Teaching and Learning in the 21st Century: What Learning Will Look Like in 10 Years

Wednesday, November 24, 2021

What Learning Will Look Like in 10 Years

The education system within Ontario has made many changes in the decades since inception that were implemented to evolve with the ever-changing way that we live as a society. School was originally designed to prepare children to be assembly workers and therefore having students sit in rows, stay seated the entire day as well as work independently were highly encouraged.

This has changed immensely given that students in today's classrooms are collaborating, practicing their creative and critical thinking in addition to school being the social foundation for many students. With that being said, the approach to schooling was forced to change seemingly overnight because of the global pandemic. Students and teachers were required to learn and work in a virtual environment which brought its own set of obstacles and challenges to overcome. For many, this experience made it abundantly clear how children require social interaction and hands-on learning to grow in school.

Let's look at the ways that education is expected to change in the next decade:

1. Greater Emphasis on Technology – As mentioned above, the education system was designed to prepare children to enter the workforce when they became adults. Given the changing landscape of the job market, it is expected that technology will be woven into learning even more. This change will see further coverage of technology, software, automation among other topics to the standard curriculum.

2. Anytime Learning – With the emergence of virtual learning, there will now be a focus on providing students with learning at their fingertips. These could be modules and lessons that are able to be accessed outside the classroom and can be completed at their own pace.

3. Collaborative Environment – Students will be further encouraged to collaborate with their peers to guide their own learning. Something as simple as the classroom setup will start to change as students are being told to work within their groups for many of their projects and assignments.

There are so many potential changes that occur in the years to come – these are just a few guesses! Overall, the importance of having an involved and engaged teacher will still exist.

Perhaps even to a greater scale.