THE NEW WORLD OF EDUCATION

The New World of Education

By Ambroise d’Hauteville 

There is no doubt that COVID-19 has significantly disrupted the world of education over the last 6 months. Schools have been closed as students have been forced to learn from home and sacrifice social interaction both with their peers and their educators. Parents and guardians have been forced to adapt to this new uncertain world just as quickly as home became the new ‘classroom’ almost overnight and for many adults, that ‘classroom’ also doubled as their office. 

Education in many ways is solidly grounded in tradition and has never experienced significant and rapid change like what was brought about by COVID-19. And so now we find ourselves in a new world. While COVID-19 forced change, this new world might also see us through other crippling situations such as protests or natural disasters - these new measures have not only prepared us for a global pandemic. As children in many countries around the world are starting to go back to school, what will that look like? How will parents and children adapt? What improvements will we see as a result of this and what of the old world will our children miss?

The new roster…

While many parents, including myself, have been longing for the day when school would return to its traditional regular schedule of five days a week, it would appear that at least for now, this isn’t going to happen. As the corporate world considers the new arrangement of working from home for a significant part of the week, many schools have decided to do the same. While this may be a temporary measure as schools ease back into ‘learning live’ together, many believe that this is an arrangement that is here to stay. The question now is, if learning from home (LFH) is going to become a permanent reality, do families have the infrastructure to support this and what will happen to the students whose family doesn't? Do they get left behind in the education system? For so many children around the world, school is more than a place of learning. It is a safe place to go during the day and somewhere where students have access to food and social support. If this is no longer an option for children for most of the week, what will happen to their physical and emotional development? In Australia, schools were kept open for those families who were not able to keep their children at home however, when there was a choice, many children in the education system didn’t attend school online either. Without the full time on-site learning that was their reality, they simply fell through the cracks. 

Some have also said that if LFH becomes the new reality, then many schools will have more room than they need for learning. My daughter has just returned to school in Hong Kong but will be learning from home half of the week. Perhaps one learning institution will become a place of physical face to face learning for more than one school as students are not utilising the space five days a week. This isn’t the first social sharing the world has seen.   It happened with car sharing as Uber changed societies forever then we saw social sharing bubble to the surface with AirBnb as people started to share their homes with temporary tenants from all over the world and now...we may start to see this happen with education. Or, perhaps space will become more of a focus as the grid is redesigned and fewer students will be required to use more space in order to maintain a social distance and, as a result, their wellbeing. 

A world of regulation and protocol…

New post COVID-19 regulations and protocols are another reality that have surfaced in record time. The world has had no choice but to attempt to move forward with structure and caution. I recently received the new protocol to accompany my daughters return to school. This 20 page, extremely detailed document outlined the procedure for her every move from the bus to classroom and all the new rules put in place by the school. These protocols were a government requirement and often required a rewrite/redesign before the school was approved to open. While for many these extensive documents may be considered a little over the top, as parents we can only really appreciate the effort and commitment but also need to acknowledge how devastating an outbreak (or even one case) could be for any school. And for many parents, these lengthy protocols provide them some comfort that this global pandemic is a serious matter for the institutions that they trust their child's education and wellbeing to. I found that the school bus that my daughter takes to and from school daily was empty on her first day back. This was not due to the fact that children were not returning but rather, the regular school bus passengers were returning hand in hand with their somewhat cautious parents eager to see how their child's school was dealing with this new world. 

The emotion of education…

While over the last 6 months, we have come to discover that one on one study may be manageable from home, there are aspects of learning that are best facilitated within the school environment. These aspects cannot be replaced by a computer or a sole learning space which is why I believe the physical place of learning will certainly not disappear all together. Some ideas that deserve consideration here include:

* The role of the educator: The educator is paramount in a child's learning. Almost every adult can name at least one teacher from their schooling that influenced their lives in unimaginable ways. COVID-19 has really highlighted the value of the teacher for many parents and students. A strong relationship between student and teacher can be a strong catalyst for a child to believe in themselves and to learn with enthusiasm. If a child learns from home for most of the week, will this relationship be as strong if it is mainly through a computer? How will this affect a child's learning? 

* ocial skills and interaction: This is such a significant part of a child's schooling. Learning to interact, communicate and work with peers. So much of understanding the world is through interacting with others. What will be the effect of sending children home to learn and interact through a computer screen? How will they feel belonging and understand ‘community’?

* The stress of change: As discussed in the recently launched Steelcase report Post Covid Learning Spaces, ‘Educational institutions may choose to bring staff and students back in waves with staggered daily and weekly schedules for classes and activities – and a combination of in-person and remote learning. This approach will be stressful for administrators, educators, students and parents. It will require thoughtful planning and deliberate reflection about resources, technology and, most importantly, desired outcomes.’ Often when change occurs, it is done at a comfortable pace. Time for change and adaptation was not a luxury that Covid gave to the world. 

* The Emotional Aftermath: School is seen as a second home for some many students. A safe place where they spend a significant part of their youth and where they experience a vast array of emotions -  both positive and negative.  The Steelcase report Post Covid Learning Spaces goes into more detail on the emotional aftermath of Covid-19 as it states, ‘the stress, anxiety and mental health issues that students and educators may already face without the needed coping skills are intensified by the uncertainty, isolation and overwhelming nature of COVID-19. As they plan for the return to school and campus, administrators recognize the need to be more intentional about the social, emotional and physical wellbeing of their students and educators — and the greater need to ensure their physical and psychological safety.’  The report also really effectively breaks this further down to look at three pillars of ‘Wellbeing’. 

‘Wellbeing happens when there is an intersection between our physical, cognitive and emotional health — safety is foundational to all three. Educational institutions need to be supportive, connected communities ensuring that: 

? Physically: Students and educators can work and learn in places where they are able to stay active, healthy and safe, minimizing exposure to pathogens that cause illness. 

? Cognitively: People can focus on teaching and learning and not be distracted by fear for their personal safety. 

? Emotionally: People feel safe, supported and a sense of belonging so learning can thrive. 

Educational institutions will find themselves presented with new Post Covid challenges that they may have never been seen before. In this time of so much unknown, it will be so important for institutions to observe and listen to their students and to work with organisations that are committed to understanding the intricacies of education environments - both in terms of physical and physiological requirements. It is through observing and listening to the new world that institutions will be able to trial solutions and prototype their way through uncertainty.  

The digital divide...

Many would argue that COVID-19 has caused the long awaited and much needed digital transformation of the education industry. Learning has become more digital and most of the world has adapted to meet and adopt this change. But, we must not forget those children in the world who do not have access to the tools and infrastructure needed to live in this new digitally savvy world.  As a recent World Economic Forum article clearly articulated, ‘the less affluent and digitally savvy individual families are, the further their students are left behind. When classes transition online, these children lose out because of the cost of digital devices and data plans. Unless access costs decrease and quality of access increase in all countries, the gap in education quality, and thus socioeconomic equality will be further exacerbated. The digital divide could become more extreme if educational access is dictated by access to the latest technologies.’ These challenges and widening gap need to be addressed before they are overlooked and the world moves forward while many are left behind. 

One thing we can say with certainty is that we are now entering a time of great uncertainty. As the world starts to go back to school to varying degrees, it will be a time to closely watch and monitor if the new world order is one that allows future generations to continue to effectively learn or one that deprives our children of social interaction, a safe environment and a fair chance to receive a good education. 

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