Recently, a Raffles Junior College (RJC) student used his Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) to film a female teacher berating and tearing in two the work of a classmate.
The public discussion that the incident sparked off was confined initially to the virtual community in which the video clip was posted. However, when it came to the media's attention, it quickly became a major talking point in the education circles.
The reactions so far suggest that the focus on the debate has been on the apportion of blame.
Teachers who are anxious to defend their professional integrity have closed ranks and put the blame squarely on the student who recorded the incident.
They have also cited intrusion of privacy as the reason for their request to the Ministry of Education (MOE) to ban PDAs in schools.
On the other hand, some parents, students and members of the public have taken a different position. They feel that the teacher is also at fault and should face disciplinary action.
Caught up in the war of words between both sides, people are no longer interested in the “truth” of the matter which seems to have become immaterial.
It was left to newspaper commentaries to identify the issue at the heart of the controversy, by highlighting the deep underlying problems in our education system.
For those responsible for educating the young especially, this PDA episode brings home the message that “times have changed”- a reality that must have been felt even more acutely by the female teacher when reflecting on this unpleasant experience.
Different times call for different professional approaches in education. The ability to understand the kind of students they are teaching has always been the hallmark of successful teachers.
Mitigating factors notwithstanding, the outburst by the teacher shows an undeniable lack of professionalism on her part. Nothing can exonerate her from that.
Besides, even for recalcitrant students, there are provisions under the current system to deal with them. Irrational acts of verbal abuse or even aggression are totally unnecesary.
From a different perspective, the incident illustrates an issue with which we should all be familiar: the dilemma that we sometimes find ourselves in as a result of new technology.
True, cutting-edge technology is developing by leaps and bounds and has made life much more comfortable and convenient for us. But in the context of this episode, the PDA, as a symbol of technological innovation, has also fundamentally changed the nature of interaction between the teacher and students in the classroom.
From the early days of uni-directional instructions from teachers, we have reached a stage which stresses interactive learning. The use of PDAs has undermined the traditional relationship in which teachers have authority over students within the classroom.
Learning is now interactive and so is supervision. It is evident that the relationship between the “supervisor” and the “supervisees” can be completely reversed when the teacher is caught offguard.
This new “supervisory mechanism” also means that the possibility of internally resolving issues within a school may be reduced. An isolated incident can easily become a matter of public interest and thus, susceptible to media scrutiny.
The question of course is whether the media is always the best platform to discuss educational issues.
As a profession in its own right, why has the response from the education circles been so homogeneous? The MOE and RJC also hold identical position on the matter. Where then is the spirit of self-discipline and reflection and how can the public be expected to continue to have confidence in the teaching profession?
An opinion that has been circulating on the Net is that the filming incident has revealed an apparent inadequacy in our education institutions.
When students are unhappy with any unreasonable conduct of teachers, they should first go to the principal. But it is obvious that we have yet to create an atmosphere in our schools in which students could voice their concerns without the fear of punishment. Nor have we provided a channel for communications between students and the school authorities on the basis of equality.
The widespread adoption of technology has, more often than not, nurtured a form of interventionist mentality in us that is devoid of context. It has also created a tendency where technology is frequently used to dispense with human interaction.
In this particular case, in spite of the “courageous” behaviour by the student to capture the teacher's misconduct on video, it is, unfortunately, not the most enlightened way of solving problems. The student who has no intention of getting involved personally has probably failed to take into consideration the power of the electronic media and has now found himself right at the centre of the controversy.
·The writer is a reporter of Lianhe Zaobao. |
最近，一名莱佛士初级学院的女教师厉声责骂学生并当众撕毁其作业簿的情景，被旁观的另一名同班学生以PDA（个人数码助理）录下实况，进而在互联网上公开。这事件原本只在虚拟社群里被广泛讨论，之后却得到媒体的关注，使它迅速成为教育界的热门话题。
从这次事件引起的反应看来，多数的相关议论依旧停留在问责的层次。欲极力维护专业尊严的教师群体，以隐私权遭到侵犯为由，同仇敌忾地声讨录像学生的不是，同时也借此呼吁教育部禁止学生在校园使用PDA。而以家长、学生乃至公众所形成的另一方，则主张涉及事件的教师，也有承担责任的必要，必须得到纪律处分。
在一片相互口诛笔伐的众声喧哗中，对于靠近所谓的“真相“，已经没有太多人感到兴趣，水落石出也变得毫不重要了。值得庆幸的是，报章的评论正好将问题的症结点出，并说明了这次事件背后，存在于教育界的深层隐患。
经过这次PDA事件以后，也许各方，特别是教育工作者，对“时代不同了“这个说法的认知，会有更深刻的体会。此外，对于身为事件主角之一的那名女教师，这次的经验肯定更是铭心刻骨。不同的时代，对教师势必有截然不同的专业要求，认清教学对象，一直是成功教师的重要品质。
事实上，该教师的情绪失控，不管如何申辩，确实是代表了一种专业操守上的缺位，任何解释都难辞其咎。况且，在现行的体制下，自然也有应付即使是冥顽不灵的学子，实在无需诉诸谩骂和行为暴力等非理性行为。
换个角度来谈，这次事态的发展，刚好也从不同的侧面，体现一个大家如今应该非常熟悉的主题：科技使用的双面后果或两难。瞬息万变以及日新月异的尖端科技，的确能够带来生活上的无尽方便。然而，放置在这次事件的背景中，象征科技进步的PDA，却意味着师生在课室里的互动关系，从此彻变。
从早期单向指导的教育理念，一路走来，迄今强调互动学习，PDA（科技）的使用颠覆了过往，课堂内传统师生之间的权力运作。现在，不只学习是互动的，连监督也同样是互动的。聚焦这次PDA事件，更具体地说明了，监督与被监督的关系，可以在教师毫无防备的情况下，随时逆转。
面对教育的新监督机制，功能关系的互动化，再加上PDA科技与互联网媒介的衔接，学校内部解决问题的可能性无形中降低，从而使孤立事件能够很轻易地成为一个允许舆论置喙的现代公共话题。
由此产生的质疑是，公共舆论是否每次都是商榷教育课题，最理想的平台？再者，教育作为一个专业范畴，这次何以却出现众口一词的现象－－校方与教育部立场竟然重叠－－其自律反省的精神在哪里？公众对教育工作者的信心要从何建立？
如事后流传于虚拟社群中的看法所表述，PDA事件毋宁揭示了教育体制中的某种不足。针对类似教师的不合理举措，若是学生感到不满，他应该循序地先向校方反映。这事件在很大的程度上，暴露了现行的教育体制尚未能够营造一个让学生感觉无惧受罚的氛围，以及同校方平等沟通的渠道。
科技的普及，往往助长了人们内心，一种抽离事件发展脉络的介入心态，也不自觉地造成我们以科技来省略人际交往过程的倾向。以这次教育界的风波为例，该名PDA的主人，尽管善意“勇”为，但捕捉老师失职的影像，毕竟不是解决问题的优选手段。原本只想置身事外的他，大概也没有估计，电子媒介的传播能力，最终也使他成为这次PDA事件的争议性人物。
·作者是《联合早报》采访组记者 |
