NOTHING IS NEW, BUT EVERYTHING HAS CHANGED: the metamorphosis of the school

Abstract

This is a review of the book entitled “Escolas e professores: proteger, transformar, valorizar”, by António Nóvoa (2022). Reports discussions on current topics such as the futurism of education and the metamorphosis of educational establishments; the need to (re)think the future school and the model adopted; the pandemic, teachers and their roles in building a common public space for education; the creation of new school environments and the composition of a pedagogy of encounter; continuing education and professional induction of teachers; technologies; among others. It is observed that, despite being essential, digital media do not undo the educational possibilities, as there is a human heritage that cannot be digitized – without it, education would be reduced to a “digital caricature”. The text addresses “three dangerous illusions”: a) present in all places and times, education happens “naturally”, especially in a familiar and virtual bias; b) as a physical environment, the school no longer exists and there will be a “distance education” through different “advisors” or “tutors” of learning; c) as specialized knowledge of teachers, education will be replaced by technologies permeated by Artificial Intelligence (AI). Faced with the reduction of educational sphere to learning, the construction of a hyper personalized view of learning and the defense of a consumerist perspective of education, it is invited to a necessary reading of the work to reflect on the teacher training in times of pedagogical consumerism and technology solutionism unveiled and deepened in the two years of new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic.