Education: The new paradigm

What will educators do in the future? How will they work with students in the coming years? Will
the role of the classroom teacher change? Certainly, people's perceptions of education seem to
be changing. Some experts are predicting that the time of the traditional classroom is coming to
an end. They suggest that the future of education will see learning located in any place, with
technology mediating all forms of communication. Others argue that schools will always be
needed, especially to maintain the social context of education. Many are undecided and hope that
life will continue much as it has in the past. Change is often unwelcome, and disruption is feared
by many teachers.

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It is likely that teacher roles will need to change because the context of learning is changing.
Exactly what those new roles might be is still unclear. Much change is happening. However, there
are elements of education that remain constant. Educators discover time and again that the most
powerful kinds of learning occur when students are interested in the subject, and the teacher is
passionate about it. Everything else appears to be secondary, whether it is the aims and
outcomes, methods of assessment, the resources or even the location of the learning. Whatever
the future brings, educators will remain important in the learning process, but their roles may
change significantly to accommodate new modes of learning and new educational environments.
The graphic on this page is very useful as a depiction of the progression of learning over the last
few years, and the implicit technology influences. It shows that the community will have a
significant role to play in the future of education, but that relationship will likely change. Your
comments on these ideas, as ever, are most welcome.