Chapter 7: Commentaries and Conclusions: Commentary 1: Open Education – Disrupting the Classroom

The previous chapters have conveyed the richness and the many dimensions of the conception, ‘open education’. As society moves towards realizing various aspects of this conception, what are the implications for formal education from kindergarten through graduation from mandatory schooling? One goal of formal education is that, upon graduation, students are ready for higher education or for entry into a workplace career. Also, the schooling system has custodial responsibilities for keeping children safe, as well as socialization objectives to aid parents and community with inculcating students into their culture and nation. As the promise of open education is achieved, what aspects of today’s typical K-12 classrooms are most likely to be disrupted (i.e., largely replaced by other forms of learning more effective in reaching these objectives of schooling)?