- How are young people from this model?
- Positive aspects
- Negative aspects
- Overcoming obstacles to the democratization of knowledge
- Looking to the future
- References
The democratization of knowledge consists of the possibility that a large percentage of the human population can access information for free or at low cost. This social phenomenon is produced especially thanks to the internet, a technology with which you can access thousands of websites that contain information on all the topics you can imagine.
Some of the positive aspects of the democratization of knowledge are the possibility of learning more and at low cost or being able to learn from the case. Some of the negative aspects are the need to filter information and to know which sources are reliable.
This recent fact in human history allows the idea of offering learning designed for the individual abilities of the student. It is an educational ideal, of international rank, which is committed to breaking with the standardization of teaching, through the creation of new educational models.
To achieve this, it is important to eliminate the old paradigms imposed for centuries, in which a single message or model was offered to a group of individuals with different genetic capacities and abilities.
This process has the premise that each person is unique, so each one learns differently.
How are young people from this model?
The democratization of knowledge considers young people not as passive recipients of knowledge but as active co-creators of their own learning. They ensure that a society based on participation, empowerment and democracy should have an education based on these same values.
Based on the original concept of democracy (government of the people), the intention of this inclusive educational process is to empower citizens to improve their educational conditions.
Positive aspects
This model raises a series of positive aspects for the modernization of learning, which includes students and teachers having an equal vote in decisions about their learning.
During the International Conference on the Democratization of Education (IDEC) held in Germany in 2005 some positive aspects were discussed. Some of them are:
-To be able to decide individually how, when, what, where and with whom to learn.
-Have an equal participation in decision-making in the way schools are run, including their rules and sanctions, if necessary.
The promoters of this educational reform foresee in the long term to develop citizens who work towards creating better societies.
For experts, one of the most important aspects of this process is that students take ownership of their own education, since in this way there is a greater commitment to work for their own good.
Other additional benefits include:
-More class attendance.
-Better participation in educational activities.
-Fixation of larger goals.
-Increased motivation in general.
They ensure that the democratization of knowledge teaches students the value of being a true participant in their own environment, ensuring that their voice is heard and taken into account.
This view of student integration and individualization of their education continues to be replicated around the world. They affirm that for an education to be democratic it cannot be limited to the four walls of a classroom.
Negative aspects
The democratization of knowledge raises a series of aspects that still need to be improved:
-It is a process in continuous development, which has not yet been perfected and generates continuous opinions and reforms by experts from all over the world.
-The process needs to adapt not only to the individual, but to the community from which it comes. The cultural aspect is extremely important and it can be difficult to successfully merge the individual-environment aspect.
-It involves entrusting the student with a responsibility in making decisions that could work differently between one individual and another, taking into account their desire to participate, social integration and maturity.
-One of the challenges of the democratization of knowledge is to ensure that its reach reaches all social strata, and not just schools or communities with avant-garde trends.
-Other aspects to take into account is the resistance to change that both teachers and students could have when faced with a different educational model.
Overcoming obstacles to the democratization of knowledge
It can be positive that students have the opportunity to choose their own educational path and control over their goals, but a series of elements must occur for democratization to be executed:
-Teachers must go beyond conventional education to build a more relevant and engaging experience that connects with the lives of young people.
-Schools must lead by example by implementing democratization on a daily basis in their facilities, showing their way of making decisions, in addition to promoting projects that integrate the student with their community.
-The institutions should include in their terminology, phrases such as "democratic schools" and other strategies to promote the practice of these values.
-Creation of forums in which the participation of young people is really counted, through student councils, that put them in contact with the decision-making of their school.
-Allow parents and guardians to be educated under this ideal through learning centers that link them to the learning model.
-Cities and school districts committed to creating reforms for personalized learning. Breaking with the conventional structure in order to build an “educational city”.
-Establish free extracurricular programs, to motivate young people to explore their personal interests and connect them with the community outside of their school.
-Presence of councils that put young people in contact with the work of their legislators, mayors and governors.
-Universities must continue the work started in schools, committing students to the development of their own long-term educational plans.
-These universities also have to commit to training teachers for a progressive and democratic education.
Looking to the future
The democratization of education breaks the eternal barrier between the student and his instructor, one of the most profound reforms in recent years in order to modify the future of world citizenship.
This new teaching model would not only benefit the student. A reform of this magnitude will also allow teachers to eliminate personal and educational barriers in the way of transmitting their knowledge.
This change could create a better prepared human generation due to the multiple educational options they would have, more responsible, independent, more self-confident and connected with their environment.
References
- Institute of Democratic Education in America. "What is Democratic Education". democraticeducation.org
- International Democratic Education Network. idenetwork.org
- The Sudbury Model Education. 2011. sudburyschool.com/conten/sudbury-model-education
- Equality of Educational Opportunity. 2017. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. plato.stanford.edu
- Maria Luz Torres. Organizer of Parent Voices SF. 2016.yesmagazine.org