The education revolution is here

Sarah Marshall

Global Head of Content, Bett Portfolio

Teaching and learning have evolved dramatically over lockdown. Where do we go next? Now we have a 21^st century platform, what will teaching look like?

In the past 12 months teachers at all levels have adapted beyond any imaginable measure. First was the dash to online. Today we see a hybrid model, teaching students simultaneously at home and in the classroom.

Teaching and learning is evolving

Any fear or mistrust of teaching technology has been replaced by mass-adoption. The focus has moved to understanding how to adapt pedagogy for the best impact in the online and hybrid world. We have seen major changes in teaching practice and it’s still evolving. A new pedagogy is emerging as is a new way of learning. Our students are digital natives and have become adept at blended learning, enjoying more control and independence.

Transformation in education

We’re at the beginning of a journey of enormous transformation in education. Government is starting to wake up – the APPG on EdTech reports imminently on ‘Lessons from Lockdown’. It will evaluate tech winners during lockdown and how to roll them out further. But will this address the wholescale change that we need?

Our students are digital natives and have become adept at blended learning, enjoying more control and independence.

At BettFest in January, Sir Anthony Seldon’s address about the Fourth Education Revolution drew a large crowd. Seldon believes we must move away from homogenised, 20^th century education towards personalised learning. But more than how we teach, Seldon talks about what we should be teaching.

The workplace of the future

I agree with him. Why are we still teaching and testing the cognitive skills that AI can so easily replicate? The accelerated change in working environments and future jobs brought by lockdown and COVID-19 requires a whole new set of skills.

The workplace of the future needs innovators, analytical and critical thinkers, creatives, designers, problem-solvers and leaders. Our curriculum must focus on emotional intelligence, reasoning, evaluating and problem solving, preparing people for society.