Next Generation School Ecosystem

As we stand at the threshold of another decade, it’s time to reflect on the future. As we stand at the threshold of another decade, it’s time to reflect on the future.

The FUTURE OF SCHOOL ECOSYSTEM.

As education continues to evolve and develop its curriculum and programs to prepare students with 21st-century skills, let’s talk about the 4th Industrial Age, an age driven by AI, machine learning and other technologies like IoT, blockchain, AR, VR and so on.

The rate of change has become very fast. Today organizations and people are looking for skillsets and most importantly growth mindsets.

The World Economic Forum created a list of 10 most important skills of 2020 which included critical thinking, creative thinking, complex solving, emotional intelligence, people management, service orientation, cognitive flexibility, etc.

So suddenly a set of skills needs to be developed while you’re learning the subject matter hence knowledge, mindset and skillset all are necessary to meet the global requirements quoted by Prof. M M Pant (Mentor at MASH Virtual)

“Next-generation learning is about lifelong learning which is even more important because longevity is increasing” as quoted by Professor Pant.

Many Asian countries have already started using technology to make learning fun and ensure that concepts are easy to understand. Malaysia, Thailand, and Singapore are using tablets / PCs from the first grade for improved learning outcomes.  South Korea particularly needs a mention as a nation as it is moving towards digitization with great speed providing computer notebooks and wireless internet to all schools.

The entire education system will completely transform because of technologies like AI, Blockchain, AR, etc.Education is the transformation of knowledge and construction of knowledge, therefore when we have automotive tools to enhance that it will be a hugely impacting factor.

Limitations of typical Education model

1. In the present system, there is no one-on-one interaction between the students and   teacher.

2. Most of the technology used till now in a typical Education Model was of a broadcast nature like computers, MOOCS, TV, media, etc.

3. Students are bounded to restrict their learning to their curriculum and are not able to identify their learning potential.

Solutions/ New age Education model

1. Artificial Intelligence promises personalization of learning experience. Just like Netflix, AI will create a recommendation system of books, exercises, videos, etc. Students will also have access to flexible ways of learning which will be personalized to suit their grasping abilities. It could also be an engine driving you towards what YOU NEED to know.

2. The new technologies that has been introduced in the Education Model is working towards personalized interaction, like the rise of the use of tablets in classrooms which connects both the teachers and the students on a common platform thus promoting personal approach from the teacher’s end.

3. AI will enable the students to go beyond learning goals that lack in the Traditional Education Model. The students will not be bounded to learn their curriculum but will have the option to test their potential and learn beyond their present curriculum.

Educators will be guided towards building a motivational profile of experiences that encourage community-based learning through a fine balance between innovation and execution.

Virtual classrooms will change the educational ecosystem in unimaginable ways making the interaction between students and teachers across the globe simple and seamless. The availability of text, audio, video, and interactive resources anytime anywhere will reduce large overheads and infrastructure that account for a major share of expenditure on education.

As we look at the upcoming decade, We are now on the verge of having intelligent technologies supporting teachers and while it may act as a threat to the teachers but technology will replace teachers who are not using technology with teachers, who are using technology. Therefore, the role of teachers will be to amplify the knowledge.

Now we are talking more about unknown problems whose solutions are not known. The very famous incident of Albert Einstein when he was teaching at Princeton University, US. He set up a test for the students and asked his teacher assistant to distribute it to the students.

On looking at the test, the teacher assistant pointed out that this is the same set of questions that were set up for last year’s batch. Einstein responded by saying, questions are the same, but the answers have changed. Which is exactly the current situation of the Education ecosystem today. 

Answers are moving towards AI-empowered and enabled who are themselves, lifelong learners. We are in between the process of transformation and will only be possible with the help of commitment & contributions of community of educators.

We can hope that people with technology-enabled education will be future ready to face all the upcoming challenges. Replacing the present method of teaching and evaluation with a greater sensory environment, next-generation schools are all set to encourage critical thinking and problem solving which is essential in preparing global citizens to take on the world.

Prof. M M Pant, Mentor at MASH Virtual