In the book "1984" George Orwell described a society where the gentle hum of computers dictated daily life and, just as many of the book's predictions have become reality, our future direction in education, via the second education paradigm, is now becoming increasingly clear.  This essay addresses the impact on us all of that process over the next 20 years. Whether we immediately become part of that cadre of second paradigm learners or we choose to put it off for as long as possible, our inclusion within it holds a certain inevitability.

Introduction

Briefly, the new paradigm emerged in 2001 when the policy of the day dictated that information be no longer locked into libraries and into the physical minds of "teachers", but rather that rich information and learning environments become available to anyone, anywhere via the Internet range of tools.  Historically education has been about someone who was considered knowledgeable, addressing a group of "learners" using texts and a board (slate, black, white, smart . . . .) to pass on a select subset of knowledge. The unlocking of information, and its availability at very low cost, realistically opened up the opportunity for e-learning and lifelong learning. The new education paradigm offers to-day’s learners the ability to access individually appropriate material, at times that suit the learners, at a pace that is appropriate, at a place that suits their lifestyle, allowing them to direct their learning to meet their own personal needs as opposed to the present "one size fits all" approach.

However . . . .

In order to take up the opportunities of the second paradigm, students require a raft of new skills, attitudes and processes that are presently:

1. Not being delivered in the generic school system. 

2.   Being delivered in a piece-meal manner

Educators have been trying to adapt to the changing needs of the learner by including some of these skills, processes and attitudes in an ad hoc fashion, a practice that resulted naturally in a worldwide catch-cry of "the crowded curriculum" Some more able students will eventually self-identify the need for these skills and, if they are fortunate, will develop the skills, cultivate the new attitudes required and learn the new processes essential to being lifelong learners.  However, for most the opportunities that the second paradigm presents for learners will be lost unless education systems acknowledge the impact that this paradigm shift is going to have on all of us and make “it” available to all learners equitably and as immediately as possible.

As we enter only the second ever education paradigm, society as a whole will move through huge changes in perception of what learning is, how it takes place, where it takes place, what knowledge, processes, concepts, skills and attitudes are important, and how and when learners will access these.  For this reason it is imperative that the second paradigm be marketed extensively and creatively so that all of society is informed about the potential benefits that it can bestow.

This will in effect challenge the concept of what schools are, how they function and their expected outputs to learners. To facilitate a change on this scale and to justify the necessary investment in communicating that change, the significant advantages to society will need to be emphasised in order to achieve a successful transition from the first education paradigm into the second.  Strategic planning for the implementation of the second paradigm must therefore be clear, consistent and well funded.

The Advantages of the New Education Paradigm

The advantages of entering into the second paradigm as quickly as possible are considerable, both socially and economically.  Some of these advantages are bullet pointed below.

The Underlying Principles

 There are some essential underlying principles that underpin the second paradigm:

As the learner has no reference point to which this new meaning can be attached, the end-result could be a framework constructed from possibly flawed assumptions and limited prior knowledge.  Although there has been some progress in many countries in this area, too often the contexts used are simply historical.  Consider a series of hypothetical questions asked of a student who has just completed a unit on "the Romans": “What would it be like to wake up as a 14 -year-old Roman person?” : Would you wake up in a bed?  If so what is the bed made of?  Does the bed have blankets, a duvet?  What would you have for breakfast?  What would you eat it from?  Would other people join you for breakfast?  Is there a special breakfast room?  Do you go to school?  If so, does the chariot pick you up at 8.30am?  What subjects do you study, if any?  What games would you play during lunchtime?  Where would you take your girlfriend on a date?  Would there be Roman police on the streets slowing down the horses that are going too fast? 

More often than not most students in this category would fail dismally to answer any of these questions or recognise that the questions form the link between what they know in their own lives and what life for them would have been like in Roman times, and consequently they miss the opportunity to explore the differences and similarities.  Once the student has an idea about what life for them would be like in Roman times they can then start building the greater picture including concepts such as government, transport, architecture, war  . . . . .

• Provisions of appropriate technology: Technology is provided that allows for access to rich information and communication environments via a single portal with a single userID and password (the Knowledge NET), which is customisable to reflect the learner’s needs and personal requirements.  The knowledge NET is available from any internet connected device including phones (cell and land line), PDA’s, computers, media centre’s . . . . All of these technologies must fulfil a perceived/real need, be intuitive to use, and be reliable and affordable to all sectors of the community.  The mobile phone is a classic example of a new technology that has become pervasive in a short period of time by meeting these criteria.
• Information access: Information access is ubiquitous, cheap/free, and information is sorted and is available by simple keyword entry based on previous user history and interests.

The Role of Government

Governments have the capacity to legislate into existence this transition, through effective policy development.  Policy development needs to address all key areas, it needs to be consistent and it needs to be strategic.  The key issues that need to be addressed are: (in no particular order)

• The provision of access to affordable high speed (512k+) Internet bandwidth.
• Communication to the entire community very clearly the reasons behind the transition from the first paradigm into the second and what changes and resulting benefits they can expect.
• To facilitate the provision of effective and consistent professional development for teachers/educators, increasingly using the learning model embedded in the second paradigm as educators become more conversant with it.
• To ensure that schools work collaboratively together in clusters, reducing the tendency to reinvent the wheel, and facilitating discussion focused on the new pedagogy that the second paradigm requires.
• To provide a time line for the full implementation of the second paradigm and ensure that time line is adhered to, and that the necessary resources are provided in order to carry out implementation.
• To institute a seamless approach to learning rather than segmenting the market and allowing inconsistencies to occur. The nature of lifelong learning requires interplay and crossover between traditional sectors.
• To ensure that communication from the Ministry of Education/Department of Education is effective and efficient and is directed to each individual teacher within the education system and that all messages, policies and vision statements are clear concise and consistent.
• To encourage all employers, through incentives (not necessarily financial), to provide the tools of access, the necessary upskilling and the promotional infrastructure that will encourage employees to contribute to the company/business success through innovation and successful branding.
• To ensure that the Ministry/Department of Education has a clear and unequivocal vision of what the second paradigm is, and is fully committed to its implementation.  In tandem with this is the need to be able to communicate that vision effectively to all levels of the community.
• To build a community-wide promotional program that is clear and realistic about the benefits, the rationale and the expected process of implementation.  The implementation process needs to become a political obsession!  Playing around the periphery will cost any political party dearly.

These are just some of the issues embedded within the transition process from the first paradigm into the second.  We have never been here before and this will be a marketing and delivery exercise on a huge scale.  It will require a considerable cadre of passionate people who understand the benefits that will flow from the transition, these people being spread across all sectors of society including all government and intergovernmental agencies, NGO’s (non-governmental organisations) and all major institutions throughout society.  The benefits to those societies that make the transition will be enormous, both economically and socially.  Those students/people who have been taught or have picked up these skill sets will be the 21st century “traders”, trading intellectual property across the globe (as against goods) as goods can be produced cheaply, anywhere.

Conclusion

There is a certain inevitability about the uptake of the second paradigm which could be introduced by a variety of mechanisms. If the official institutions responsible for education do not adopt the role, then learners will pursue their own agenda intuitively using it to gain personal advantage in the Knowledge game.  The unfortunate aspects of this approach would be its inequity.  Brighter, more affluent learners will pick up these skills more quickly and seeing their potential, will be in a position to implement them sooner, leaving many learners still pursuing the historical curriculum and being reassured that it is still the solution they need.  It is our responsibility therefore as educators to ensure that all learners have the skills and resources, understand the processes and are sufficiently fluent technologically to take advantage of the new paradigm.