未來教育的樣貌

In most countries of the world, education is compulsory for children and teenagers. There is no doubt that education plays a very crucial role in shaping the future of the world. An individual acquires knowledge, skills, values, morals, and beliefs through education. It has significant impacts on how a person thinks, feels, acts, and even influences others and the society. Hence, it is vital to understand that education reforms shall be taken very seriously with time in modern society.

Many educators make every effort to explore more ways for finding kids’ potential. Diversified experimental education mechanisms have been developed around the world. For example, in the old days, it was very difficult to look for resources and supports of home schooling. Thanks to the Internet, various digital platforms and associations have been designed to share and exchange information across countries, such as HSLDA, Home School Legal Defense Association. More parents could be free to choose other means of education systems, instead of merely sending their children to traditional schools.

There are three major tendencies to alter the future of education. First, technological advancements not only affect daily life activities, but also benefit to reimagine any possibilities for educational designs. According to statistics, from 1995 to 2014, electronic equipment or digital materials have been adopted more than doubled by educators in OECD countries, and it is still growing. Not to mention that digital skills are necessary for learners to succeed in diverse occupations. Many people believe that no job could be considered everlasting in future society. Digital revolution also changes conventional concepts towards professions. For example, there was no youtubers 20 years ago. Nowadays, an online influencer has become one of the top dream jobs for the young generation.

Next, globalization facilitates international connections so that people interact more frequently across countries in sharing different cultural values and thoughts. In addition to mass popularity of social media, educational institutions have been no longer the only way people can acquire information. Many agree that learning could be happening anytime and anywhere. There’s no limitation of time and space. It seems to be taught in a global classroom. Furthermore, competition tend to be fiercer. Students probably face both domestic and international antagonists in job hunting. Due to information fragmentation and disruption, critical thinking and problem solving have become the most discussed skills in schools in order to adapt to future lives. Last but not least, the pandemic escalates the movement of future education designs. Remote learning seems to be the only solution for students to continue learning out of class. It has been a great challenge for educators, students, and parents during this time.

As a result of these trends, some people argue that education should focus on improvements of quality and efficiency. Unconventional forms include on-demand learning, self-directed learning, and experimental schools which are regarded as an alternative way for better inspiration. Gamification even has been applied in educational materials to attract students’ attention. This may be true, but most reform thinking starts from developing countries where there is an issue of declining birthrate. I believe that more resources could be possibly allocated countries with declining birth rate around the world. Furthermore, the most worryingaspect of this movement is concentration on technological applications regardless of social values and cultural perspectives.

In conclusion, the youth generation must cope with more uncertainties, such as diseases, natural disasters, and limited resources in comparison with the elder generation. The gap between the poor and the wealthy people has become huge due to economic depression and Covid 19 impact. In my opinion, the core concept of education shall be how to shape the humanity and the planet based on the initiative goal of UNESCO. Imagination competency should be further explored so that human beings could know how to find balances between technology vs. nature, automation vs. hands-on, and traditions vs. digital revolutions.