After over a year of lockdowns, school closures, and remote learning, the role of education has never been more critical.
As a primary school teacher amid the COVID-19, I can’t help but wonder what education will look like after the pandemic. Are my students prepared for what’s to come next? How far will their present and past experiences take them?
That’s when I started dreaming about what the future of education would be.
In my dream, students create their own time, space and opportunities to learn in school.
Learning is not confined within the four walls of a conventional classroom.
Students are free to explore the world around them. Their resources are limitless.
Students will wake up each day filled with energy and joy, ready to create something new. They will go to school excited because they know they will make lots of happy memories through learning.
In my dream, students are not afraid to make mistakes. Mistakes are part of the learning process.
Students will have the drive to keep trying new, creative ways to create something until it works. Even if it doesn’t work out the way they expected, it is all worth it because it brings them a step closer to discoveries.
In my dream, students have the freedom to explore the “what-ifs” in life through technology.
Students have such creative ideas from their rich imaginations. What if we could turn those ‘what-ifs’ into reality? In my dream, students actualise their ‘what-ifs’ into reality through virtual reality and digital simulations.
This dream isn’t too far off. In Tree Top International School, students are already learning the basics of programming and actualising their creative ideas through Minecraft.
Computers can be more than screens. They can be portals that bring us to awe-inspiring places to explore and learn.
In my dream, students count the burning stars in space rather than their fingers in augmented reality. They stand on the sun as they name the planets around them without worrying about melting away.
Then, they will plunge into the deep depths of the ocean and swim alongside the magnificent sea creatures. Don’t worry about the sharks! We will keep ourselves safe. Who knows? Maybe we could even play hide-and-seek together? Who says we can’t have fun while learning?
As a parent, you might be thinking: don’t forget about homework, quizzes, tests and exams!
Of course, we cannot forget about homework and exams. These assessments are important for evaluating students.
However, let’s take a step back and see education in a new light.
We can show students what a hedgehog looks like with a picture or a model. We can teach them everything we know about a hedgehog’s biology and show them videos on how a hedgehog behaves.
However, pictures, models, videos and lectures are only representatives of what a hedgehog is.
By interacting with a real hedgehog, students will apply what they have learnt to reality. They can feel for themselves how small and prickly a hedgehog is. They will develop the compassion and responsibility to take care of an animal.
In my dream, students often go on adventures, discovering not just the world but themselves too.
In the face of an increasingly uncertain and complex world, education can make a huge difference as to whether students can embrace change or lose to them.
The transition back to ‘normal’ would undoubtedly impose another set of challenges. But if students have ample learning opportunities to apply theories in real life and explore limitless possibilities, it would help prepare and develop the necessary skills for them to adapt and cope with the new normal.
Let us continue to evolve and journey along with our students in making footprints in this wondrous world.
Cindy
Primary Supervisor
