The next generation will need skills that may be distinctly different to those we can easily imagine today. Education will have to enable young people to be flexible, to quickly and efficiently learn what they need to know, to dismiss fake facts, to think critically and to offer creative solutions for problems that no-one has yet considered.
Is education fit for the future in your context? What do you think the purpose of education should be? How should it respond to global drivers of change?
In this free course you'll reflect on possible purposes for education. You'll then look to the future to think about what educationalists can do to fit the young people they work with to meet the challenges of the future.
This course is designed for those with an interest in education or experience as an educator. It will also form part of a new Open University Masters module to be launched in 2018.
Start studying now.
Rate and Review
Rate this article
Review this article
Log into OpenLearn to leave reviews and join in the conversation.
Article reviews
'Education will have to enable young people to be flexible, to quickly and efficiently learn what they need to know, to dismiss fake facts, to think critically and to offer creative solutions for problems that no-one has yet considered'..
In the areas that I primarily cover within my teaching capacity, all of these skills are necessary but especially those of flexibility, to dismiss or question fake or debatable 'facts' and to think critically about issues from each side whilst being confident to forward and defend one's own views. In a number of areas in the curriculum, opportunities for these skills to be promoted are readily apparent - although not necessarily in as many subjects as they could. For instance, should we not question the claims made in a Science class as much as we do those in R.E.? It seems arrogant to assume that any subject areas, disciplines or fields of inquiry should have greater precedence or authority in expounding their accounts of what is or should be 'true', 'relevant' or beyond dispute. Yet in many areas, information is presented in this fashion. At the very least, pupils should be free to challenge ANY claims or assertions made in ANY subject - for purposes of debate and exploration.
I agree with Mr Raza below, that education does require the need to be relevant, up to date and to embrace innovative means e.g. in technology. For instance, since the pandemic began, learning in schools has been accommodated well through remote learning, forums such as the one I am writing in/on and a drive in utilising more and more developments in technology, such as 'Teams' that we use in my school, which allows simultaneous access to a subject's curriculum in which pupils and teachers participate in similar ways to those in a class setting (I appreciate not identical and there were some drawbacks, though overall the technology was a success).
I THINK EDUCATION IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR IS GETTING BETTER, HOPING TO SEE A GREATER OUTCOME IN THE FUTURE WITH CLOSE MONITORING.