Learning with COVID-19

As I follow educational developments in our times of uncertainty, I am wondering how much we are enabling our learners to take control and ownership of their learning? I am seeing a lot of initiatives related to online learning, and I keep asking myself if we are extending exactly what we do in the classroom onto an online platform?

In the past few years, I have done some interesting research on Learning in the 21st century and the skills needed, looking at relevant education and what students really need. My biggest frustration has been that we keep talking about student centred and individual learning, yet, there we go again creating classrooms out of the classroom. And I know that it is our responsibility to ensure that there is structure, continuity and support of learning for our school age learners.

As educators, are we assuming that learning will not take place without us and that students will just stop learning? I sit humbly in my home office already thinking of new ways that Educational Aspirations will operate in the next few months.  I am imagining young minds awed about what is happening in the world right now and creating learning hubs together, looking at the challenges that are facing all of us and working on developing solutions, just like we have been preaching in the past few decades. I imagine community hubs in neighbourhoods forming project based learning and am excited for what will come out of this and how our amazing students will contribute to finding solutions, as well as learning what they are really curious about and interested in. I am excited that more parents are becoming part of the process of learning with their children and I hope we are upskilling parents with the right questions to ask their children to ignite more critical thinking and articulate the  learning taking place. Are we encouraging our generation of solution finders and change makers to delve deeper?

Goodbye set curriculum and hello authentic learning and great opportunities for our students to be critical thinkers, engaged learners and creators. I have opened my mind to the subjects taught in schools and how if the Coronavirus is at the core of our real life and leading learning today, students across schools and of all age groups, will be able to learn and connect with our world through all subjects. I am imagining amazing lessons in Science, IT, Economics, Language, Business Studies, Psychology, the Arts, Math, Anthropology, History, Geography, and many more developed from reflections on the virus and how students will definitely develop  essential skills and ways to apply them for the common good. As learning is beginning to take place at home, are we encouraging and guiding our students to also voice how they learn best in our times of uncertainty? Welcome 21st Century Learning and good luck to our learning facilitators and guides!