Topic:Some people believe that the typical classroom situation with a teacher will disappear by 2050. Do you agree or disagree?

The world is changing, and so too is education. So much so that some people argue that the classical classroom setting with a teacher and a student present will no longer exist in the future. I, however, completely disagree with this opinion for two reasons.

One is that students will increasingly opt for synchronous classes with an educator teaching in real time. They will do so because they will seek live interaction with both the teacher and the other students in order to be able to ask questions immediately or exchange ideas as such interaction not only facilitates learning but also reinforces motivation. This has become evident in recent years after the proliferation of self-paced online courses, which people first welcomed as a more convenient way to study but then struggled to complete, with the average completion rate being only 5-15%. Thus, despite other formats being available, students will likely prefer more traditional ones, a choice that will generate demand and, consequently, supply on the part of the educational institutions.

Even more important is the second reason – the equality this type of education setting provides. Were all materials to be available in the digital form or online only, those who do not have access to technology or to a quiet learning space would have no access to education at all. Coming from deprived backgrounds already, such people would therefore be put at a further disadvantage. The traditional school-based system, while not impeccable or all-encompassing, still gives every student a chance to learn, thereby allowing them an opportunity to improve their social status. Given how crucial this system is as a social mobility mechanism, governments will preserve it in order to ensure equal access to education.

In conclusion, the classical, well-established form of education – one with teacher-led, classroom-based instruction – offers significant benefits in terms of knowledge acquisition and equality of opportunity. It is for this reason that this form of education will, in my opinion, exist well into the future, regardless of how the world might change.

336 words

Irina Lutsenko