Some time ago, I came across an oil painting featuring a classroom. Desks were lined up in rows, and students were sitting facing the blackboard, their papers scattered on their desks. Some concentrated on their notebooks, others were looking over someone else’s shoulder, one was daydreaming, and another was holding his head, immersed in his own worries, assuming from the expression on his face. The painting was titled The Children’s Class, by French artist Henri Jules Jean Geoffroy, dated 1889.
The image struck me as I was amazed at its similarity with many of today’s classrooms, particularly in higher education. Although some changes started especially in Masters and Executive Education in Europe, most higher ...
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