Although student collaboration in the teaching process is not necessarily a novel idea, integrating teachers in this process is. In all learning and teaching models, the role of the teacher has always been one of superiority in terms of knowledge. Students are regarded as subordinate, deferring to the teacher for their learning process. In Carroll's model, teachers truly become collaborators with students, working together to gain new knowledge, making an enriching experience for everyone involved. Central to this model is the sense of community.
On major challenge here is that Carroll's proposed model is so radically different from all education models developed thus far, that it is likely to meet significant resistance in educational circles. At the heart of this resistance is not necessarily only the pride of leaders and policy makers, but also the status quo and comfort zones of teachers themselves. Years and decades of habit cannot be expected to yield to one good idea by one author, regardless of how viable it appears on published, peer-reviewed paper.
The reality is also, however, that change is necessary. An increasing number of authors promote the ideal of change. One of these is Patricia Kokinos, who promotes a move away from the concept of schools as businesses, which respond to numbers and figures as their primary function. Instead, the author notes that schools much more closely resemble families than factories. This echoes Carroll's view, that integrated partnership and learning is the way forward for education in general. Specifically, Kokinos suggests that the human brain is designed to synthesize multi-factored webs of meaning, rather than a linear model of learning, which is generally promoted by the school system today. Like Carroll, the author promotes collaboration to accomplish this. Only when collaboration is complete can technology fully benefit the education process. Indeed, Kokinos suggests that schools follow a pattern that is similar to the World Wide Web, where schools, teachers,...
There is general uncertainty about how to integrate technology in schools. There is also uncertainty about how to fund the integration and changes required to best serve the needs of today's students. All these uncertainties culminate in suggestions such as those by Kokinos and Carroll; that a complete overhaul of the education system is required.
Although Carroll's specific ideas are relatively new, none of them is based on an unheard-of philosophy. Collaboration has been recognized as a valid educational philosophy for years. Furthermore, the increasing number of calls for change in the education system may finally begin to take form under the pens of critics like Carroll and Kokinos. Although it currently appears that these authors are simply philosophizing about far-off ideals, all reforms begin as ideas. This creates a ray of hope that the education system may one day catch up with the pace of technological change and the social requirements.
Clearly, as suggested by both Carroll and Kokinos, change is a requirement if our future human resources will be prepared adequately for the professional future they will face. Hence, thinkers and rulers need to collaborate, even as it is suggested that students and teachers do, in order to become an integrated system of effective learning.
References
Caine, R.N. And Caine, G. Understanding why Education Must Change. New Horizons for Learning. Retrieved from: http://home.avvanta.com/~building/trans/caine_change.htm
Carroll, T.G. If we didn't have schools today, would we create the schools we have today?
Kokinos, P. (2010). Changing the Schools can Change the World. Retrieved from: http://changetheschools.com/
