Education

The Future Gap in Education: Here’s How to Solve It.

Published

on

In grade school, learning was focused on developing cognitive skills. This included memorizing science facts and history, comprehension, multiplication, and division, and recalling this information during tests. While the internet was still in its infancy, students were more knowledgeable than teachers.

Technology is changing rapidly, and school curriculums have to keep up with current trends. There is a vast gap between what children are currently learning and what they will need in the future. This is the “future gap,” and it’s extremely important to close.

We need to rethink how we educate children to prepare them for the future better.

The basics of learning have not changed.

I have seen this meme repeatedly over the years: “I’m glad that I learned parallelograms instead how to do taxes.” It has been very useful this parallelogram season.

This hilarious example demonstrates something we all know but doesn’t talk enough about: School doesn’t always prepare us for real life. This problem is only getting worse.

Although the world has changed tremendously over the past twenty years and technology continues to advance, education systems and curriculums have remained largely the same. Schools still focus on static subjects and ask students to recall historical events, recite facts about geography, and perform certain math functions. Prior learning has seen tech addition, including more tablets and computers for some students. However, these are more used to allow students to continue to learn the same curriculum similarly.

However, students should not be studying long-standing core subjects. Instead, future skills will be less recall-based and more grounded in problem-solving and understanding. The next generation will face a unique challenge. Much of the information they have learned may not be applicable when they get into the workforce.

The average half-life for a job skill today is approximately five years. Technical skills last for only two-and-a-half years. The pace of innovation is faster than how humans learn new technologies. 58% of the workforce are already in need of new skills. Future innovations, including more advanced computers and artificial intelligence, will accelerate this trend further. This creates a “future Gap” in which a new generation of workers doesn’t have the skills necessary to succeed in the future.

How do we solve it?

It’s 2040. What skills will the workforce need? It’s impossible to predict what the future holds. Most future job opportunities will be in science and technology engineering, mathematics, or the STEM fields. This shift is already underway. However, there is still a lot of inequity in STEM. Many people of color and women are “systematically excluded” from science and math education, which results in a lack of opportunities and access to STEM learning.

We must push for equality and diversity in STEM today to prepare for tomorrow. STEM is the future. The next generation will need to acquire new skills to succeed in the tech-driven environment. What can we do to ensure they get the education they need, regardless of what career they choose?

President of Partnership for 21st Century Skills Educational Advocacy Group, Dr. Steven Paine, told Scholastic that it is not about what we teach but how it is taught. He says that children need to be exposed to more project-based learning to grasp deeper lessons long after the test is filed away.

Education today must focus on teaching systems, problem-solving, and social skills to bridge the future gap. According to the World Economic Forum, robots will be performing half of all jobs by 2025. This shift is likely to increase inequality. Students can prepare for the future by learning the basics and being able to adapt quickly.

Education that prepares students for the real world must provide real value. Students need access to projects-based curriculums that are not based on testing or workbooks and emphasize real-world application of the knowledge they’ve acquired. Access to personalized, personal, and accessible learning opportunities is also essential for students. They should be able to meet their needs and then grow as they learn and develop. Lastly, they need access to opportunities to learn about emerging technologies and systems–from understanding coding to robots and cryptocurrencies–that will be crucial to navigating and finding success in the tech-driven future.

Trending

Exit mobile version