An education for the 21st century

Contemporary education is no longer the monopoly of the teacher. Other protagonists, such as students and administrators, are increasingly involved in the learning process. And this has largely become possible thanks to the widespread use of digital tools. Are we, in this way, definitively paving the way for 21st-century education?

Indeed, computers and applications are emerging as alternatives to traditional blackboards and printed books. Notebooks, tablets, electronic whiteboards, interactive games, and podcasts are attracting administrators, educators, and students. For this reason, many already consider digital technologies to be the panacea for the major problems of contemporary education.

But is that really the case?

The allure of technological resources is most evident among children and young people, who were born in the digital age. Furthermore, the relevance of these resources cannot be denied. New technologies save labor; eliminate travel and various logistical procedures; offer more sophisticated audiovisual resources; and expand course options without requiring significant financial resources.

For example, just imagine the costs of constructing and maintaining a building to house a school, and you can get an idea of ​​the savings that virtual classes represent. For most teachers, the expansion of options for teaching materials is also welcome.

The challenge lies in identifying the potential limitations of using high technology in education and the most appropriate content for schooling in this context. The fact is, however wonderful this technology may be, it cannot, by itself, transform outdated methods and pedagogies. Sometimes, technology even reinforces them, deepening the conflict between the old and the new. It's the typical situation where the old is dying, but the new cannot yet be born, to use the expression of the Italian politician and thinker Antonio Gramsci. So, we have a scenario that, besides being contradictory, is unequal and combined: we have a 21st-century student, a 20th-century teacher, and a 19th-century school...

An example of this contradiction came knocking at our door very recently: 529 students scored zero on the essay portion of the last ENEM exam. Out of a universe of six million candidates, only 250 managed to get a perfect score. And this, it should be said, is just one example of the current problems in education at its most delicate stage: high school.

And what is the origin of this problem? In my view, it is the inability of schools and teachers to understand the reality and the world of young people in order to motivate them and, through dialogue, attract them to learning. In short, the difficulty in building the bridge between the old and the new.

The mission of educating requires a connection to the students' daily lives. And this cannot be achieved simply by offering the latest information and communication technologies in the classroom.

Innovation doesn't necessarily come from implementing technological tools – although it doesn't eliminate the need for them. It primarily requires courage from teachers to change old attitudes, giving way to more participatory classes where the student is heard and there is interaction between them, so that the student feels like a fundamental part of the learning process.

After all, as the master Paulo Freire said, teaching is not about transferring knowledge, but about creating the possibilities for its own production.