“How have we come so far in such a short time? The partial answer lies in the advancement of technology and the rapid development of high-speed computers, (…). These inventions have allowed advancement unparalleled in the history of man. One wonders if the next few decades will show a continued extrapolation of the rate of discovery. A rather scary thought educators should recognize is that the dynamics of discovery are often impeded by the sluggishness of changes in educational practices.”. Philip (2007)

When the article made this mention about technology, I thought… “how CAN we possibly expect for students to tolerate the outdated fashions of classrooms in which the majority of students find themselves in every year?” As a student myself at a university, I have explicitly learned with my peers about how we are a fundamental part of a movement that attempts to shift old teaching methodologies and formulate motivating, interactive classrooms for students. One key thing we as educators also need to understand is, what IS going on with our kids on a more personal and scientific level. Our adolescent students encounter many neurological and biological shifts which leads them to enter, regress, and surpass various emotional battles including uncertainty, certainty, confusion, dreaming, frustrations, desires, hopes, and the list goes on and on. With that being said, I believe of course, that, our service as teachers is to effectively facilitate their learning and challenge them as they confront adolescence (something each and every one of has also experienced). Adolescents are inquisitive creatures that want to know, move and learn more. Being in a room day in and day out that bores students and stagnates their cognitive potential and development is not the kind of education any student deserves.
In past student observations I have seen more dull, boring classrooms than vibrant, dynamic ones. Many classrooms, in my opinion, are far too traditional to realistically expect meaningful learning. I am not coming from an idealised standpoint, I just mean that teachers should be creating spaces that generally could be considered interactive and dynamic. I have seen some students literally fall asleep sitting up, and I mean no offense to the teachers, but I feel strongly about the fact that our classrooms also need to evolve- at least to some degree comparable to that of other service industries. Something isn’t working, and it’s not breaking news, but why are many educators- even those that would be considered “thoroughly and highly trained”- not implementing (and/or maintaining) change? Do many fall into a comfort zone of a traditional classroom?
I understand that teaching is a job that is far from easy, and I do not mean to ‘wrong’ anybody in any way, I simply just wonder.