Technology Enabled Teaching and Learning: Uncertainty, Vulnerability and Trust

 

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The global Covid-19 pandemic has thrown educators and learners into what, for many, is a hitherto unknown learning and teaching environment. My focus, in this talk, will be on the importance of trust in times of uncertainty when we are all, learners and educators alike, vulnerable in ways that may be unfamiliar and discomforting. Acknowledging that trust always entails risk and a lack of control as well as ‘systematic vulnerability’ with ‘the self at some danger’ (Flores and Solomon 1998, 220), I shall suggest that trust is, following Martha Nussbaum (2016), a matter of both belief and emotion.  On that account, I will argue that the technology enabled teaching and learning, to which we have all had to become quickly accustomed, raises important issues. As educators, we are working in times of uncertainty, As citizens of the world, we are vulnerable not only to health related concerns but to significantly changed roles, responsibilities and modes of working. The same applies to our learners and so I shall suggest that trust is as important as our use of technology in these uncertain times.  Of course the pandemic and resulting restrictions have meant that we cannot realize learning and teaching without technology and we need technology we can trust to work. But my focus here will be on trust in ourselves, in our learners, and in our capacities to learn from this unprecedented global crisis. At a minimum I shall contend that educators should trust in themselves, their colleagues and, as important, the learners with whom they are working and do so acknowledging their and their learners’ vulnerabilities. More optimistically, I shall suggest that increased trust today will enable us to forge enhanced pedagogies and pedagogic and collegial relationships in pursuit of improved learning and teaching for the future. 

 

Flores, F. and Solomon, R.C. (1998) Creating Trust, Business Ethics Quarterly, 8(2): 205–232, doi:10.2307/3857326.

Nussbaum, M. C. (2016) Anger and Forgiveness - Resentment, Generosity, and Justice, Oxford: Oxford University Press.

 

 

 

基於技術推動的教與學：

動盪、弱點和信賴

 

 

席捲全球之新冠肺炎疫情，將不少教育工作者和學生強置於前所未見的教學環境。是次演講的焦點，在於對教學雙方而言，面對此等動盪不安時局時信賴之重要性。信賴必然伴隨着風險和不可控的因素，以及“處於某種危險中”的“系統性弱點” (Flores and Solomon 1998, 220)。如馬沙·勞斯鮑姆所言 (Martha Nussbaum 2016)，信賴繫乎信念與情感。有鑑於此，我認為時下師生都已習以為常的、基於技術推動的教與學，將面對重大的問題。身為教育工作者，我們的工作籠罩於動盪時局的陰影之下；而作為世界公民，除了健康威脅，我們還需面對角色、責任與工作模式的巨大改變。在教學雙方皆面臨同樣的動盪形勢之時，我認為相互信賴之重要性絲毫不下於科技的應用。疫情爆發，意味著教育工作與科技的掛鉤，我們的工作亦必須依靠一些可信賴的科技。然而，我此次的焦點，在於對自身、同事與學生的信賴，以及對我們能於這場空前的世界危機中更進一步之自信。我認為，教育工作者至少應信賴自身、同事和學生，並在與他們共同努力的同時，不忽視他人乃至自身的脆弱一面。展望將來，我期盼現今增進彼此的信賴，能加強教學法的發展，讓校園更為融洽，以追求更理想的教學成效。

 

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Flores, F. and Solomon, R.C. (1998) Creating Trust, Business Ethics Quarterly, 8(2): 205–232, doi:10.2307/3857326.

Nussbaum, M. C. (2016) Anger and Forgiveness - Resentment, Generosity, and Justice, Oxford: Oxford University Press.