Discussion 4: Covid 19: Observations, Experiences, and Learning

Description

“People educate each other through the mediation of the world” is a quote from Paulo Freire’s book Pedagogy of the Oppressed (1970) that is referenced in this week’s course materials. This idea that knowledge emerges from lived experiences and shared interactions in the world has been a central to this class where we have shared with and learned from each other’s information, opinions, and ideas.

This final prompt seeks to provide a space for you to reflect on the present moment brought about by the coronavirus pandemic. Across the world, there continues to be large scale loss of lives, livelihoods, and restructuring of work. Educational institutions have been severely affected and depending on the availability of infrastructures and organizational capabilities their responses have ranged from outright shut-downs to remote instruction (similar to a course such ours).

The difficulties and workarounds though varied have been real for everyone. You are invited to pick a topic that most speaks to you and share in the spirit of a collective understanding, care, and learning. These can be specific instances from different parts of the world, in different social and economic contexts, cultural responses, and/or your own experiences.