07/12/2023
What does the future of education look like?
This was the topic of the first EduMatters TALK in Berlin a couple of weeks ago. After 14+ edu gatherings in China and in Uganda, the time has come to do it in the city I now call home.
It was a cozy and insightful event filled with stories from international change makers in education. But... Could we define what the future of education looks like?
Oh definitely no! We all know that we can't define the future.
What we can do is use past experiences and data along with current trends and research, to draw some assumptions.
Here I'd like to share just a few key points from our dialogue. They are based on the UNESCO 2021 Report 'Reimagining our futures together: a new social contract for education', and developed further.
Not at all to claim that this is the ultimate source of wisdom. My hope is that these points will help create more dialogue and discussion.
Here we go:
1📌 Overall, education has made huge progress globally. Yet, there is a lot more work to do, especially in the areas of education equity, gender inequality, digital divide, forced migration, to name just a few.
2📌 Learning environments should be places of safety and even refuge, where learners dare, fail, create and experiment.
3📌 Generative AI can help teachers save time and focus on students interactions, when used mindfully, ethically and sustainably. It was interesting to find out that most educators use GenAI in educational and overall professional practices, with some even thinking that they use it too much at times.
4📌 The future landscape of education is defined by interconnectedness, ethics, collaboration, solidarity, and empathy.
5📌 Education should involve voices of grassroots communities and social movements more than ever before as they are often disruptors and change makers.
6📌 Education is increasingly centered on real-world issues, supporting learners in becoming ‘change agents’.
