The Emergency in “e-Learning”: What is Education For?

What will we learn about education from the days in 2020 when our school buildings were closed?

We might say we’ve learned there’s a lot more good out there than we’d have hoped to imagine — a lot of creativity and a lot of generosity. New curricula, content, resources, platforms, tools, tips, techniques, technology being developed — and much of it freely shared. A lot of nimbleness and flexibility. Quick pivots as schools and families adapt from classroom-based to home-based delivery.

Will this experience change our perspectives on teaching and learning, once life gets sorted and school buildings open? Indeed, what will we learn from this period of … well … homeschooling?

One American think tank has already declared, “We’re all homeschoolers now.”

I disagree for two reasons:

(1) Lack of flexible use of time and space (we’re in lockdown and cannot leave our homes!)

(2) Lack of ultimate parental responsibility for the design of educational programs (most of the educational programs in use currently are designed by teachers, with the expectation parents will support where required)

This is not homeschooling.