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Current Education: changes and forces that mark its evolution
The transfer of classrooms to homes not only revealed a deficit in access to technology, but also difficulty for some educators to adopt changes and new teaching methodologies. Education has taken on the challenge and is now undergoing a transformation process.
Currently, education is immersed in a dynamic and changing environment, where various forces exert a significant impact on its development and evolution. These forces are key factors that shape the way teaching, learning and education in general are conceived. Understanding and adapting to new trends has become an imperative necessity to ensure relevant and effective education in the 21st century.
Now, taking into account the academic context, it is necessary to identify four forces of change that are driving the transformation of higher education and learning globally. Let's look at each of them below.
The forces of change
1. Technology
Educational institutions were less prepared at this point, but nowadays there is a marked acceleration in digitalization. In that sense, from administrative processes to learning and teaching will be shaped deeply by technological change.
Without a doubt, the fourth industrial revolution will transform societies completely and universities must prepare to rethink an educational offering capable of training students who will perform in a future where humans and artificial intelligence interact on a daily basis. Learn what place technology occupies in current educational trends.
2. Unforeseen events
Although it is impossible to predict, there are currents of thought and theories that are rather pessimistic in relation to health and ecology.
In fact, climate change, pollution and other natural phenomena will impact schools and teaching centers, so broad topics such as the use of physical spaces should be considered and greater hybridity should be pursued, even for long periods of remote participation. For example: the COVID-19 pandemic had major effects on schools, click here to read a detailed BBC report.
3. Demographic changes
This section can include declining birth rates, generational aging, increased demand for health and pension resources, pressure on government finances, among other causes.
For all this, it is necessary to ask how to educate the generations being born and what to do to finance upskilling, promoting employability through continuous learning and retraining, understood as the process of learning a new skill or the same trade.
4. Inequality
The gap of inequalities in economic, technological and access aspects has increased in recent decades and, due to its complexity, will continue to be present in the short and medium term. To address this situation and promote equitable development, it is crucial to implement strategies linked to access to connectivity, digital education, foster innovation and establish public-private partnerships.
Closing the digital divide is a complex challenge, but with willingness, collaboration between sectors, and active participation of society, significant advances are possible.
What measures should be taken to respond to changes?
Looking carefully at the present, so that the future does not become a threat, but an opportunity, is an essential premise.
After all, universities – understood as great houses of study, generation and transfer of knowledge – have a fundamental role in designing proposals that impact daily life, becoming tools for social involvement.
Below are some tips for navigating changes:
- Place the student at the center to promote their autonomy and support the idea of the inspiring teacher, with the ability to engage students even more in their education.
- Offer flexibility in what, how and when to study, as we are facing academic demand from both traditional and non-traditional sectors.
- Educational establishments must reinvent themselves to become more resilient and better adapted to current needs.
Before concluding, it is concise to emphasize that houses of study form citizens for life and work. However, they often neglect this second part, so greater connection of universities with the working world is required.
At this point, it is imperative that educational institutions prepare students for a future in which interaction with technology is much greater than currently exists. To do that, it is vital to foster the development of 21st century skills: critical thinking, teamwork, digital literacy, problem-solving, etc.
Well then, all these skills mentioned are inherent to human beings and will hardly be able to be replaced by an algorithm or artificial intelligence. In addition, they are highly valued in the workplace and extremely important for personal development.
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