Publish at September 07 2022 Updated November 12 2025
Is the school adapted to the needs of the future? Looking at what's being written in the specialist and non-specialist press, the answer seems to be overwhelmingly negative. According to many observers, the educational establishment is backward-looking and continues to promote past skills that will be of little use in the future. Not an entirely unfounded observation, since even some teachers admit that the model is straight out of the 18th century. However, the question is how to modernize educational programs.
Obviously, with the giant strides being made in technology every decade, it seems inescapable to talk about digital technology and the tools that will become part of children's daily lives. We might think that the modernization of schools, the introduction of AVAN (Bring Your Own Digital Appliance) programs and the like have encouraged this approach. However, the curricula do not cover all the future possibilities and skills that this will require. For example, in Oman, research has shown that only 28% of the technologies that will be used in the future are studied by students.
While the percentage is higher in other Western countries, it's clear that many observers don't see future knowledge being taught at school. Indeed, where are the courses that talk about the ethics of artificial intelligence or the eco-responsible design of objects? We live in a world that is amassing a phenomenal amount of information, but few teachers address the issue of data science in mathematics, for example. And then there's the need for teachers to be trained and ready to pass on this more technical knowledge. Not to mention that simply using technology does not necessarily lead to the development of useful skills for the future.
In a world likely to become increasingly automated, future citizens will need to demonstrate skills that machines do not have. So, for many schools and teachers, the STEAM approach (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) is probably the most connected to the human future, because it integrates courses in programming, investment, civics, creativity and so on.
The question of interpersonal skills plays a huge role in the skills of the future. People skills will be just as important as technical knowledge. For some, the school must produce leaders who will master the tools to create other solutions, improve the community, and so on. Future citizens will know how to work and learn in teams, develop ethical techniques and technologies, and be able to incorporate people from diverse backgrounds and nationalities.
While some are pushing for a more futuristic curriculum, the question arises: is the backward-looking aspect not so much in the content as in its highly restrictive nature?
At times, syllabuses seem more and more like straitjackets that restrict what students can learn. What if the future of education lay in curricula composed of broad guidelines? Then it's up to learners and teachers to find ways of achieving these objectives. Whether through project-based pedagogy, student-driven learning, immersive technologies and so on.
Photo credit: en.depositphotos.com
References:
Brennan, Marie. "Teachers and Students As Researchers: Rebuilding Curriculum Inquiry for the Future." SpringerLink. Last updated April 26, 2022. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s41297-022-00159-7.
Ellis, Lindsay. "Five Skills College Students Will Need for Their Future Careers." WSJ. Last updated August 4, 2022. https://www.wsj.com/articles/college-students-can-future-proof-their-careers-with-these-five-skills-11659628053.
"How is Your Curriculum Meeting the Demands of the Future Workforce?" Times Higher Education (THE). Last updated October 1, 2021. https://www.timeshighereducation.com/hub/edx/p/how-your-curriculum-meeting-demands-future-workforce.
Learning, Juni. "Juni Learning Launches 'Future Of' Curriculum to Prepare Kids For Tomorrow's World." GlobeNewswire News Room. Last updated February 24, 2022. https://www.globenewswire.com/en/news-release/2022/02/24/2391536/0/en/Juni-Learning-Launches-Future-Of-Curriculum-to-Prepare-Kids-For-Tomorrow-s-World.html.
Levitt, Steven D. "Data Science Is the Future. Let's Start Teaching It (Opinion)." Education Week. Last updated January 11, 2022. https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/opinion-data-science-is-the-future-lets-start-teaching-it/2022/01.
Marr, Bernard. "The 2 Biggest Future Trends In Education." Forbes. Last updated January 21, 2022. https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2022/01/21/the-2-biggest-future-trends-in-education/?sh=6372669b2d6f.
"Only 28 Percent of Future Technology Covered in School Curriculum." Times of Oman. Last updated March 8, 2022. https://timesofoman.com/article/114096-only-28-percent-of-future-technology-covered-in-school-curriculum.
Rahaman, Shadequr. "Why Schools Should Teach the Curriculum of the Future Not the Past." CIRCLE OF BUSINESS. Last updated July 27, 2022. https://circlebizz.com/academic/why-schools-should-teach-the-curriculum-of-the-future-not-the-past/.
Schleicher, Andreas. "How to Prepare the Next Generation for Their Future-Not Our Past." The Pew Charitable Trusts. Last updated: April 13, 2020. https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/trend/archive/spring-2020/how-to-prepare-the-next-generation-for-their-future-not-our-past.
Outcome-Based Education vs. Traditional Education: A Comparative Analysis
https://www.edupluscampus.com/blog/outcome-based-education-vs-traditional-education-a-comparative-analysis
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