FUTURE LEARNING : GIG ECONOMIES , CULTURAL CAPITAL & NEW LEARNING PATHWAYS
BY : ROHAN ROBERTS
We are currently starting to see a credentialing shift away from top-down central authority ( e . g ., universities ) and are simultaneously witnessing a shift in the learning pathways students choose . A learning pathway is described as “ the chosen route , taken by a learner through a range of learning activities , which allows them to build knowledge progressively .”
Previously , students had little control over their learning pathways . They would start their formal education in kindergarten and the next 14 years of their life will have been charted out for them . They would be expected to pass tests assigned by the teacher ; move up year groups and key stages ; sit for their year 10 exams and then their year 12 exams ; and finally , they would leave high school .
To encourage students to stick to this straight and narrow path , schools and universities have created a massive system of reports , standardised tests , fixed syllabus , subject-specific assessments , board exams , college prep , honours programmes , Deans ’ lists etc . The emphasis has been overwhelmingly on the products of learning — tests results , exams grades etc ., rather than on the process of learning . This inevitably has led to most students forgetting almost all that they learn in high school , almost immediately after they leave high school . ( If you doubt this , refer to the TIME magazine survey , which revealed that 1 in 4 Americans thinks the Sun revolves around the Earth , or watch Are You Smarter than a Fifthgrader ?)
Students used to be offered a limited choice in what they could learn and little to no flexibility in how they could learn and at what pace .
That was the prescribed learning pathway for almost everyone on the planet . Students had little or no opportunity to deviate from this defined learning pathway .
Thankfully , this is slowly starting to change . New learning pathways are emerging in which the control of choice is moving away from the teacher to the learner . Web 2.0 tools , online encyclopaedias , MOOCs , online tutoring platforms , interactive courseware aids , online study guides , internships , social media , and online collaborative platforms allow students to bridge the gap between access to information and their requirements for cognitive development . These novel ways of navigating the educational space will
36 Term 3 Apr - Jun 2022
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