Over the past three years, mostly because of the global COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen a shift in the way education is unfolding. This includes a rapid integration of technology into education, more flexible ways of learning, more collaboration and different teaching styles. This shift, according to experts, is just the beginning, and the future of teaching will mean a fundamental reassessment of what we teach, as well as how we teach it.
Today’s learners were born into a digital world. For this new generation of learners - “Gen Z” and those born after 2010, “Gen Alpha” - technology has always been at their fingertips.. This follows a future trend where the redesigned curricular will be more flexible, personalized, user-friendly, and project based. At the forefront will be education technology, which translates to digitized content, online learning and distance education. This aims to give learners greater decision-making power over what and how they learn, and better prepare for a 21st century workplace.
We have already seen a shift from the traditional class of students listening to teachers delivering reams of content. The future of teaching will see teachers as facilitators, enabling learners to direct their own learning, to work at their own pace, and engage with content that suits their needs.
The World Economic Forum has outlined a set of critical characteristics that will define high quality learning in the future. These include:
- Global citizenship skills: this includes content that focuses on building awareness about the wider world and playing an active role in the global community.
- Innovation and creativity skills: this includes content that fosters skills required for innovation, like complex problem-solving, analytical thinking, and systems analysis.
- Technology skills: this includes content that is based on developing digital skills and the use of technology.
- Interpersonal skills: this includes content that focuses on interpersonal emotional intelligence, including empathy, co-operation, negotiation, leadership and social awareness.
Does the challenge of teaching appeal to you? Read on for a more in-depth look at some of the top trends for the future of teaching and learning.
Technology in the classroom
One of the benefits of technology is the opportunity for everyone to stay connected. This opens many opportunities in the classroom for interactive and collaborative learning. Through eLearning (the use of computers and the internet) and mLearning (accessing information through mobile devices), learners can engage with their peers, not only in the classroom but outside as well. This allows for learners to learn in their own time and at their own pace. The use of social media as a learning tool is another growing trend, creating a platform for educational collaboration. Another future technological trend is the use of immersive educational experiences through virtual or augmented reality. These advances will bring difficult concepts to life and take learning to a new and exciting level.
Education anywhere, anytime
Covid-19 brought home the realisation that remote teaching and learning is a realistic and useful educational option. In the future, it is likely that teachers will need to accommodate a range of ways of connecting and engaging with their learners that is not restricted to the classroom or to times of the day. Anywhere, anytime learning uses a blend of technology and face-to-face teaching, allowing large class interactions as well as individual coaching so that learners work through their content at a pace and in a style that suits them – a trend that will deliver the best of both worlds.
Global education
Learning about culture, history and politics of different places, focusing on diversity as well as interconnectedness is the definition of “global education”. This trend focuses on learners seeing themselves as citizens of the world and engaging with peers across the globe accordingly. The future of education will include shifting to a global perspective, no matter the grade or the subject. Teachers of the future will be responsible for ensuring that learners become more aware of diversity, more respectful of difference and more empathetic global citizens.
Education for a changing world
A changing world brings with it new jobs. LinkedIn, the world's largest professional internet network, predicted that there will be 150 million new technology jobs in the next five years. Many don’t yet exist. The future of education will include learning content dictated by the changing economy. We already see skills like coding and software design included in school curricula and as we move towards the future, the predicted trend is that schools will provide more opportunities for learners to gain skills needed to be successful and productive outside the classroom in the new world of work.
The future of teaching is an exciting one. If you are ready to begin studying teaching at an undergraduate level or if you already have a degree and are keen to tackle the IIE Postgraduate Diploma In Higher Education (PGHE) the IIE’s Varsity College will help you develop the skills you need to help learners prepare themselves for a new and exciting world.
The IIE is South Africa’s largest registered and accredited private provider of higher education. At Varsity College, a brand of The Independent Institute of Education, we understand that no two students are the same, or learn the same. That’s why we make sure a student’s education is shaped around them; how they like to learn, what they are passionate about, what makes them tick, and what makes them thrive. Our education by design approach allows students to grow into their best, and creates a space where they can live, learn, play & thrive – their way. To learn more about the school of education at The IIE’s Varsity College click here