The classroom of the future…
The classroom environment is on the cusp of undergoing the greatest transformation that it has ever seen. Whilst I hesitate to use the term seismic shift, I believe that the experiences of those about to enter the education system will be almost unrecognisable to their parents by the time they leave.
The only caveat to this somewhat bold statement is that these changes will only take place if we as educators embrace the opportunities that are becoming available to us now. So lets be bold; what might this new learning environment look like?
If we look at the way in which technology is used in the classroom today, all too frequently it is simply a more ‘digital way’ of doing what we have always done; the interactive whiteboard is still largely a whiteboard, albeit including a large TV screen in its capabilities, feedback to students and parents still takes the written form, even if it is emailed or recorded electronically rather than posted or written in exercise books, and of course textbooks are still textbooks, whether in digital or print format. However, technology opens up the possibility of a far more creative approach to the educational experience of our students.
“There is incredible potential for digital technology in and beyond the classroom, but it is vital to rethink how learning is organised if we are to reap the rewards.” Geoff Mulgan
The ‘paperless classroom’
If you look at today’s students, almost the only time they use pen and paper is for school work. Whilst the goal of a paperless classroom has been around for a while, moving away from paper-based systems can still be problematic for many schools, not least because exams still tend to be taken on paper, whilst the ability to produce evidence for inspection bodies is still seen largely as a paper-based exercise. Nevertheless, wherever they can many schools are moving to digital systems, (online student and teacher planners, the use of electronic communications with parents, online learning resources and a gradual move away from textbooks). The ability to create audio and video quickly and easily may well further reduce the need for the written word, with more work being done in a multimedia format, (and potentially even examined in this format). At the very least, it is likely that a greater proportion of teaching and learning will take place in the digital environment, which in turn means less time and money being spent on the printing and copying of resources.
Better communications
If we consider the traditional system of school reports, they are used to keep parents updated as to their child’s progress, with parents evenings allowing an opportunity to discuss this further. Now, whilst it would be impossible to produce these types of reports more frequently, or to have parents evenings on a weekly basis for example, if there is one area of society that has experienced the most dramatic changes in recent years it is surely that of communications. People are now more connected than ever before and in an astonishing variety of ways; from text, to voice to video; the immediate and ongoing nature of communications is now very much the norm. If we consider the opportunities that technology opens up in schools, we can see that it is possible to provide continuous and ongoing reporting to parents through the feedback that students are already receiving. This can go a long way to obviating the need for lengthy school reports, and parents evenings can focus on home-school collaboration rather than being an exchange of information which is often already available. Teachers have more time to teach and parents are in a better position to support the school in their child’s learning.
The classroom
Many of the classrooms in schools today would be instantly recognisable to teachers from the beginning of the last century; this is one area of schools where there has been little significant change. However, if we think back to the National Education Association and it’s four C’s, (Critical thinking and problem solving, Communication, Collaboration, and Creativity and innovation) we can see that the traditional serried ranks of desks is not going to be an environment conducive to this sort of learning. Classroom spaces will need to be rethought to provide space for creative, collaborative activities and in such a way that stimulates discussion and communication between students as well as with the teacher. There will need to be more flexibility in the way rooms can be organised to allow a broader range of activities to take place. Furthemore, if technology is going to become ubiquitous in the classroom, as is highly likely, then even mundane things like easy access to charging points for students will need to be considered.
Using data to inform teaching and learning
The use of data is becoming an all-pervading facet of today’s society and, despite the current concerns over its use, will continue to become more significant in our day to day lives. However, the collection and use of data does not have to be seen as a bad thing. Schools and teachers already collect large amounts of data about their students, but this information is not always easy to use to best effect, largely because of the way in which it is collected and stored. In the classroom of the future data is likely to play an even more important role as technology makes it easier to collect, collate and analyse. This in turn will allow teachers to guide the activities of their students such that learning becomes a much more individually tailored process. On a much grander scale, ‘big data’ will allow educators to collaborate much more effectively at both an individual school and national level in order to understand the impact of teaching strategies and pedagogies, allowing teachers to work smarter and learn from each other. The insights offered by these deeper data sets opens up the possibility of some truly ground-breaking strides forward in understanding not just how we learn, but also how best to facilitate and support our learners.
Role of the teacher/student/parent
This intelligent use of data will in turn have in impact upon how the roles of teacher, learner and family are perceived. The importance of the relationship between these three groups is now well documented, although it can still be a difficult one to establish and maintain at times. Nevertheless, the increasing ease of communication and the possibilities of continuous reporting should mean that learning will become more of a collaborative process involving all three groups. If we consider the way that this relationship has changed already, from the bilateral family — school link, with the student moving between the two, to the triangular model that we see now with the teacher, the student and the parents working together, it is reasonable to assume that the development of communications and ongoing updates will make these relationships even closer. I believe that we will reach a point whereby we talk about a ‘learning unit’ comprising all three parties as a much more holistic and joined up entity. This may in turn see a move away from the current student-centred learning, to more learning-centred activities with the roles of those involved becoming far more integrated with each other.
Flexible learning
Another significant change we have seen to working practice is in the area of exactly where people work. The concept of being in an office, 9 till 5, Monday to Friday is becoming more and more obsolete as we see a rise in the degree of flexible working practice. Technology makes it much easier for remote working and it would not be surprising to see this have some sort of impact on teaching and learning. Already we are seeing changes to the concept of homework with the rising popularity of flipped learning and the blended classroom which recognise and encourage the ability of students to study outside the traditional classroom environment. There are many activities that learners can carry out independently of the teacher which ensures the that valuable face to face time can be used far more effectively for those activities that require collaboration between students and teachers. Interestingly, the biggest challenge here may well be in how we now manage homework with a move away from blocks of homework time for specific subjects, but rather each homework being completed in a number smaller tasks over the course of the week.
Ubiquity of ‘knowledge’
Information is now far more accessible than it has ever been and whilst there is still a place for remembering facts that we use on a regular basis, there is an argument that simply memorising information to regurgitate during an exam is not really learning. The key skills that our students will require in the future will be the ability to take information, critically analyse it and then use their findings to come up with conclusions and actions to take forward. This ability to analyse will become increasingly important as the amount of information available from sources of differing credibility becomes greater and greater. If students are not to drown in the ocean of ‘knowledge’ out there, teachers will need to show them how to sift out the truth and then use it to best effect. Rather than being the gate-keepers to knowledge, teachers will be guides who point their students in the right direction and help them to select and use relevant information wisely.
However, amidst all of this potential upheaval, it is important to recognise that one thing that will not change is the importance of the role of the teacher. Ultimately, successful teaching and learning is a uniquely human process relying on the interaction between student, teacher and parents; it is the relationship between these parties that underpins everything that education is trying to achieve. Unfortunately, this can all too often get lost in the day to day admin and activities of school life. The classroom of the future should allow us to focus on this important human part of the process; rather than technology creating a barrier to face to face interaction, it will ensure that we are better able to use this time more effectively for everyone concerned.
“The real classroom of the future will take place inside the mind of the student, wherever they happen to be.”
Thomas Frey
