ask, if I were to come back to school after the pandemic.
1. Why are we learning this?
Possibly the biggest question on the list. A few months ago, I heard an urgent plea from a celebrity educator during a conference – to start building a curriculum based on big questions, instead of piles of facts, and to teach kids to work around problems which we don’t yet know how to solve (or which we don’t even know are problems yet!).
Here in the UK, if I were a homeschooling parent these days, I would really begin to question everything about how school works – how test scores determine a child’s future, how much of school time is just preparing to do well in an examination – and how little of this is useful in solving the big global problems.
Whoever makes their way to schools and colleges after the pandemic would probably feel stronger about this: why am I learning a useless fact? Why can’t you teach me how to be prepared for solving our next enormous challenge?
2. Why are we learning here?
My English teaching friends switched from teaching in brick-and-mortar classrooms to teaching via Zoom, almost overnight. It wasn’t easy, it still isn’t seamless, but they’re delivering their classes this way. So is my Spanish teacher. So are universities, colleges, in-company training providers. Classes, exams, courses – all of it moved online. Campuses are empty. Language schools in the UK – all shut down.
When they re-open – here’s a question they’ll be faced with: why should anyone seek out this physical space again? With more online learning and more brilliant Zoom educators, who learned their online teaching craft in such unprecedented circumstances – why should a learner choose School A or University X, why would they travel, commute, invest in physically being there?
This question, in many cases, is easy to answer – it’s useful to generate and experience creativity in a space shared with others. It’s good to be in a room and throw ideas around, and see who responds to them.
But my prediction is that the "Zoom Boom" we’re witnessing will be harnessed by the best of educators to do just that – and that the myriad of online tools now available to them will help unleash the online "genius loci". Which, to be brutally honest, has been dying a long and quiet death in many schools and colleges whose marketing is still much better than their physical look, feel, and usefulness.
3. Why are we paying for this?
The last question on my list can be seen as a follow-up to the first two. If the current model of education picks standardized testing over useful skills instruction – and if it requires that you travel across the city, or country, or the globe (or that your parents move house to get you to "a good school") – then why does it also cost and arm and a leg?
There used to be a good economic reason for going through the whole palaver – a good degree got you a good job. Plus, there didn’t really use to be much of a choice. Both these arguments look really weak in 2020: a global recession is looming, the education didn’t prepare us for it, and there is now a revolution going on in the areas of online teaching and learning.
The student loans won’t disappear. Some schools will still cost parents a fortune. An MBA will still not come cheap.
But after 2020, I feel there will be more options to consider – more reluctance to accept the hefty check without doubt. And I feel that the schools or colleges which prosper after this year will be the ones who found a really good answer to this question: "here’s what your money gets you, and here’s why it matters now."
Photo by Austrian National Library on Unsplash
Wiktor (Vic) Kostrzewski (MA, DELTA) is an author, translator, editor and project manage based in London. When he works, he thinks about languages, education, books, EdTech and teachers. When he doesn’t work, he probably trains for his next triathlon or drinks his next coffee.
BRAVE Learning (formerly known as 16 Kinds) is a lifelong learning and productivity blog. If you enjoy these posts, please check out one of my books and courses.
My recent publications, and my archive, is now all available on my new project: PUNK LEARNING. Hope to see you there!