In today’s class we discussed what the future has in store for education. That is of course no easy question. In our class discussion, we talked about what could go wrong and what could go right. It’s not easy to be overly optomistic given the state of the world, let alone the rising threat of authorotianism and global warming.

With that said, it’s easy to get down on everything, and I’d like to use this space to think about what could go right. Or more specifically, what I’d like to see evolve and develop.

  • I genuinely like the idea of creating a more humane work and school environment, for teachers and students alike. One of my partners suggested that the B.C. education could adopt a 4-day week. I think that this could work, for both educators and students alike.
  • I would like to see a smarter use of technology in our classrooms. As we have discussed, there is tremendous potential to use technology in a way that enhances or compliments the learning experience. Michael mentioned that he’d like to see an ability to store away the computers while teaching in the computer lab. I think thhis could be phenomenal. An extention of this that I’d like to see is a ban on cell phones in classrooms. I know this may not be the most popular or progressive opinion, but I feel strongly about this. While educators can and do use them as personal computers for students, on balance they are an enormous distraction. They sap away at students ability to focus, and all too often they seem to be paying the role of a digital pacifier in classrooms. To get rid of them, there needs to be a directive from the top. Ontario has already adopted such a policy and polls show that the move would be supported here in B.C. as well.
  • There would be more opportunity for co-teaching. I thought that this concept was bit hoky when I started the program, but I think in certain circumstances, co-teaching can be a fantastic. It helps draw connection between curriculum, and I think that it benefits students and teachers alike. I have thoroughly enjoyed the co-teaching I’ve done, and feel that I learn a great deal from the educators I’ve been paired with. What if there was more opportunity for this/
  • I’d like to see a strong use of the outside world for all classes. Going to the same school day in, day out can be gruelling. And the natural world — as well as just cities — offer a tremendous amount of opportunities for students to learn and connect with the environment. What if the brick-and-mortar school was considered more of a home base, and students worked in pods, monitored by teachers? That would be sick 🙂

Here are some half-baked reflections of what 2040 could/should look like. Here is to hoping we get ahold of climate change and get ahold of technology so that it doesn’t control us. I lke forward to reading this in 19 years!