Why should I read this chapter? ... because a new education system needs new pedagogical principles!
Mr. Theara Khoun's vision for Cambodia's new education philosophy in 2040:
Education as we know will have evolved. Assessment in 2040 is holistic and individualized. The success is premised on the successful implementation of six systemic reforms:
- the integration of digital education and technology into the classroom;
- a model of bilingualism (Khmer and English);
- the adoption of facilitation-based education;
- the feature of project-based, collaborative, and real-world learning;
- integrated sensorial learning; and,
- individualized, holistic evaluations.
Short story:
Waking up on a morning in January 2040, Ret Mayuri (English nickname “Yuri”) asks TimeSmart, a low-cost, time management robot, about her schedule for the day. The device tells her there is one science class for her to attend at Sisowath School from 10am to 12pm, two self-registered online courses on creative design and material engineering for her to resume, and a pending twelve-week collaborative project for her to work on. Consisting of a team of five students, the collaborative project on adjustable chair design is in response to a recent student feedback survey showing that some students are having difficulty sitting for long hours in the current school chairs. After school, Yuri searches on the internet for ideas, samples, and videos on adjustable materials and takes relevant online classes recommended by her class facilitator. She then syncs her collaborative works on KhmerKollab, a popular cloud-based platform, and makes an initial presentation using a hologram projector from her home to her teammates. Yuri then successfully produces four different prototypes of adjustable chairs to share with her friends, using a 3D printer available at the Student Lab. Her team then invites 20 students to try out the new chairs during their class. A week later she conducts an online survey with these volunteer students to learn about their experience, using an app on their e-watches. The result shows that only two students found all four prototypes uncomfortable, implying a tenfold decrease of complaints when set against the standard design. At the end of their project, Yuri and her teammates need to write an individual reflective paper in English, including the portfolio of their data, reading materials, and raw files. Her team then uploads their project, prototype, and relevant information to Share9, a popular skill and problem-solving platform, to share their initiative with other netizens.
