Week 2 Reflection

Do we need to reimagine education?

While I don’t think we necessarily need to reimagine education as a whole, I think it is important to understand that evolution is needed in education in order to create learners who are adapted to the current state of the world. While this does not necessarily mean getting rid of ways of approaching education, mass revisions are sometimes needed. Incorporating technology in education can make learning accessible for many students, providing them with tools that can greatly impact their success. I view these changes more as evolution of the already established educational setup rather than a complete reimagination of the system. I found the discussion of ChatGPT to be interesting, as I wonder how it will affect cheating in schools. Since it is writing the information, I wonder if it would show up on things like plagiarism checkers.

What obstacles do educators face when they try to change pedagogy?

There are a lot of obstacles that educators can face when trying to change pedagogy. Not everyone is always open to changes in education, as some people will always want to stick with how things used to be. Though change can be conducive to education and improve pedagogy, it might not always be welcomed. There can be pushback not only from the school districts, but from parents and guardians as well. It is important to note that changes in pedagogy due to evolving technology and infrastructures can be beneficial once accepted. I have seen education be added to pedagogy throughout my life and have usually found it to be positive overall despite some pushback at the beginning. 

What concerns you and/or excites you about this approach?

I found the approach in the documentary to be quite interesting. I like the idea of teaching what the teachers find to be important, but I do think that some structure is needed. I think that there should be some general criteria for the teachers to follow, but that there should be flexibility in the way things are taught. Having gone to school in the US, I know just how test-focused their education system is. This never felt very conducive to learning to me, as I was often just working on memorizing information rather than actually understanding it. I think that allowing more space for learning in the classroom would be great, and I think that this would open a strong opportunity for system reform with the creation of educational portfolios.