The Future...

What does the future hold for education? That's not a simple question to answer. The future is ever-changing, but I think it holds exciting new things, especially in terms of technology and the role of the teacher.

The education system has definitely changed since I was a grade school student. When I got my first cell phone in grade 11, we weren't supposed to even look at them in class. At my last teaching placement, students used their phones on a daily basis for research. Things have certainly changed!

With technology comes access to a greater knowledge base than we had before. As a student teacher, I use the internet all the time for lesson planning, as it's good to see what other teachers have tried and what has and hasn't worked. My last cooperating teacher told me about how she remembered when she started using the internet for lesson planning, and how it saved so much time and made it so much easier for her; she no longer had to search through poetry or short story anthologies to find the right one for her class to study, she could just google it!

Not only is knowledge accessible to teachers though, it's also accessible to students, which makes me rethink what and how I should be teaching. If students have access to the internet everywhere they go, what is the point of me teaching them that Canada became a country in 1867? Unless they're on a game show about to win $1 million, can't they just look it up when they need to know?

In talking with my professors and cooperating teachers I am glad to hear that I am not alone in this thinking. Students don't need to be taught facts like this in school. They need to be taught how to learn. Sure, the curriculum is still important, and I will still teach the curriculum of course, but instead of quizzing students on important dates in history, how about I ask what makes them important? It's the deeper understanding that I want to teach - that along with how to do research to find out the specific details.

The NMC Horizon Report looks at the changing education system and challenges the role of teachers in this new system. Rather than being the primary sources of information in the classroom, teachers are being challenged to "act as guides and mentors to promote student-centered learning," that is, to show students how to be a lifelong learner. Rather than equipping students with a bunch of facts, teachers need to be equipping students with the skills to problem-solve and create - that is what best prepares them for the future.

That is why I hope to do a lot of project-based learning and inquiry-based learning - so that my students will have experiences figuring things out and solving problems. What better way to prepare them for the future?

As the education system changes, so do teachers. As a new teacher, there's not much I need to change yet, but I will need to make sure to keep an open mind as the education system continues to shift. Regardless of the changes that will occur, I will keep in mind my number one goal - to prepare my students to be lifelong learners and successful in whatever they do.