It is expected that learning happens everywhere and is life long. School education is just the start or preparation for life-long learning. Learning opportunities are unlimited. Students can maximize the opportunities for their learning from local and global exposures through the Internet, Web-based learning, video-conferencing, cross-cultural sharing, and the using of different types of interactive and multi-media materials (Education and Manpower Bureau, 1998). Students can learn from the world-class teachers, experts, peers, and learning materials from different parts of the world. In other words, their learning can be a world-class learning.
Traditional Paradigm of Learning. In the traditional thinking, students and their learning are part of the reproduction and perpetuation process of the existing knowledge and manpower structure to sustain developments of the society, particularly in the social and economic aspects (Blackledge & Hunt, 1985; Cheng & Ng, 1992; Hinchliffe, 1987; McMahon, 1987). It is not a surprise that education is perceived as a process for students and learning being “reproduced” to meet the needs of the society.
In school education, students are the followers of their teacher. Available to students are standard programs of education, in which students can be taught in the same way and same pace even though their ability may be different. Individualized programs seem to be unfeasible. The learning process is characterized by absorbing certain types of knowledge, and students are “students” of their teachers and absorb knowledge from their teachers. Learning is a disciplinary, receiving, and socializing process such that close supervision and control on the learning process are necessary. The focus of learning is on how to gain some knowledge and skills. Learning is often perceived as hard working activities for achieving external rewards and avoid punishment.
In the traditional paradigm, all learning activities are school-bounded and teacher-based. Students learn from a limited numbers of school teachers and their prepared materials. Therefore, teachers are the major source of knowledge and learning. Students learn the standard curriculum from their textbooks and related materials assigned by their teachers. Students are often arranged to learn in a separated way and are kept responsible for their individual learning outcomes. They have few opportunities to mutually support and learn. Their learning experiences are mainly school experiences alienated from the fast changing local and global communities. Learning happens only in school within a given school time frame. Graduation tends to be the end of students’ learning.
There are also paradigm shifts in teaching and schooling. For the detail, please see Cheng (1999, 2000a).
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