We may not even realize that we lie to our students when we tell them what their world will be like. No one knows with any degree of certainty. Even the experts get it wrong. There are too many forces and factors of change, and they interact in unpredictable ways. But our students must plan for their futures in a world of constant change. My best advice to them is to preserve their options.
We need to stop talking to students from the front of the room as if we know something they don’t. We need to ask questions about the future when we don’t know the answers. We need to join them in researching the nature of our rapidly changing world and helping them figure out for themselves what their possible futures will be like. We need to help them figure out what they need to learn to survive and thrive in their future world. More importantly, we can help them gather enough data, look at enough trends, listen to enough people and gain enough skills and abilities to shape their own futures. Experts are saying that students of today will have five to six different careers. If they are right, what will that be like? And the concept of multiple careers is a hot one. Just do an Internet search on the topic “the future of work.” Wow!
If you agree with me that our students need to become their own futurists, how do we help them do that? I’m not sure, but I do think we have to tell them it is an important topic for them to think, research and talk about.
First, I think we need to help them learn to research what is going on now so they have an accurate snapshot of the present, and to get different points of view. They need to know about history to see what lessons they can glean from those who have been there before.
Second, we need to help them analyze trends and discover factors that are affecting and that will affect their futures. We need to challenge each other’s thinking. Note to self: What I find out will change how and what I teach!
Third, we need to help them learn for themselves how to make decisions when it is impossible to know the future with any degree of certainty. The future is more uncertain today than any time in the past due to the nature of change and the speed of change we are all experiencing, relating to all of the forces that are creating change. (Some of us still talk about VUCA - the world of volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity). COVID-related changes are only a small part of the many changes that are happening almost daily, and more and more rapidly. These are changing how we live and work.
Futurist Gerd Leonhard has written great books and his website is rich with resources about the many factors that are changing the very fabric of our lives and our world, including videos of his talks. Kevin Kelly’s The Inevitable: Understanding the 12 Technological Forces That Will Shape Our Future is another good starting point because it is so thought-provoking. And don’t forget to research the fact that futurists are almost always wrong!
Stanford’s design school is talking about educating for the future and writes, “The ability to look further out, practice flexibility, rehearse critical decisions and build capacity within school leadership is critical. We believe that intentional design and an optimistic approach are the superpowers that will shepherd us into a more preferable future.”
Many of us have changed in many ways we thought were impossible. COVID-19 taught us that change is possible. We pivoted quickly, but did we notice that we changed?
And as we look to the future, I continue to beat the drum for envisioning more student-centered proficiency-based educational programs that meet them where they are and that ensure they master what they are learning before moving on.
COVID-19 showed us we can change if we have to. Why don’t we change because we want to, because we have a better vision for our students and their education?
