The education system plays a pivotal role in contemporary society. It serves to prepare individuals for participation in modern economies and foster a strong cultural identity in persons living in a multicultural world (Robinson, 2010). The primary function of education is to ensure that children grow to become efficient members of society and contribute to its development. However, college, and even school education, is not available to everyone. Although numerous measures are implemented to ensure that all students are allowed equal rights and opportunities, including the No Child Left Behind Act, the Head Start program, and bilingual education, disparities remain (Griffiths et al., 2015). In particular, education costs tend to determine students’ quality of training and opportunities for further education. Schools that lack financing cannot provide their students with access to technology and equipment that is vital for their education. In addition, public schools that require financial support can also resort to unfair measures, such as passing students regardless of their grades to gain funding (Griffiths et al., 2015). Thus, there is a need for a new model of education that focuses on student needs and prepares them for life in a technology-centered society.
A new educational model should incorporate technology into the students’ daily schedules and ensure students’ needs are addressed. Therefore, the contemporary classroom education model should replace a project-based, student-centered one. Within the model, each student is expected to collaborate with the teacher and counselor on individualized study plans and education goals and work towards achieving those goals. Student-centeredness is an invaluable quality of an excellent educational system as it allows students agency and control over their own education. However, teachers should remain an essential fixture in the system, with their role shifting to that of a guide and facilitator rather than a source of knowledge. As a characteristic of the existing educational model, interaction and collaboration with other students should also be encouraged to develop further. A greater focus is to be put on technology that can provide alternatives to traditional lessons, such as illustrated lectures, and be used to communicate with other students and access one’s personalized curriculum (Selwyn, 2020). In summary, a novel educational model should focus on students’ aspirations and deliver student-centered education with the help of technology.
References
Griffiths, H., Keirns, N., Strayer, E., Cody-Rydzewski, S., Scaramuzzo, G., Sadler, T., Vyain, S., Bry, J., & Ones, F. (2015). Education. In Introduction to sociology (2nd ed.). OpenStax.
Robinson, K. (2010). Changing education paradigms [Video]. TED: Ideas worth spreading.
Selwyn, N. (2020). How creative use of technology may have helped save schooling during the pandemic. The Conversation.