Fewer Teachers, More Data In The Schools Of The Future
Technology has already transformed education, but there is an increasingly widespread belief that the process is only just getting started. In one scenario, we are heading towards a paradigm shift that will mean fewer teachers and more data in the schools of the future.
According to a new report by two respected educationalists, we are on the verge of a historic change in the way schools operate.
In this model, huge quantities of data will finally make personalized education a reality, while large numbers of teachers will be replaced by support staff.
The study has been put together by Australian educationalist Dr Peter Hill, who has held senior positions both in his home country and in the U.S., as director of research and development at the National Center on Education and the Economy, and Sir Michael Barber, a former professor at the Institute of Education in London and one-time advisor to U.K. prime minister Tony Blair.
In their vision, the combination of globalization and new technology, plus the apparent stagnation of top-performing education systems, will drive the biggest revolution in education in more than 100 years.
According to their report: “New models of learning and teaching are evolving that make traditional classroom, teacher and textbook modes of formal learning obsolete.”
A key change is the availability of data. “Next-generation learning systems will create an explosion in data because they track learning and teaching at the individual student and lesson level,” the report says, with data providing “instant and detailed feedback” on pupil progress.
This approach also involves “a movement away from predominantly teacher/text instruction towards and online learning environment in a range of settings, supported by small-group and one-on-one tutorial assistance.”
Fewer Teachers, More Data In The Schools Of The Future: