Mendive. Journal on Education, january-march 2021; 19(1):338-339
Translated from the original in Spanish
The new reality of education in pandemic conditions: necessary readings
La nueva realidad de la educación en condiciones de pandemia: lecturas necesarias
A Nova Realidade da Educação em Condições Pandémicas: Leituras Necessárias
Adaymí González Valdés
University of Pinar del Río "Hermanos Saíz Montes de Oca". Cuba
Bibliographic sheet
Dussel, I., Ferrante, P. and Pulfer, D. (compilers) (2020) Thinking about education in times of pandemic. Between the emergency, the commitment and the wait . Digital book. Editorial Universitaria UNIPE. Educational Policies Collection. Buenos Aires, Argentina. ISBN 978-987-3805-51-6 Available at: https://editorial.unipe.edu.ar/colecciones/politicas-educativas/pensar-la -educacion-en-tiempos-de-pandemia-entre-la-emergencia -the-commitment-and-waiting/
The book Thinking about education in times of pandemic presents us with a careful selection of articles in which researchers and teachers comment, from different angles, on a recurring phenomenon for those who exercise in the teaching profession in the world of 2020: teaching in confined or new normality conditions, as the phenomenon characterized by social and physical distancing as it has been called, even in the classroom environment; the covered faces and the rush to return to the safety of home, a reality that contrasts with what the school historically promoted: exchange with others, expressiveness of affections and group relationships.
With a historical-logical approach, the book goes back, from its first chapter, to the history of education in the framework of the epidemics that hit Argentina throughout its trajectory as a nation, in a sort of comparison between the real possibilities available to teachers then and the resources that, thanks to information and communication technologies, they have today.
He then takes a tour of public policies, teacher expectations, the reality of technologies and equity in their distribution, the role and commitment of the family with the education of their children and other issues related to classroom work that, without a doubt they are of interest to those linked to the beautiful work of form to future generations and, suddenly, have been advocated to join distance education, often without having the resources, preparation or contextual conditions for it.
The teachings left by the pandemic, above creeds and political opinions, will set a course towards a world in need of structural changes to meet the expectations of the seven billion human beings that populate it, more than half a million of whom have left up to the moment of existing as a result of COVID -19, some without even accessing quality healthcare. Education cannot be oblivious to this painful reality.
As the title of the book anticipates, the world of education in the context of COVID- 19 is torn between facing the emergency, managed more with the commitment of teachers than with coherent policies that really contribute to a change towards the distance learning, with the autonomy that this requires, and waiting for a solution that returns the classroom spaces and social relationships mutilated by this new reality. However, in our opinion, it is time to rethink the methods that are taught and learned in a world that has changed in many ways, but especially in the Technologies of Information and Communications, nearing Internet users to reality making it possible to "visit" any place, consult any bibliography, translate it if necessary, in short ... so that the banking class that, although they do not believe it, many continue to give, is more than an obsolescence an injustice with the young generation.
We therefore recommend a thoughtful reading of this work that the authors make available to all educators in open access, to begin a tour of scientific production with which the world seeks to sensitize decision-makers about the need to turn around to education and health, if we want to face successfully other contingencies that threaten the men and women who inhabit this planet.
Conflict of interest:
Author declares not to have any conflicts of interest.
Author´s Contribution:
Author declares not to have any conflict of interest.
This work is under a licencia de Creative Commons Reconocimiento-NoComercial 4.0 Internacional
Copyright (c) Adaymí González Valdés