Redefining "education" in time of COVID-19

The sudden appearance of COVID-19 in the Philippines has extremely disrupted the education sector. People in the education sector are wrapping their heads as to what interventions to implement especially in areas where digital divide might pose problems, as to how learning and teaching shall change given the pandemic, and as to how we can design cost-efficient yet relevant solutions for our teachers and leaders. However, we believe that before we design complex and comprehensive interventions, there's a need to go back to redefining key terms in education given that certain key terms might not have the same definitions as we initially know it to be. Thus, together with a friend from DepEd, we launched a webinar series that aims to redefine key terms in education (such as learning, teaching, and leading), that is made freely accessible to the public, and which engages thought leaders in Philippine education. I was inspired to do this because I saw a lack of discussion regarding these topics - and while there are teaching and learning videos, these materials are developed to be used by teachers, but not necessarily to provoke discussions that would influence public thought and eventually, public discourse and education policies. We are glad to say that a number of education policy leaders (undersecretaries, directors) and public school teachers have signed up as attendees to our webinars - and this validates the need to continue engaging stakeholders in redefining what education means for this country. I saw the need to respond to the local crisis we are facing, especially as I wanted to use what I learned from Australia regarding Learning Sciences and Technologies, and massively influence how the education sector can explore alternative learning delivery modes through the use of education technologies.
What does learning, teaching and leading mean in time of COVID-19? These are the questions that Australia Awards alumnus Carlo Fernando sought to answer as the country's education sector embrace the new normal brought by the pandemic. Carlo, together with a friend from the Department of Education (DepEd), launched Redefining "Education" webinar series via Facebook Live that aimed to redefine key terms in education (i.e., learning, teaching, leading). Each webinar features thought leaders in the education sector who will lead and encourage meaningful discussions on education that would inform and influence public thought and eventually public discourse and policies.
Catch Redefining "Education" webinars here: www.facebook.com/PolicyEduc
