Contributions of Ivan Illich to Education in a Digital Society

Abstract

Ivan Illich was a heavy critic of traditional schooling. His proposals were disregarded, perhaps too quickly, for various reasons. This paper, based on review research, aims to add to a current (re)reading of Illich, seeking to answer the following question: what is the relevance of Illich’s proposal for a successful education in an increasingly digitalised society? The results of this research allow concluding, on the one hand, that Illich’s proposal to replace strict schooling with (self)training networks in a society that is increasingly digitalised and linked by the internet may offer potential benefits, and it is worth, at least, of an in-depth analysis. On the other hand, provocative scholars that allow us to get out of any ideologically and socially delimited system have the merit of helping to provide instruments that enable a better understanding of the present and, consequently, a rationale for the options for the future. Ivan Illich is one of these scholars.

Digitainability—Digital Competences Post-COVID-19 for a Sustainable Society

“…Another challenge is the need to change both the organization's culture and leadership [11,89,190,198], motivating students that are overwhelmed by so many "temptations" [197]. There is also the need for a mental shift on the part of both teachers and students who need to leave their comfort zone [11,86] and change their expectations regarding the learning and teaching process [86,199].…”

“…In this process, learning development by all stakeholders is critical, with the acknowledgement that education is more than schooling [86], transcending the transmission-based school culture [31,55,61,179,180]:…”

“…[60] (p. 4525) However, the school is, in institutional terms, a conservative industry, which hampers its necessary transformation [14,98]; within a school culture, there are shared ways of thinking, feeling and acting that shape common expectations [190]. It is, in most cases, a traditionalist institution [86]. This hinders its active and, if possible, even guiding adaptation in preparing different generations for a world with many new features.…”

“…How to prepare citizens to provide positive responses, both individually and collectively, to this new target motivated by a context in which online technology is always present [82], in a world of increasing change and complexity [83]? Training for competences as abilities to respond to the needs found, in terms of both specific competences (of a more technical and localized nature) [84] and transversal competences (such as autonomy, responsibility, social interaction, personal and professional development, leadership, communication, problem-solving, teamwork and creativity) [85], has to be redesigned in this context [85][86][87].…”

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“…Whatever the busyness of the individual will always need to learn at any time, throughout his life. One of them is improving and developing English language skills (Sarmadi et al, 2020); (Serpa, Santos, and Ferreira, 2020).…”