The Future of Education
Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to
those who prepare for it today
(Malcolm X)
Young learners are the future and as Malcolm X said in his famous quote, with education, people can be prepared while creating opportunities for themselves. Our opportunity as educators is to set learners up for success so that they are future-ready with the knowledge and skills that will serve them today as well as for tomorrow.
In the early foundational years, learners need concentrated skill focus in reading, writing, math, comprehension, and critical thinking which will serve as the strong base from which all other learning flows. Balanced with this concentrated skill focus, there can be much needed room for personalized learning extensions as well as real world learning. With so much digital saturation and overexposure to technology, young learners benefit from engaging in green space and the real world while also integrating learning about the innovations and careers of the future so that they can connect the why of learning while seeing their role in the future as environmental experts, digital citizens, multinational project managers, problem solvers in sustainability issues and more. The future requires highly skilled technical knowledge and by having a strong foundation, young learners will be future-ready.
​
Such bold initiatives cannot be met within traditional generalist models of education because students need to engage in pathways of learning with structured cohorts, flexible exploration, and self-paced mastery so they can have concentrated skill focus as well as extension activities according to the strengths of their learning styles. This approach fits within a differentiated learning community model where students are engaged in their learning and teachers are able to concentrate on teaching instead of managing focus or even behavioral issues.
As Educators we can help young learners to ...
Building the Future
Differentiated Learning Communities involves engaging, scalable, and dynamic learning with three pathways which includes structured cohort (learning as it is now within classrooms), flexible exploration (blended learning), and self-paced mastery (individualized learning). This model is more than just providing polysynchronous offerings, a flipped classroom, or flex classes because there is an entire scaffolding structure supporting students to meet their highest potentials. All students are connected into an LMS (learning management system) so that they have access to extended resources, multiple ways of completing assignments, engaging ways to personalize learning as well as projects, have community discussions, and the advantage of integrating relevant learning from industry knowledge experts in new as well as emerging fields.
Furthermore, learners at all levels (elementary, high school, and through to advanced post secondary) are able to engage in real world learning, have access to knowledge that helps them be future-ready, and scale their learning in ways that are engaging according to their learning styles or strengths.
​
As Educators We Can...
Prepare Learners for Mobile Multinational Remote Careers With Specialized Tech Knowledge
Prepare young learners to build a strong knowledge base and become future-ready
