Education is the answer

Education is the answer

Education shapes the world we live in by developing the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values on which societies rely, forging social cohesion and preparing people to become and remain competent workers and active citizens. Greater social equality and civil rights lead to a greater demand for education, as individuals seek to leverage their improved standing in society.

Education has seen massive expansion over the years, with unprecedented growth in participation and attainment levels. Education systems have developed into major engines of economic growth and prosperity, nation and community building, and social progress. The benefits of investing in education from a society perspective are greater than the pure returns an individual gets, and that’s why we must have compulsory, state-funded education. The demand for higher learning is increasing rapidly. Having a degree has never been more important. For many, it’s a prerequisite for maintaining a middle-class lifestyle. But the cost of university education has spiralled since the 1990s, forcing middle-class families and their children to take on crushing amounts of debt.

Education’s unique potential to reduce inequalities and build strong foundations for inclusive and democratic societies is widely recognised. However, upward social mobility has become more difficult to achieve, and the fear of downward social mobility is becoming more common in the middle classes.

Inequality operates throughout an individual’s life, not just during their education. Equal education can help address inequality, but it cannot solve it. Education can amplify inequality when educational opportunities are not fairly distributed within societies. Evidence shows that education contributes to the transmission of advantages and privileges from one generation to the next.

Education systems are moving on from the disruption generated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which gave urgency and visibility to the work in education. It brought questions on equity and inclusion in education. It led to more digitalisation in education.

Technology builds collaborative communities of learners, thereby enhancing goal orientation, motivation, persistence and the development of effective learning strategies. Digital learning provides easier access to a more diverse group, leaves a smaller carbon footprint, and gives shyer personalities a nudge to participate.

As such, education systems foster democracy and the transformation to innovation-oriented knowledge societies. Education develops shared identities and a sense of belonging that facilitates citizens’ active engagement in democratic processes. A current question in the humanities and social sciences is how to apply classroom learning to people’s lives. Critical feeling expands our capacity to think and feel from the perspective of someone else. Environmental education in schools should match the passion children are increasingly feeling for the subject and respond to climate change urgency.

Course description

You have a personal or professional interest in education. You want to contribute to the success of an educational institution or an organisation in general. You may have an interest in becoming an active participant in your community. You think you can be instrumental in the success or failure of a school or the educational system. You need to be more aware of what’s going on in the field of education.

The goals of the course are to:

• develop a range of frames for thinking about educational equity
• prepare learners to be critical and reflective participant-observers in educational settings
• prepare learners to be participants in educational processes and institutions.

This course provides learners with a global perspective of education from many different contexts: economic, sociologic, historic, pedagogic.

• You’ll share the thoughts of education experts and their aspirational views for the future of education.
• You’ll focus on inequalities, specifically how schools prevent and perpetuate social inequalities in our society.
• You’ll reflect on some of the educational trends impacting on both compulsory and higher education today.
• You’ll think about education policies and how they should be changed.
• You’ll think about the teacher’s role and how it is shifting from providing educational content to orchestrating students’ learning and nurturing their confidence.
• You’ll explore how technology is defining and redefining the way we learn, and uncover the opportunities technology presents for tackling inequality in education.

You’ll be challenged on the role of philosophy in the classroom or on the importance of environmental education for bringing young people into critical engagement with their local environment. Improved understanding and care will help their community move further towards engaged local democracy.

• Part 1: Investing in education
• Part 2: Reducing education inequality
• Part 3: Changing education
• Part 4: New ways to learn

Learning Outcomes

At the end of this course, you will be able to:

1. Identify and explain current issues impacting on education

2. Critique education and its role in society

3. Provide a rationale for innovative approaches in education.