Editor, Schools Week
"The truth is, we don't know what tomorrow's society will involve. We only know that some skills - speaking, listening, compromising - have been useful to help us cope with changing circumstances. Educating children with these skills could be done in our homes, but most people believe in a minimum standard of education for everyone, and the economy relies on parents being free to work. Schools ensure children gain the knowledge that has created productive societies so far. For now, a bog-standard school is probably the best answer."
Professor of education emeritus, Stanford
“Most education policies are based on old images of schooling. There's a lot of innovation, but no system to take ideas and scale them up. By contrast, China has a reputation for rote learning, but is moving very quickly towards a model based on critical thinking and problem solving. Our young will have to work with knowledge that hasn't been discovered yet, using technologies that haven't been invented yet. This cannot be based on curriculum from the 20th century.”
Founder, Envisioning.io
"Educators are under-equipped at preparing students for an uncertain future, leading tomorrow's society to be shaped by yesterday's tools. Wired from the crib, future citizens speak technology by default. Schools can't afford to keep pace. Technology makers should have a fiduciary duty to education, offering unrestricted training, cutting-edge equipment and fiscal percentage points. Consider it a privately funded, publicly beneficial R&D investment."
Research director, The School in the Cloud
"The adage 'Learning to learn' still holds true. As teachers, we have to create environments conducive to exploration - because children are curious and we must make the most of this. The internet has changed things dramatically. When a group of children interacts via the cloud, they realise that they have much in common. They all have similar dreams and hopes. The challenge is placing before them questions that will trigger curiosity and search."
Founder, Khan Academy
"Students need to have agency over their learning. First, by mastering the core skills of reading, writing, maths, sciences and critical thinking - these require a solid foundation that can't be learned in an industrial model of education, where they're encouraged to be passive. Instead of a grade-point average, students should have a portfolio of achievements: computer programs, musical compositions, speeches given. These would be powerful credentials."
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
