The “microcosm” of society…
Is the classroom a small sample of society? It’s reflective in terms of the students being a representative sample of the greater society. But does the teaching and learning process reflect what’s going on?
Anyone could argue that what goes on in the educational institution somehow reflects what’s going on in the greater society but there’s a gap, albeit “narrowing”, between delivery of education and the delivery of almost everything else.
Students on campus treat their digital mobility as an appendage. Instant contact is more than reliable. Entertainment is right there at their fingertips if they are bored.
Now think of the mode of communication for instructor and learner. Academia is the “cradle” for new modes of communication, ways of interacting and the re-creation of knowledge – nobody really creates knowledge. We transmit and communicate and in doing so we ‘create’ or ‘recreate’ our understanding of the world around us…knowledge is just one piece of the puzzle – but the first piece in this puzzle.