Sometimes the comments generated on a post are so interesting and thought provoking that a new post is merited to flesh out the ideas being discussed. Such is the case with comments made on my post Why I Still Think Marketing Could Improve Education. I use the terms "Brick and Mortar Learning" and "Brick and Mortar Teaching" to explore the ideas that arose from our threaded discussion.
John R. is an instructor of marketing and an educator. I excerpted some of his comments.
“I think the marketing of education through use of technology will ultimately replace the institution of education, at least as we now know it, and far more quickly than we may wish to realize.”
“It is a rational choice for the consumer and the provider.
“However, as both a producer and consumer, I feel something vital may be missing in this model despite it being sold as "interactive." Call it experience, empathy, compassion, insight - I'm not sure. Maybe you can even describe the missing link as emotion or passion.
“Regardless, there is a clear difference hearing a story and telling a story face-to-face, in contrast to reading it on a page or liquid crystal display. Something feels different; it’s certainly not the same transmission without human emotion or passion. It is then truly different.
“Do we change the definition of education to conform to the "new model" or do we hold fast to recognizing a difference and calling the new paradigm something other than education. Possibly akin to edu-tainment or e-knowledge.”
To which I responded with.
"John, your comments are excellent and hit on a point. I have always inwardly struggled with myself. While I advocate what I call the Open Model of Education, I am still very much a "student in the classroom" kind of learner. Even as I have considered a doctorate or an MBA program, I knew that online programs would not work well for me. I would miss the personal interaction, the story, the smile, the laugh, and the spontaneity of learning with other people."
But, I wonder...
Is that my personal learning style? Am I a brick and mortar learner? Is that my personal teaching style? Am I a brick and mortar teacher?
OR
Is that because I am a "digital immigrant" and not "a digital native?"
I know this is a question many of you have dealt with and possibly even resolved in your minds. Is being a “Brick and Mortar Learner” as I call it, a learning style or product of my being part of a non “digital native” generation? Is being a “Brick and Mortar Teacher” a result of my training, my teaching style, or simply a reflection of where I work?
If it is a learning style, as many of us advocate for the Open Model of Education that leverages technology as a means to deliver instruction at a time and place of a student’s choosing, we will still need to be aware that some students will not do well in that sort of learning environment. We will have to be conscious that as we try to tear down the “walls” of education that we leave actual walls, actual places that some students can still go to where they can interact in person with a teacher and with fellow learners.
Similarly, if there is a “Brick and Mortar Learner” learning style, then we might well consider that there “Brick and Mortar Teachers” who will not be comfortable nor equipped to teach learners in the high technology virtual learning environment.
As we tear down the “walls” of education, “Brick and Mortar Teachers” will have to adapt to the new reality of teaching and learning. If being a “Brick and Mortar Learner” is not a learning style, but a generational condition, then I guess we can tear down those “walls” with little fear. The answers will be played out in the future and I can’t wait to see how it plays out.
Catalytic Questions:
How is your involvement in technology, marketing, etc. changing your perception of education?
What previously successful assumptions about education are you going to have to challenge or change to address the question of Brick and Mortar Learning or Teaching?
Are there ideas in other fields, industries, etc. that you can look to to develop ideas about how things will evolve in education?
Just as John and I combined a discussion of marketing and education, what ideas can you combine to gain new insight into the Bricks and Mortar learning and teaching issue?
How can you make teaching and learning in virtual environments or attractive to both teachers and students? How can you make teaching and learning in the brick and mortar classroom more attractive to both teacher and student?
Which would you prefer? Why?
Recommended Reading:
Why I Think Marketers Could Improve Education
14 Trends Of The New Educational Reality: Part 2-Trends 8-14
14 Trends Of The New Educational Reality (Part 1-Trends 1-7)
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